Estate Cleanout & Book Trade Glossary

Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred

A

Appraisal

A formal written estimate of an item's value, typically prepared by a credentialed appraiser. Used for insurance, estate-tax purposes, equitable division between heirs, or pre-sale benchmarking. I am not certified appraisers; if an estate has items that warrant appraisal, I'll pause and recommend you obtain one before disposition.

Ancestry paperwork

Loose term for family-history materials — birth and marriage certificates from previous generations, immigration papers, Bibles with family tree pages, photo-back inscriptions identifying relatives, genealogy charts, military records of ancestors. Among the most-irreplaceable categories in any estate; preserved as Heirloom Rescue regardless of resale value.

Appraised value vs. fair market value

Appraised value is the formal opinion of a credentialed appraiser. Fair market value is what a willing buyer would pay a willing seller in an open market. They're often different. For most everyday estate items, fair market value is what matters; appraisals are needed only for items with serious individual value.

As-is sale

A real estate or contents sale where the buyer takes the property in its current condition, including remaining contents. Common for probate properties when the estate doesn't have time or funds to clear the property before selling. The buyer becomes responsible for any subsequent cleanout.

B

Biohazard remediation

Specialized cleaning of properties that have been exposed to bodily fluids, prolonged decomposition, or hazardous biological materials. Requires specific certifications, equipment, and disposal protocols. I don't do this — I'll refer you to a bio-recovery specialist when the situation warrants. After remediation, normal cleanout work can proceed.

Book club edition (BCE)

A reprint produced for book-of-the-month-club style mail-order book clubs. Visually similar to a true first edition but typically cheaper paper, smaller trim, and missing certain print-line markers. BCEs are not collectible; true firsts are. Telling them apart matters when valuing a literary library.

Bookplate / ex libris

A small printed label affixed to the inside front cover identifying the book's owner. Sometimes ornate, sometimes utilitarian. Bookplates do not reduce a book's value and sometimes add to it (when the bookplate identifies a notable owner). Don't remove them.

C

Cleanout

The process of clearing a property of its contents — books, papers, household goods, furniture, accumulated stuff. Distinguished from "estate sale" (which involves selling contents on the property) and "junk hauling" (which involves bulk disposal without sorting). A proper cleanout sorts and routes contents to appropriate channels: resale, donation, recycling, family preservation, disposal.

Commercial fiction

Mass-market and trade fiction (Stephen King, John Grisham, Nora Roberts, Lee Child, etc.) that sells in volume but rarely accumulates collectible value at the title level. The category most-donated in estate libraries; routes through Little Free Libraries, used book partners, and bulk donation.

Conservatorship

A court-appointed legal arrangement in which someone is given authority to manage another person's affairs because that person cannot manage them on their own. Cleanout work for a conservatorship is conducted under the conservator's authority and typically requires additional documentation.

Cost basis (estate context)

The value of an inherited asset at the date of death, used to calculate capital gains tax if and when the asset is later sold. Cost-basis records for inherited investments and property should be kept indefinitely; I set these papers aside as Tier 1 (irreplaceable) during sorting.

D

Decide-later box

The middle bucket in my three-bucket sorting framework: items the family can't decide on within thirty seconds. Box, label, store, revisit in 90 days. The decide-later option exists because most regret in estate cleanouts comes from things tossed too fast, not from things kept too long. See the Keep/Toss guide PDF.

Dust jacket (DJ)

The removable paper cover wrapped around a hardcover book. For collectible firsts, the presence and condition of the original dust jacket dramatically affects value — sometimes 80% or more of a collectible book's price is in the jacket. Don't discard dust jackets. Store with the book.

E

Ephemera

Printed materials that weren't intended to last — programs, pamphlets, brochures, tickets, postcards, advertising flyers. Estate libraries often contain ephemera tucked into books that turns out to have historical or local interest. I pull and document.

Estate attorney

An attorney who handles probate, trust administration, will drafting, and related estate work. Different from elder law attorneys (who focus on Medicaid planning and aging-related legal needs) and estate-planning attorneys (who focus on pre-death documents). Many practice both.

Estate sale

An organized event where the contents of an estate are sold on the property over one or more days. Typically run by a professional estate sale company that takes a percentage commission. Different from cleanout — estate sales monetize contents but generally don't include disposal or final clearing.

Executor / Personal representative (PR)

The person legally authorized to administer an estate. "Executor" is the older common-law term; New Mexico (and most modern probate codes) uses "personal representative" or PR. Same role: gather assets, pay debts and taxes, distribute remainder according to the will or NM intestacy law.

F

Fair market value (FMV)

The price an item would sell for between an informed willing buyer and an informed willing seller, neither under compulsion. For estate purposes, FMV at date of death establishes the cost basis for inherited assets. Different from "what I paid for it" or "what it's worth to me" — FMV is market-anchored.

First edition (true first)

The first commercial printing of a book by its original publisher, in its original format, in the country of original publication. For collectible authors, the true first is dramatically more valuable than later printings or book-club editions. Identification requires careful examination of the copyright page, number line, edition statement, and dust jacket.

Foxing

The brownish age-spotting that appears on older paper, especially in books stored in humid conditions. Foxing reduces a book's grade and resale value but doesn't make a book worthless — many collectibles have light foxing acceptable to buyers.

