Reflection

Posted on by garbagefinds

I’ve fallen a bit behind on my picture taking recently. There’s been so much to keep track of, and it’s hard to keep everything organized. As a result, some neat stuff has fallen through the cracks and won’t make the blog (though they may end up on a “recent sales” post).

My storage space looks like a disaster zone again, and I’ve been recently thinking about finding an additional storage option, preferably a garage. However, there doesn’t seem to be anything suitable on the market, at least in my price range, and I think now that I might just need to better organize my current storage space. I bought a whole bunch of plastic storage containers (paid for in large part by that gift card I found last month!) which should help keep things a little more manageable.

In general, I think I need to pull everything out of my storage and put it back in differently. Of course, one of the best ways to do that is to have a yard sale! I hope to do one this Sunday, as long as the weather is good.

Today I’ll show you some miscellaneous finds from the past month or so. I found these Deep Trance Medium cassettes in the lower Plateau. I haven’t listened to any of them, but this lady seems to be into some next stuff. Titles include: “Lemuria and the Gods of Legend”, “Druids Pt. 25″, Prosperging [sp?] through love in the 90s”, “An E.T. on Christmas”, and “Future of P.Q. 1991”. I’m not sure if P.Q. is the original owners initials, or if she’s trying to predict the future of Quebec.

I’d never heard of Lemuria before, but according to Wikipedia it is a “a hypothetical ‘lost land’ variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.” Apparently this was a legitimate scientific hypothesis back in the 1800s but has since been debunked.

I also found these cassettes made by Interdimensional Communications International, a company run by the same people that made the Reflection tapes. They could have some value, being quite niche and hard to find, but it’s hard to tell.

I came across some rich people stuff in TMR, including: a Kindle, an iPhone 5 with a busted screen, an empty Tiffany box, a Gameboy Advance, a working iPod, and three digital cameras. Two of the digital cameras are in rough shape, but one of them is probably worth selling for parts.

At the bottom is a bracelet that I’m proud to have recognized as a Links of London design (it’s a good skill in this business to be able to recognize brands!). It’s a fake, but it looks nice and should sell at a yard sale.

I also found some doctors tools, including a Welch Allyn diagnostic set. I saved a similar one a while back that sold for 65$. My roommate likes tuning forks, so I gave him the ones on the right in exchange for future food.

I almost threw this digital picture frame in with my yard sale stuff, but I thought it would be funny instead to load it with pictures of my roommates cat. We got a good laugh out of it!

I took home a big old wagon wheel. I don’t really know how much they go for, but I’m sure someone out there will want it for their garden.

I’ve been finding a fair bit of Christmas stuff lately, like these vintage lanterns and a Santa light. The lanterns are a little busted up but someone might still want them – at the very least the boxes are pretty cool.

I also found a snowman blow mold. It’s not that old (probably 90s) but it should make me 10$ at a yard sale.

These were my best finds from a nice spot in Outremont. Yves St Laurent “Opium” is relatively hard to find because it only existed for a few years – the Champagne producers in France sued to force them to stop using the name. It had never been opened and sold very quickly for 100$. The Dior “Poison” soap is a nice get too, it has also never been opened and smells pretty good for its age (generally, I don’t think soap doesn’t age as well as perfume). I expect it to sell for around 50-70$.

I found a couple of neat jewelry pieces at that spot as well, including a dragonfly keychain signed by Lalique and a brooch designed by David Gerstein. These people threw out plenty of other good stuff, but unfortunately I never got around to documenting it.

I saved this owl figurine elsewhere in Outremont. It’s a little unusual in that it seems to be made of resin, or at least smells a lot like pine sap. It’s around 3″ tall. Has anyone seen anything like it before?

I spotted this old motor / grinder on the curb in Villeray. It worked fine, though the wiring was pretty sketchy. It sold at my yard sale for 20$.

I found these pens (in bags, of course) while biking around my neighbourhood last Thursday. The top is a Cross with a 14k gold nib, and the bottom is a Sheaffer Targa (c. 1980s) also with a 14k gold nib. I expect to get around 35$ for the Cross and 75$ for the Sheaffer. Not bad! I’m always pumped to see vintage pens – they’re often worth good money, and one of my readers is very good at helping me identify the exact model (this information is very useful when selling them).

I’d never seen one these these Old McGill yearbooks before I found three in the same week (two at the same spot just down the road) not long ago. Old yearbooks are always a nice find, and one (the 1965) has already sold for 60$ with free shipping.

