Monday, March 3, 2014

Oriental Rug Repair And Other Ways To Restore Treasures

By Kendra Hood


Most people have at least one relative with an attic or a basement full of stuff. At an initial glance, this stuff may seem like worthless junk that is just taking up space. However, if you take the time to look through all of the items, you may find things that are valuable and can be restored. Oriental rug repair, for instance, can bring back the splendor of an old rug that has been neglected.

Another possibility for restoration lies in old furniture. There are crafts-people who specialize in repairing damaged furniture and bringing it back to its original state, or as close as possible. Even water and fire-damaged furniture can be restored. They may also be able to appraise it for you, and then you can decide whether to display it in your own home or to sell it to someone who collects antiques.

If your relative or another person who has lived in the home was a world traveler, they may have kept some coins from some of the countries where they traveled abroad. Whether coming back from France to Detroit, MI or from England to Corona Del Mar, CA, most people bring home a bunch of foreign coins in their pockets. They may have held on to them for sentimental reasons, but when discovered decades after the fact, these coins can be valuable.

While some people are adamant about cycling old items out of their wardrobes by giving them away, others hold on to them. If your relative is in the latter category, you might discover dresses, hats, or coats from decades past among their things. These items can be sold or given to second hand shops, or they can be worn for an authentic vintage look.

These days, people keep their extensive book collections on their Kindles or Nooks. However, in the past, people often had large libraries of physical books. If you come upon one of these, it is definitely worthwhile to look though, and to do research on the things you find. Certain editions, especially first editions, of certain books are very rare and sometimes very valuable. Also, old books are just fun to look at!

You might find jewelry, too. Although a lot of jewelry that is handed down through generations is kept in the family, and you would probably already know about it, there's always the chance of stumbling upon something forgotten. Jewelry can be restored just like furniture can, and its value can also be appraised.

Perhaps more important than treasures with monetary value are the treasures that teach us about the past and about our family histories. Nowadays, people communicate through phone calls, texts, and emails, and even keep their journals electronically. In the past, however, communication was done through letters, and journals were kept in physical books. Stumbling upon a collection of letters or journals can be a wonderful window into the lives of people who lived before us.

There are reasons why people hold on to things, especially if they have held onto them for decades. Those things usually have value, whether it is sentimental or monetary. For that reason, when going through old collections, we should take the time to discover the story behind these old items, and to restore them if they need to be restored.




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