G

Genealogical paperwork

Materials documenting family history: birth/death/marriage certificates from prior generations, naturalization papers, family Bibles with handwritten entries, old photographs (especially with names on the back), oral history recordings, family tree charts. Always Tier 1 — pulled and preserved regardless of resale value. See genealogy preservation.

H

Heirloom Rescue

My protocol for handling items in an estate that may have meaning to family members regardless of resale value — handwritten letters, family Bibles, annotated cookbooks, inscribed books, family photographs, signed first editions, items with personal stories attached. These are pulled, documented, and presented to the family before any disposition decision.

Hoarder cleanout

Cleanout of a property where accumulated items have reached significantly above-average density, often combined with emotional or psychological complexity for the affected person or their family. Different in pace and tone from a standard estate cleanout. Within reasonable limits I handle these; biohazard remediation is referred out. See hoarder cleanout.

I

Inscribed copy

A book personally signed and dedicated by the author to a specific named recipient ("To Mary, with admiration — Tony Hillerman"). Distinct from a flat signature (just the author's signature with no dedication). Inscribed copies have specific collector value depending on the inscription's nature and the recipient's identity.

Intestate

Dying without a valid will. New Mexico's intestacy law determines how the estate is distributed in that case, generally favoring spouses and children in defined proportions. Intestate estates still go through probate; they're just distributed by statute rather than by will.

L

Letters testamentary / letters of administration

The court order that officially appoints someone as personal representative of an estate. "Letters testamentary" issues when there's a will; "letters of administration" issues when there isn't (intestate). The PR generally needs these to access bank accounts, sign deeds, and authorize cleanouts on the property.

Little Free Library (LFL)

The neighborhood book-sharing boxes that have proliferated across Albuquerque (and nationally) — small wooden cabinets where books move freely between neighbors. I'm a regular stocker of LFLs in the North Valley and Northeast Heights. See the LFL case study.

M

Marginalia

Notes, annotations, and markings written in book margins by readers. For most books, marginalia reduces resale value. For some (a famous reader's annotated copy, an academic's working text), marginalia can substantially increase value — the book becomes a primary source. For families, marginalia is often the most personal artifact of a deceased reader's mind.

N

Number line

The series of numbers on a book's copyright page (typically 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10) used by publishers to indicate which printing the book is from. The lowest number present indicates the printing — "1" or "1 2 3..." with the 1 still present means a first printing. A number line starting with 2 or higher means a later printing. Critical for first-edition identification.

P

Personal representative (PR)

See Executor. The legal term used in New Mexico probate for the person authorized to administer an estate.

Probate

The court-supervised process of administering an estate after a death. In New Mexico, probate involves filing the will (if any), being appointed personal representative, providing notice to creditors and heirs, paying debts and taxes, and distributing remaining assets. New Mexico has both formal and informal probate processes; most estates use informal probate. See probate cleanout.

Provenance

The documented history of an item's ownership and origin. For books, provenance includes prior owners (bookplates, signatures), prior bookseller handling (stickers, pencil pricing), and notable associations (signed at a documented reading event). Strong provenance can elevate the value of an already-valuable item.

R

Remainder mark

A mark — typically a slash, dot, or stamp — applied to the bottom edge of a book by a publisher when the book is sold off as remaindered (excess) inventory at a discount. Remainder marks slightly reduce a book's collectible value but don't change its readability or its identity as a first edition.

RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act)

Federal law restricting referral compensation between settlement service providers in residential real estate transactions. Estate cleanout is generally not technically a settlement service, but the cleanest practice for realtor-cleanout referrals is no consideration in either direction. I pay no referral fees to anyone, ever. See my realtor page.

S

Signed copy

A book autographed by the author. Subdivisions: flat-signed (just the signature, no inscription), inscribed (signed and personally dedicated), signed at event (with date matching a known reading). All can affect a book's value, with proper authentication.

T

Testator / testatrix

The person who made a will. Older legal language; modern practice often just uses "the decedent" or "the deceased."

U

Used bookseller / antiquarian bookseller

A bookseller who handles previously owned books, with antiquarian booksellers typically focusing on older, rarer, or more collectible titles. Used booksellers price in pencil on the rear endpaper; antiquarian booksellers often add bookplates or labels indicating provenance. See Albuquerque bookstore history.

W

Walkthrough

My initial visit to a property to assess scope, identify Heirloom Rescue candidates, and quote the work in writing. Always free, never obligating. Typically takes 30 to 60 minutes for a residential estate. The walkthrough is when I give you my honest read on what's there.

Want list

The notebook-and-app list of specific titles customers have asked us to watch for. When estate inventory comes in, I check the want list before listing anything for sale. See the Find-a-Book service.

---

A note on usage

This glossary is intended as plain-language reference, not legal advice. Definitions are written for the family member or professional referrer trying to understand what's being discussed. For specific legal matters — interpreting a will, contesting probate, navigating intestacy in New Mexico — talk to a qualified estate attorney. my page for attorneys covers how I work with legal counsel.

If there's a term you've encountered during your estate process that isn't in this glossary, call or text 702-496-4214 and I'll define it for you (or suggest who can — sometimes the right answer is the attorney's office).