Bronze Star with First Oak Cluster and Certificate Framed 16-Oct-1969. Hello all, Jamie G here. My stepdad (Richard “Rick”Russell) was an avid Pepsi-Cola Collector going back as FAR as I can rememberto at least the early 1970′s. He would take my mom, my younger sister and I toswap meet or flea market every Saturday and Sunday when we lived in LosAngeles. I remember all the Pepsi stuff we would obtain week-after-week as thatwas our focus. I totally forgot about all the other “stuff”that Rick and my mom collected. ” I was literally driving up from ATL to Detroit the nextweekend to start to curate, photograph and relocate all their “stuff fromDetroit to Atlanta, which is where my family and I reside. Let me be honest and upfront, it was noteasy to empty a house of several decades of collected items, especially whenyou are a novice. I literally wince when I consider all the items that Ithought were trash, that now (looking back) were ANYTHING BUT TRASH! This was alesson I learned rather late in my life, and the lesson is You never knowwhat is of value to someone else! Thankfully, I did secure thelions-share of everything and over the last few years I have gone back andforth and back and forth and back and forth in a rented truck. I did not likeit much then; it was a ton of work. BUT truth be told, I was rather surprisedat how much I enjoyed going through ALL the Pepsi Cola Collectibles, takingcopious photographs, collating, curating and then time-to-time stopping andpensively reflecting and remembering when and where we found an item. , as that meant it was from 1953 or earlier! What we were paid the most to findwere items that featured “Pepsi & Pete, ” which were two cartoonkeystone cops that Pepsi Cola used in their advertising-starting in the late1930s. As I went through the Pepsi ColaCollection, what I totally forgot was the literal treasure-trove of otherantique & vintage collectibles they amassed, it should have been obviousthat Rick and my mom collected much more than just Pepsi Cola items. In theirwords, they collected items that Rick thought were Trick! ” But my mom ismore old-school Californian, and she would have said, “Bitchin, but I digress. They both loved collecting older items from 1900s – 1950′s. It was one of the few times that I (as a kid) thought my stepfatherto be incredibly cruel. He relished the power he had over people who wantedsomething that he had. To be honest, I hated this about him and as such, I justdo not do that. Furthermore, I will always negotiate the PRICE, as I do notwant the price to be the determiner that kills a deal. I will always do my bestto not allow you to walk away unhappy just because I want to gouge you for afew more dollars on an item. Truth is, I know how much fun and what a huge partof Rick’s life was spent Collecting, so I have decided to honor his memory byfinding homes for his unique items with other collectors that are as passionateas he was about his collection(s). (2) Should my listed price be too high, just take a moment and let me know and please feel free to make a counteroffer. I want these items to find a home similar to where I grew up, we hadso many rooms filled with antiques and vintage advertising, it was justcommonplace for me, but when new friends came over to my house for the firsttime, they were floored with the Pepsi Parlor (I will include a few old pictures, so you understand). I think it isthe fair and reasonable way to conduct business. As an example, I many times list as such. Delivered to your door. I attempt to make it as easy aspossible for you and others to do business with me! Therefore, today’s exampleworks out like this. Bronze Star with First Oak Cluster and Certificate Framed [16-Oct-1969]. So you will walk-away with thisgorgeous vintage piece of Americana for a total price just over. Please tell meYOUR story! Tell me why you want an item and let’s work together to get you theitem or items you want and need! Life is just too short and if I can make yourday brighter or maybe bring a smile to your face by getting you an item for aprice that is a bit better for you, well, I do that quite often as evidenced bymy very happy buyers. Please go check out my feedback that has been provided! The fact is I want us both to walk awayfrom the deal being happy. You know that feeling you have where you justcannot wait to go and tell someone what you just bought, and you want to sharethe great price you paid? ! It’s that feeling of WOW! Well, that is what Iwant for you because I get the same type of feeling when I sell an item that Imay or may not have helped collect as a child or teen. That’s a two-foldanswer. Ienjoy knowing that I facilitated someone’s JOY and Happiness knowing that they obtaineda fair and reasonable price. Weird I know, but that’s me, andprobably why I ended up in Training, Learning & Employee Development as myprofessional career. I enjoy watching others’ happiness. In fact, Ionly know this because of the feedback I read from them that say, they enjoybuying from me. It is, What it IS. But hopefully my verbose explanationabove will help you provide you sense of why I do what I do and how I sell andwhy I sell. Thank you for looking!
