The Great American West is unique in its history and culture, and the items from yesteryear bear up this uniqueness consistently. The South, the Easter seaboard, the great plains and Appalachia all possess their own distinct characters, and their own attendant set of uniquely distinct antiques and cultural items. Out West, however, a culture developed distinct from the past as great troves of Americans moved in to wild, untamed lands and brought them to heel, creating communities, raising families, developing business and living lives unlike any others in history.

As a result, estate sales in states like Colorado are resplendent with antiques and historical objects that are simply not to be found anywhere else in the world. The advent of the saloon carries with it a culture distinct from the watering holes back east, with swinging saloon doors recognized the world over as uniquely a part of Western culture. While spurs for riding boots may be ubiquitous, the spurs and saddlery used for generations in the Great American West carry with them a window in to lives lived and work done that is unlike any such practices in the South. While New York may have a proud history of its own distinct commerce, the idea of seemingly boundless ranches sprawling across the arid plains and valleys of Colorado is unique, and antiques from this bygone era can command some very high prices in today’s antique markets.

Finding treasure troves of unique Western antiques can be exciting and relatively easy by shopping at Colorado estate sales. An estate sale tends to sell or put up for auction the possessions of a family, business or institution as a lot, and smart shoppers taking the time to search for valuables and antiques can be rewarded not just with high-dollar items selling at vastly reduced prices, but are introduced to a world apart, a distinct culture and history that is not on offer so cheaply any where else.

Knowing what to look for, where, and when is the key to finding great values in the antiques markets. While many small, picturesque towns are given over to antique shops and dealers, shopping at these venues will not often yield hidden treasures selling for low prices. Rather, antique dealers and shop owners tend to know exactly what they have, the relative value of those items, and know that visitors to small, picturesque towns are apt to buy keepsakes and sentimental items. Estate sales, on the other hand, tend to be geared towards moving a great deal of product at low prices, and more often than not the items for sale have not been previously picked over by these small-town antiques dealers, although estate sales present a great opportunity for them to pick up stock for their businesses at low prices. Savvy antique shoppers, wise to their markets and knowledgeable as to the value and scarcity of some Western items can find incredible values and keepsakes in Colorado estate sales, as well as returning home with a genuine piece of the American West, and the rich, unique history it entails.