Mars en Marche

I went on long walk through Rosemont and the Plateau yesterday while doing some errands with a friend. It wasn’t garbage day in Rosemont but being the beginning of the month there was some trash left behind from different moves. I was surprised at how much was on the curb – I think I just forgot how often people move (and leave things behind) when it’s not freezing outside! I found this box full of jewellery in one collection of moving “leftbehinds”. There’s some decent pieces here, including two little 925 rings, a silver bracelet and nice costume jewellery. I could easily make 30$ here.

On the way home we walked through a part of the Plateau (east of St Denis) that has a Tuesday evening pickup. This jewellery was also left behind from a move. The nicest piece is likely the blue pendant near the bottom (marked Mexico 925).

I stopped at two spots I had made a mental note to keep an eye on. I came up empty at one but this place provided some cool finds. I was here on Friday night and while I didn’t find much I could tell there could be some interesting vintage finds going forward.

These earrings are marked 10k gold and look to have real pearls in the middle. I’ll put these on Etsy for at least 30$.

I found this giant newspaper-sized ad for Eaton’s lining the bottom of a cardboard box. It’s in remarkably good condition for it’s age. It’s dated March 5 1967 and makes at least one reference to Expo 67.

I picked up a few different magazines and publications. My favourite is the knitting book at the bottom left – it was published during WWII. I also like the baby knits magazine at the middle top.

I’m always a sucker for lithographs. On the back of the top right is a message written way back in 1940. On the bottom right is a postcard from Barcelona. It opens up to reveal a series of realistically drawn lithographs of popular local destinations. A brief note reveals it was sent in 1952.

There were other clothes and shoes but I took only this pair of funky heels. They’re in good condition and should easily sell at a yard sale.

I thought this 1981 “Great Gonzo” Muppets glass was pretty cute. I added it to the house collection.

My favourite find was this WWII-era coin bank. On it is written “Save for Canadian War Savings Certificates.” It was unlocked when I found it but I accidentally closed it and can’t get it open again! I love this wartime era stuff.

My destination this morning was the Town of Mount Royal.

This lovely old painting was inside the trash bin at far left. The paint has cracked charmingly with age. The artist is a L Barzil or Barzic, neither of which I see any reference for on Google. The image seems somehow familiar, if anyone knows where it is let us know in the comments! My guess is that it’s from somewhere in the Gaspesie.

Here I found four fold-up tables. They’re not fancy but they’re functional. I’m sure they’ll come in handy at my place.

Inside one of the bags was the shell of a tortoise. There’s a hook screwed into the top making it able to be hung from a wall. It’s definitely interesting, though it wouldn’t be my top choice of decor. I mostly feel bad for the tortoise!

This house seems to throw away one or two cool things a week. I would never know there was anything here at all if I hadn’t of stopped a few weeks back.

Today I found a Minolta camera flash and a collection of souvenir slides from Expo 67. I’m sure I can make a couple of bucks from each.

I met a woman while picking here a couple of weeks back. She told me she was helping her mother clear house in preparation for a move.

There were some small treasures this time around. The wire-rim glasses up top are gold-filled. The “Autographs” book on the left contains a collection of short messages from various people (all of which were written in the 1940s). On the right is a kind of necklace. I’m not sure what the style is called but my mind rightly or wrongly associates it with cowboys.

I really enjoyed finding this medal. It was made in 1938 during the Golden Jubilee of the Mont-Saint-Louis, a private school up in Ahuntsic. I assume this would have been given to a student, though whether it was made for the jubilee or because of some specific achievement I couldn’t say.

I do a lot of listening when out hunting for trash and I think the most recognizable (and welcome) sound is the rattle of coins at the bottom of a bag. I came across the sound again today while moving a little white shopping bag and inside was a collection of foreign coins. Most are from the 1980s, though a couple date back as far as 1960. I imagine these were mementos from past travels. In the middle is a commemorative coin celebrating the 1981 marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana (funny, that’s two posts in a row mentioning that wedding after a grand total of zero the last two years!). There’s also a 1979 Canada 50c piece. These aren’t particularly valuable but I’m sure someone, especially a young kid might take interest in them at a yard sale.

I’m on the fence as to whether to go out tomorrow morning. Having a car means I can bring home way more stuff but also means I have to deal with it all. My room is a total mess and I’m also way behind on replying to emails (many apologies to those who have emailed me regarding my finds!). Right now I’m leaning towards taking the day off – if I don’t spend time to order my life I’ll end up feeling overwhelmed. Regardless, I’ll be out on Friday to see if I can find anything cool in NDG and Westmount.