The Hand me down victim

The hand me down victim is sometimes poor, or poorer than her rich relations. Sensitive and sentimental, she dislikes hurting other people's feelings. So she gets a lot of strange donations, usually from her husband's family although I know one who got a particularly loathsome estate from her own favorite uncle. She loved the uncle too much to get rid of the furniture. A guilt legacy is unusual, though. More often the lucky recipient " just happen to need a new sofa. I know you'll just love this. Its too good to throw out". Needless to say its not good enough to keep either, but the Hand me Down to say no.
The Hand me down Victim must fight back or be inundated in junk and peculiar antiques. The two best weapons are outright refusal and subterfuge.
If the donation is really shot, just refuse it. Such offered are vaguely insulting, anyway, but usually emanate from well-intentioned relatives who just hate to throw things out.
If the piece is valuable or a sentimental heirloom but not your taste, try fading-heirloom trick. This usually works when you really don't want the piece but love the person who gave it to you and don't want to hurt feelings. A friend of mine, Lilia, once received a large Victorian cabinet from a dear aunt who visited regularly. As is so often the case, the most interest in the piece is in the both cabinet and her Aunt's generosity. Everybody admired it, and her Aunt was pleased that Lilia appreciate it enough to put it in a place of prominence. Three months later, Lilia moved it into the hallway and over the next three months Lilia edged the cabinet down the hall. Next she was inspired to move it into the guest room. Such a useful piece, why I didn't think of that before. After it had been in the guest room a year she gave it to a young relation who actually admired it-a Victorian buff. Lilia told her Aunt," Much as I liked that piece, I just couldn't turn Mary Ellen down-she loved it so much she cried when I gave it to her.
All were evasions, of course, except that Mary Ellen really did want the cabinet badly. This technique often works well for savings people's feelings. So just be grateful at the onset and then keep edging that gift down that hall.