I used to go to Rosemont on Monday mornings but now, because of the replacing of that trash day with a compost day, I have to go elsewhere. I decided to go to Outremont which has trash day on Monday and Thursday. Outremont is a richer neighbourhood but it’s lower population density makes it harder to find trash.
I came across this pile pretty early on in the journey. I think this stuff had been in one of those garages for a long time and much of it got pretty damp and mildewy. There were a bunch of old letters sent from the Philippines to a doctor most of which were sent in the 1980s. I would guess most of this stuff had been there since that time, maybe a bit later.
Most of the stuff wasn’t worth taking but I did find this cool necklace and pendant. They’re both marked “Ster” (sterling silver). I think there might be a piece missing on the back, but that might also just be a an optional thing in case you wanted to put a photo in there. Regardless, it’s a pretty cool piece, it looks a bit like the sun don’t you think?
I also found these two dolls which were in decent shape. They’re pretty weird though, neither of them look very cheerful that’s for sure! Does anyone who what cultural background these might have?
I saved these DYI jewelry / toy / birdhouse kits from someone’s trash bin. All but one have never been opened. These should sell quickly at a yard sale.
Other than that there wasn’t too much. I like biking around that neighbourhood, though, and I did find a chokecherry tree (one of my favourite local fruits!) which was cool.
Here’s the last of the little pieces I found the other day. A lot are pins, many of which are missing the pin, but others have flat backs. There’s lots of different insignias, many of which are probably military. I’ve found out what a few are, but any information you have on the others is appreciated! The pieces come from a wide range of places, including corporations, schools, non-profits, secret societies / fraternal organizations and the army (read the comments on my last few posts as some commenters helped me identify a few!) so I doubt there’s any real limit as to what they could be. The main unifying concept is that they’re all American, mostly centred around the northeast states.
The Kiski pin probably refers to the Kiski all-male boarding school. Wells Lamont is a company that makes gloves while the now defunct Van Norman Co. made big machines tools used in industry.
The dark shields on the middle right which feature the phrase “Bello Ac Pace Paratus” (Prepared in Peace and War) are the insignia of the US Army’s 112th Engineer Battalion. I couldn’t figure out which way was up for the red pin second from the left on the bottom. It looks kind of like it reads “Hi Y” but I’m not sure.
My guess for the “C.H.C.” pin is that it was made for the Calvert Hall College, a Catholic private school in Maryland. The shield marked with the phrase “Summo est opportunitas” (seize the opportunities) is the insignia for the US 106th Air Refueling Squadron. The iron cross pin at the top looks could be for St John’s Ambulance.
The little football pendant has “Navy” written up by the top, I’d guess it’s from the Navy’s football team. The pendant on the right which looks to have the image of a man swimming has a little catholic medallion attached at the top. On the medallion is the date 1880, though I don’t know if that’s when it was made or when the quote was said. It looks kind of old regardless. I think the hawk is made of pewter.
Here’s an old “tin type” photograph next to a New York transit token (which is a bit smaller than a quarter). I love those old tin types.
Finally, a pair of old dog tags (for an dog, not a soldier this time!) and 5-year customer appreciation keychain (?) from GE.
I’ve really enjoyed looking through all these bits and pieces. I should be able to sell the military-related ones pretty easily, some of the others I may end up putting in the yard sale. However I might end up stashing a bunch away, especially the mysterious ones and hope that one day I can find someone who knows what they are!
Oh, I also found out what those tiny “US” button-like things from a couple of posts ago are: they’re the centres of American Legion buttons. Thanks to the “What is this thing” community on reddit for helping me figure that out.
I should do a bit of organizing as I still have bits and pieces lying everywhere. I may go out to the Plateau later for trash but I might also just skip it and save my energy. I haven’t made many good finds there in the last little while. I’ll be going to Villeray tomorrow morning regardless.