Certificate of Honour

I began last week in Cote St-Luc, hoping for a continuation of the good run of luck I’ve had there. This is the spot that provided all the kids watches and baseball gloves last week.

This time around I scrounged up a bit of food, including two boxes of crackers and two jars of roasted red peppers. The crackers are already long gone, as is one of the jars of peppers.

I also came across this pile of stuff, in front of a house that hadn’t produced anything prior. New places just seem to keep popping up in this neighborhood.

Many of the items were damaged by dampness, probably from being left in the wrong corner of the basement. I was able to save a few things though, most of which came from this box.

I thought this framed “Certificate of Honour” from 1942 was particularly cool. It was given by the Government of Canada to those who bought Victory Loans, which were made to help finance the war effort during both WWI and WWII. Luckily for me, this piece is unscathed, likely due in being in the middle of the box.

Hidden inside an old manilla envelope was this old Jewish marriage certificate, issued in 1941 in Montreal. It was issued by a Rev. (reverend?) H. Rotblatt, a “hygenic surgeon moel and marriage ceremony performer.”

This old photo album was also mostly undamaged. It contains photos that date from the early 1920s to the last 1960s.

Otherwise, I saved a 1960 Certificate of Merit from the Jewish National Fund of Canada, a cute embroidery featuring a menorah, a sweet vintage ruler, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pin.

On Monday night, I went to Ville St Laurent to check out one of their heavy garbage days. I stopped again at the place that dumped the old books last month. There was again a bunch of stuff on the curb, but most of it was renovation related junk.

This rug was on top of the pile. It has some wear, particularly to the fringe, but is still nice and bright!

Tuesday night brought me to Mount Royal. It was snowing, making it a particularly beautiful night to drive around one of Montreal’s most aesthetically pleasing boroughs. The snow also helps me take good night-time shots without flash, as the light from the streetlamps bounces off the snow much better than grass.

These guys seemed to have no understanding of the concept of recycling. There was tons of papers in the trash bags and some obviously not recyclable stuff in the bin, including a bunch of fabrics. I sometimes transfer recyclables to the correct bin if it’s easy and convenient. However, I have to make sure I don’t get too obsessed with it, as it’s one of those things (like mail) that just never stops. In this case the bin was right there, so I put the papers inside. I also saved three pins and a sterling silver bracelet (probably future scrap), a bunch of knitting needles, a Lacoste golf hat, and a seemingly brand-new neti pot.

From this place I saved a nice set of three vintage (probably 1960s) stools, all with a nice leather-topped cushion, and a footstool that sort of matches.

I was just about to head home when I saw this pile.

Inside the box and the bags was a collection of ceramics, most of which were quite vintage. The cute little donkey planter on the right has an art deco vibe to it …

… as do these baby birds.

This wood carving of a rattlesnake was pretty cool. It must have taken a long time to carve! I ended up selling (mostly gifting) it to a friend around the end of the art market for 2$.

There was also a bunch more ceramics, some old tools in a box, and a very 80s vintage print.

Otherwise, I found a nice vintage juicer (at the same place in Mount Royal that provided the foreign coins last week), and a big bag of pennies during another run in Ville St Laurent. I sold the juicer at the art market for 20$. I took it easy garbage-run wise towards the end of the week, as I needed to prepare for the sale.

Last week’s garbage sales (December 1 – December 7)

1. Gold / sterling scrap: to an antiques dealer for 650$. I wanted a bit of extra cash, and decided the easiest and quickest way to do this was to liquidate some precious metals. I usually only bring in broken or worn jewelry and coins, but this time I brought a few nice pieces I didn’t feel like putting the time into listing, like a nice 18k gold necklace I found a couple years ago in Rosemont. The heavy 14k ring I found last week in Westmount was part of the deal, and it alone netted me around 100$. That was sweet!
2. Art market: many things to various consumers for 245$. Yard sales and market-type events are always fun. I get to meet a lot of cool people, and get to see first hand that people appreciate the things I find. I should look into doing this kind of thing more often, especially in the winter as yard sales are pretty much impossible (and an important source of income in the summer). Many thanks to Ilichna for the photos.

3. Two tea cups: on Kijiji for 60$. The buyer came during the art market, but didn’t know of it otherwise. She bought a red and blue Aynsley “fruit” cup, both of which I found early October in Ville St Laurent.
4. TI 83+ calculator: on Kijiji for 30$. This guy also came during the sale. I find it uniquely satisfying when I’m able to redistribute tools and other useful items. This calculator is a great example, as it’s still very useful for students in science and mathematics. Found late October in Westmount.
5. Sterling silver bracelet (with lion’s head at one end): on Etsy for 36$. I’m glad I got my Etsy store going again, as I’ve already made a few sales in the past weeks. I believe this piece came with a nice collection I found in the Plateau last year, though I’m not sure I ever actually posted pictures of it all.
6. Vintage maps: to a reader for 45$. These were the ones I found last week in NDG. Someone emailed me asking for a price, so I did a bit of research to make sure I wasn’t going to give something great away for nothing. As it turns out, the one on the right in my last post, by Peter R. Furse in 1964 was sort of valuable. One just like it (but in English) was being sold by an antique map dealer for 375 USD! I sold it for 40$, though, as it was unframed and had pinhole marks in it. I was also happy to have the cash up front. I’m glad I did some research on it, because I likely would have sold it for just a few bucks at the art market otherwise.

Total: 1066$, 7350.50$ since May 18th. An awesome, record setting week! This is the second time in the recorded era that I’ve made over a thousand dollars in a week. The other time was in late September, which was buoyed by four yard sales. Things are so much easier in the summer… Anyway, this total beats my last record by about 36$, and pushes my average monthly income above the 1000$ mark. It’s definitely not a luxurious lifestyle, but it’s one that pays the bills and keeps life interesting.

eBay sales have been slower than expected, though that seems to be improving so far this week…

New listings

1. Lot of 10 25 cent bills – Dominion of Canada, 1900 and 1923
2. The Temptations 1969 tour program, signed by Otis Williams and Dennis Edwards (unverified)

Note: I offer local buyers a (often significant) discount on all eBay and Etsy prices. Email me for more details.

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If you have a question, see anything that you’re interesting in buying, or to just want to say hello feel free to email me at thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. I also enjoy reading your comments!

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