The best estate sales are full of mystery and melancholy, not to mention great finds and bargains. No one understands this like Old Hat, a company that stages some of the best ones. This week, they have a goody on Russian Hill (1080 Francisco St., Apt. 31, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., today through Sunday).

The folks who run Old Hat get that the past and present mix and mingle as bargain hunters and antique lovers dig through the sum contents of someone's life. When closets are thrown open, boxes emptied and basements cleared, the personal items that are revealed tell a story as clearly as if the departed ones were speaking aloud. Read more. . .