I found a cute chalkware (basically plaster) wedding cake topper in Rosemont a couple weeks back. According to the writing on the back the couple was married on July 20, 1957. This topper would have been pretty inexpensive, but it likely made a great memento regardless.

Rosemont also produced this great collection of Expo 67 glasses. They were in bags – thankfully none of them broke. If I lived alone I’d think about keeping them, but I think they’d be better off with someone else at this point. Plus, they’re worth decent money, around 10$ each according to eBay’s sold prices. I do think I’ll keep one of the smaller ones, I’m leaning towards the Western Pavilion.

Otherwise, I have plenty of other things to show you. I’ve been finding some neat stuff in Villeray, and also happened upon more rich people garbage in Westmount and the Plateau. I owe you another recent sales post as well.

It’s been a while since I told you I was going to start an Indiegogo campaign for the car. I apologize for the wait, mostly I’ve been procrastinating on the video. I do want to get that done soon however, and I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

Relevant links

1. Facebook page
2. My eBay listings
3. Etsy store
4. Kijiji listings
5. Contribute to garbagefinds.com

Email: thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. I often fall behind on emails, so I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to get back to you.

36 thoughts on “Reflection”

  2. Lots of saleable stuff there!
    Aw … Girl Kitty is so sweet. 🙂
    It always amazes me the vast variety of things you come across. Never the same old, same old.
    Good luck with the organizing, and the organizing yard sale.

  3. Hi, i would like somme expo 67 glasses, can i pass by tonight?

    Feel free to text me,

    Emmanuel 514-991-8016

    >

  4. The perfumes you find – do you sell them on eBay? If so, how are you shipping them, considering Canada Post doesn’t allow the mailing of perfumes or anything else with alcohol in them? Are you using a courier, or are you properly set up to mail things by limited/excepted quantity?

    1. Only recently did I find out that Canada Post doesn’t ship perfume. I’ve always shipped them with no issue (it’s not like they ask), and I’ll continue to do so (I always pack them very well, so there’s no real risk of anything happening anyways). I guess there’s a very tiny chance (a larger one, if shipping to the US) that the perfume will be confiscated and destroyed but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I don’t ship to the US anymore though, unless it’s a very small quantity. I do sell locally sometimes as well, the Champagne went to a local buyer for example.

      1. I would highly advise against this. I work for Canada Post – it is against the law to mail items like this without the proper commercial authorizations. It doesn’t matter how well you pack it, it is a safety hazard. The rules are there to protect the people tasked with delivering our mail.

          1. I think it’s just a regulation postal services enact because a small amount of people package items very badly, making it more likely that a bottle could break and an accident could happen. Perfume is flammable although it is extremely unlikely that it would combust. I know that some companies have contracts to ship perfume with these services, so it’s not inherently dangerous.

    1. It was a pretty old one yes, a Westinghouse if I remember right. I always pick up old motors when I see them, I know some are desirable (though which ones I’m not sure). I probably should have done more research on it before unloading it, but I’m still happy with the 20$. I’ll keep those websites in mind for the future, thanks.

  6. The little wedding figurine found in Rosemont has a story behind it! There was a post from the arrondissement of Rosemont facebook page about it. A married couple hid those figures around as a reminder of their marriage something like 25 years ago!

    (Sorry for my english, francophone gal talking here!)

    1. I remember that story, this one is different though (I found it in a trash bag, it also looks different).

  7. On the question of soap and perfume, soap can age as well as or better than perfume. Sometimes the scent on the surface is dissipated due to having been exposed to oxygen over a period of years but once being used, the soap can begin to release the perfume trapped inside.

    1. Hmmm, you might be right. I may be thinking of lotions, which I’m quite sure don’t age very well.

  8. Fakes should be destroyed (bracelet you mentioned). No one should profit from their sale. If it is made of precious metals or gems, recycle those bits, but really destroy the other parts so they can’t be reasonably made right again. Do the right thing.

    1. It’s an interesting moral question. Fakes are a bit like marijuana in that there is a massive demand and the government is more or less powerless to stop its distribution (for instance, while marijuana is currently illegal it is extremely easy to find in Canada).

      The demand isn’t going anywhere, so I wonder if by destroying fakes you’re actually just making more money for the people who manufacture the fakes. After all, if there are less used fakes then people are more likely to buy a new fake.

