list it: love it or list it revisited

I was sitting in a staff meeting a couple weeks ago when the topic of tracking research participants was brought to the table. One of my co-workers mentioned that she had successfully located a few participants via Facebook, but unless she paid a dollar to send the message, it would be sent to a different inbox (because they are not friends on the social networking site). 

This got me thinking about the secret mailbox. I went home, only to discover that I had several messages in this location, one of which was from a guy in Nevada who had read my blog post "love it or list it." He identified himself as a collector and asked what I had decided to do with the mug. He offered to purchased it if it was still available. The mug had been sitting on a shelf in my closet for nearly three months. I had no problem letting it sit on his shelf for the price he offered.

The message was over a month old, but I replied and he responded immediately. I sent a few close up shots of the mug to his personal email, payment was made via PayPal and the mug was on its way.

love it or list it

Earlier this afternoon, a friend of mine sent me a picture message of a Philadelphia Starbucks mug I had given her for Christmas last year. I considered adding to her collection this Holiday and remembered the Fairmount Park Starbucks mug my Aunt had given me for Christmas a few years ago.

A quick Google search revealed that the 2007 mug is considered rare and last sold on eBay for $166.

I have been using the mug a couple times a week, unaware of its value. My coffee tastes like coffee regardless of the mug. I'm not really much of a collector and see no point in sticking it on a shelf. So, I am faced with a decision...do I cash in on eBay or continue to use it like all the other mugs?