My mom dropped off another load of unsorted papers from old Aunt Theresa's house yesterday. Most of her papers went into a dumpster, because they were moldy and unorganized. This parsel of papers was rescued for some reason and ended up on my living table.
What was in it? Mostly garbage. Her teaching certification from the 1940s. Scribbled notes from a vacation. Old thank you notes. Here are a few of things that I saved.
Vintage cruise menus. Apparently they are worth some money.
Tons and tons of Catholic prayer cards that date back to the turn of the century. Lots of dead Italian immigrants. I'll sell them as a lot. Someone will make an art project of them.
An old Pan Am baggage brochure. I guess that's worth $20 or so.
I have about 60 postcards from the 40s and the 50s. I want to sell them as a lot and get rid of them. It's too much work to photograph each one to sell individually.
Apt. 11d 
I would keep the teaching certification. It’s a judgment call, but I have a handful of such items (e.g., my grandfather’s WWI honorable discharge, my great-grandfather’s citizenship papers) that I think might interest future generations.
Do the vacation notes supply material of interest to a social historian? E.g., notes on modes of transport, or occupations of fellow travelers, or whatever? If it’s just “Saw the Louvre. According to the sign, it is over 90 stories high” then I agree, they are not worth saving.
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