ESL Podcast 986 - Buying and Selling Family Heirlooms

antique dealer - someone who buys old jewelry, artwork, pieces of furniture, and similar items for low prices and sells them for higher prices as a business

The antique dealer says these plates are worth thousands of dollars, but they don't seem that special to me.

to gather dust - to sit on a shelf and be unused for a long period of time, especially referring to something that is just meant to be looked at

Their kids don't want to take piano lessons anymore, so now the piano is just gathering dust in the corner of their living room.

mantelpiece - a shelf above a fireplace in a living room, often used to display framed photographs and other decorative items

Every December, they hang stockings from the mantelpiece in anticipation of Christmas.

to appraise - to assess the value of something; to give an official opinion about how much something is worth and how much others would pay for it

The bank requires that we get the home appraised before they'll give us a loan to purchase it.

family heirloom - an object that is given from one generation to the next, especially an object of value; an object that is given from grandparents or parents to younger members in a family

These candlesticks are family heirlooms that originally belonged to my great- grandmother, and someday when you get married, they'll belong to you.

to pass down - to give a used object to a younger member of one's family, especially when that object is valuable

Yevgeny was shocked when his father sold the gold watch instead of passing it down to him.

generation - a group of people born at approximately the same time

Last thanksgiving, we were able to get a family photo with female members of five generations: Great-Grandma, Grandma, Mom, me, and my baby girl.

collectable - an object that people like to have, especially because it is rare (uncommon), valuable, and expected to increase in value over time

So many of the toys Grandpa played with as a little boy are collectables now. I wish he had kept them!

a dime a dozen - very common and with little value; not rare

Most landscape paintings are a dime a dozen, but these ones are truly beautiful.

sentimental value - with a lot of emotional attachment and memories making an object valuable to a person, even though it does not have any financial value and nobody else would want to buy it

These ticket stubs might just look like pieces of paper, but they have a lot of sentimental value for Clarabelle.

to inherit - to receive money or an object from an older family member when he or she dies

Who's going to inherit Greta's jewelry?

to make a quick buck - to make money very quickly and easily, with little or no effort

Shane thought he could make a quick buck by selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but it was much more difficult than he'd expected.

to fetch - to bring something, especially money from the sale of something

How much do you think we can fetch for that old boat?

to good use - useful and helpful, with a purpose

Sergey has studied medicine for 10 years and now he's eager to put that knowledge to good use by helping patients.

proceeds - revenue; money received from the sale of something

This company promised to donate 5% of the proceeds to charitable organizations.

not on your life - no way; a phrase used to show that something will not happen, that there is no chance of something happening

A: Would you help me move on Saturday? B: Not on your life! I almost broke my back helping you move your piano last time.