As the weather begins to get nicer (today doesn't count.....very cold and windy in Dallas), I begin to think about one of my favorite weekend pastimes........estate sales. I have been an avid estate sale hunter for the 13 years that I have lived in the Dallas area. I get my Thursday and Friday morning papers, a black ball point pen, a highlighter, and my Dallas Mapsco and sit down for 30 minutes or so to plan my trips. I have gotten very good at this over the years and I rarely come home empty handed. A quick stop by the ATM for some cash money and I'm off. My personal collections consist mainly old Southwest Conference memorabilia, old Texas beer stuff (Lone Star and Pearl mostly),old sports magazines, art books, western stuff, and any other things that catch my eyes. I also buy stuff at these sales to sell on EBAY. I buy up Dallas Cowboys memorabilia and other sports teams stuff that I don't care much for, and sell them to diehard fans. I've got a pretty good grasp on collectibles and their values. Above is a pair of Ralph Lauren cowboy boots from the 70's that I found in a women's closet in Preston Hollow (older upscale Dallas neighborhood). I paid $10 for them even though the sign on the closet said, "all shoes $1"....I plead my case to no avail...it was still a good deal and I knew it. I got home and put them on EBAY and had like 35 bids on them.....a week later I had sold them for $127.00. I thought I would share some of my EBAY success stories periodically as the prime estate sale season revs up......the thrill of the hunt is what makes it fun!