Don't Throw That Away
53 Things in Your House That Are Worth More Than You Think (and How to Stop Giving Them Away)
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In 2016, I walked into a hoarder's house in Scottsdale, Arizona. The estate executor was exhausted, the house was packed to the ceiling, and they had exactly forty-eight hours to clear it before closing. They wanted me to drag everything to the dump.
I squeezed past towers of old newspapers and broken lamps, scanning the walls. There, buried behind a stack of water-damaged cardboard boxes, was a large canvas wrapped in plastic. Someone had stuck a yellow post-it note right in the center of the frame: "TRASH."
I peeled back the plastic. It was an Ed Mell. One of his desert storm pieces, all hard-edged mesas and stacked geometric clouds rolling over the Sonoran landscape. A few months later, it sold at auction for over $40,000. That's when I realized: people aren't just throwing away junk. They're throwing away their family's fortune, simply because they don't know what they're looking at.
Selected Highlights
...and 34 more categories covered in depth.
The American Downsizer
For those clearing out parents' homes or downsizing their own, providing a practical guide on what to keep, what to sell, and what to finally toss.
The Side-Hustle Reseller
For weekend thrifters and eBay sellers looking to spot the undervalued items everyone else walks past at the estate sale.
The Antiques Roadshow Viewer
For the intellectually curious history buff who loves the story and the hidden value behind everyday objects.
Estate Planning Professionals
A required read for attorneys and planners looking to advise their clients against making costly disposal mistakes.
The Unique Angle
Unlike academic price guides or dry antique catalogs, Don't Throw That Away is written from the trenches. It combines the behavioral psychology of why we keep what we keep with the hard market data of what things actually sell for. It's a field guide wrapped in 25 years of unbelievable stories from the auction block.
Want a preview? Watch Josh on YouTube where he breaks down real-world finds every week.