public Item compare(final Item item1, final Item item2) {
		// comparisons:

		// item type -- if not same type, return null as they are not
		// comparable?
		// if( item1.getItemType() == item2.getItemType() )

		// item value -- compare value in terms of money, copper pieces specifically
		if (item1.getValue().numOfCopper() > item2.getValue().numOfCopper()) {
			// item wear
			if ((item1.getDurability() - item1.getWear()) < (item2.getDurability() - item2.getWear())) {
				return item1;
			}
			else {
				return item2;
			}
		}
		else if (item1.getValue().numOfCopper() == item2.getValue().numOfCopper()) {
			return item1;
		}
		else {
			return item2;
		}
	}