There’s been some crazy weather the past couple of days. Yesterday’s temperature was summer-like, reaching a high of 24. I had planned to take the day off from picking but I happened across these bags while walking around enjoying the weather and couldn’t help but take a look.
It looked like someone was clearing a house. I found a bunch of canned food, none of which was even expired.
This hat is definitely made from animal fur. The pattern looks similar to that of a leopard. I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.
Inside the bags was some jewellery. None of these watches are super valuable but they should go for 5$ each at a yard sale.
This watch is a little more interesting. It’s a 15 jewel “Mona” (a brand which seems to have no reference on Google) with a gold-filled Fahys case. It was probably made in the 1920s and is really quite beautiful. It doesn’t work unfortunately but it might be worth fixing and at the least could be sold for parts or repair.
The pin at the top is a JJ (Jonette Jewelry) and is likely made of pewter. The ring at the right is silver and I think the heart on the left is gold, though I have to do a test to confirm this. If it’s indeed gold I’ll sell it for scrap as it’s a bit dinged up.
This sterling silver ring was my favourite piece. It’s marked 1946 and features an emblem with the Latin phrase “Ardens et Lucens” and the acronym ESSC. I have to do more research but I think it’s was made either for a school or the military.
I’m going to keep an eye on this place going forward.
This morning was super rainy but thankfully the weather was passable for the few hours I was out on the hunt. I returned to a place in CDN where I keep finding interesting old stuff and this time was no exception. I brought that bookcase back home, my friend really likes it!
Inside one of the bags was this beautiful 1920s leather policy holder made by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Outside of a minor issue with the strap it is in pristine condition. It looks to have never been used – the policy envelopes and other papers inside are in excellent condition. I imagine it must have some collector’s value.
This is a telephone book published for 1967-1968 made specifically for businesses in Hampstead, Cote-des-Neiges and Snowdon. It’s a cool piece of Montreal ephemera.
I seem to find a few books here every time I come.
The most notable books were these two large tomes offering “Critical and Explanatory Commentary” of the Old and New Testaments. The pair were published in 1876 and are in excellent condition.
I love finding old medals. This one was made for the YMHA (Young Men’s Hebrew Association) of Montreal way back in 1937. I think it’s bronze. The back refers to a “membership campaign.” If anyone knows what that might have entailed let us know!
Here’s a 1962 TV Guide. It’s not particularly valuable but there’s definitely people who love this sort of thing.
This is a pamphlet (and an accompanying letter) sent by the Foundation for Judaism to members of the Jewish community asking for donations to help build the Jewish pavilion at Expo 67. One paragraph reads: “We sincerely believe that every Jew in Canada ought to have a share in helping create the Pavilion of Judaism and are appealing directly to you to join and support our efforts by making a financial contribution.” The letter is written on nice paper with a watermark saying “Rolland Colonial Bond” and “Rag Content Canada.”
I think that this is probably a relatively uncommon item. It was likely only sent to Canadian Jews and it wouldn’t surprise me if most have been tossed out or ruined over time. As such it might be somewhat collectible. Regardless, it’s pretty cool and I always love finding Expo-related items. Check out this page for a look at how the Judaism pavilion turned out.
I’ve spent the last few Tuesdays going out of my way to check out that previous place in CDN. Usually when I’m in the area I’ll also go to NDG and Hampstead being nearby neighbourhoods that also have Tuesday morning trash collection. Today however I skipped Hampstead (which has been pretty unproductive from my experience) and headed down to Pointe-St-Charles and Verdun. I like it down there, the more blue-collar population is less disturbed by trash picking than they are in Hampstead and other richer neighbourhoods. That makes me feel a bit more “at home.” There’s also a lot of great history.
My friend and I found a bunch of old tools and other bric-a-brac in the bags above. While I was looking through the bags a man walked over and kindly offered me that bucket full of 5″ nails at the top left. I don’t have a use for them personally but I know some of these things cost a lot of money new. I’d like to do a bit of research on the tools but I’m going to give away the nails, bolts, fasteners and etc.
Overall a pretty good day! Tomorrow morning I head off to the Town of Mount Royal hoping for better luck than last week.