How Much Is Sentimental Value Worth?

How do you place a monetary value on something you once found priceless? A growing number of people who are underemployed or scraping by on unemployment checks are asking this very practical question as they need to sell personal items to make ends meet.

Women in particular have found themselves facing the tough job of parting with things of great sentimental value, such an engagement ring from a deceased fiance, or big-ticket items that simply remind them or their former life among the fully employed. Reluctantly, they're turning to online marketplaces like Ebay and Craigslist to do it.