      Also, despite the market being full of fakes the companies producing the authentic pieces aren’t hurting for cash. After all, the authentic products are expensive for a reason beyond branding – they’re actually really nice. People with money like buying nice products, and there’s no way that the fakes can match that same level of quality.

      On top of that, the fakes also can’t reproduce the satisfaction one might feel when wearing or using (or maybe just being able to afford) such a high quality item. People wearing fakes most often know the item is fake, and receive no such benefits.

      It’s an interesting topic though. I’d be curious what others had to think about it.

  9. I found out a little too late that having an organized and clean storage is essential for the long run. It helps not only finding things faster (and time lost just locating it is time/money wasted) but mostly gives one the sensation of control and really helps avoiding the burnout feeling, specially when you question things/way of living.

    I started out disorganized but soon invested in metal racks and industrial grade containers (pay once, cry once). My “warehouse” (a small 5 x 5 x 3 m backyard shack, but I like to call it that as is sound more professional and helps separate personal and professional life) can pack a lot more now, is easy to navigate and finding stuff is just a matter of consulting my database. I still use an Excel spreadsheet, but hope to find a better solution and alocate an old pc as a workstation for all my cataloging and listing needs (I also have a generous table I use to clean/restore/wtv the stuff and where I also do the photographs).

    Things you own end up taking “mental” space and cause anguish, even if you don’t see them daily. Streamlining the process helps “unclutter” the mind.

    Oh, btw, that GBA. Check it’s model number. AGS-101 are rarer and the most sought after because they have brighter and better backlit screens. Even for parts, they«re worth more than the common AGS-001.

    Always a pleasure to read!

    1. Very well put! The sensation of control is something I’ve unfortunately lacked too often in my trash picking career, and I definitely identify with the cluttering of the mind that owning too much can cause. Fortunately, I’m at the point now where I feel well enough off (ie: not totally broke, for now) to invest in some of these kinds of items, like the storage bins that help makes things simpler and less chaotic. I should also probably invest in more shelving in my house. (It also helps that I realized I can deduct these items as a business expense on my tax returns).

      Thanks for the Gameboy info. It’s a 001, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind for the future.

  10. “Things you own end up taking ‘mental’ space and cause anguish, even if you don’t see them daily. Streamlining the process helps “unclutter” the mind.”

    Truer words were never spoken!!!

  11. It is not having a lot of stuff that gives you clutter;it is how you organize it.I have 500 vinyl records;all of them neatly arranged on a 7-foot shelving unit.I also have many figurines and more than 500 books that I arrange on three IKEA Billy bookcases very neatly.I have a farm in the Eastern Townships,but I also own a 650-foot condo in the Plateau near metro Laurier.My place looks beautiful.I want you to organize your stuff so you do not get overwhelmed.Inspire others with your organizational skills and write about it.Cheers to you.

  12. I love your blog .I hope you make $50,000 this year.We are approaching the midway point of 2017,and I wish you good luck.

  13. I love your blog.Look at this ad I saw on Craigslist Montreal.Just to give you ideas.
    Canadian Two dollar bill year 1974 – $20 (downtown)

    selling for people who may want to collect . For 20.00

    •

    1. I do use Craigslist for some things, mostly bigger items.

      That person will be lucky to get half that for their bill, they’re still not particularly valuable.

  14. I made $25,000 last year in a technical job on salary.I still was able to put away a $1500 in RRSP contibutions last year.I have no debts and am 28 years old.My brother is a practising psychologist who makes $40,000 a year but lives lavishly.He loves driving his flashy car and routinely gets rid of,clothes,furniture.knickknacks to buy new.He has a lot of debts and mocks people like me who conserve old books,furniture,knickknacks etc and buy only some new stuff.I am in much better financial health than him.I recycle my cans and bottles(also those of others if I find them lying around on the pavement);I also carry reusable shopping bags,compost my food leftovers.Hoarding and being thrifty has kept me in very good financial health.Consumerists and lavish spenders are pathetic;constant disparagement of clutterers is very annoying.You are a very admirable,smart man.You too can start investing in RRSPs if you become moneysmart.Start hoarding money a bit.

    1. Thanks, I also live pretty frugally as you might expect. I have started to buy more things but mostly stuff that is useful (like nice shoes, those storage bins, and so on). My worst expense is probably food, I eat out far too often. Unfortunately I’m still around 35k in debt from student loans / poor money management in my youth, here’s hoping I find a piece of art by the Group of Seven to help me pay it off haha.

    2. Hurrah for your thrifty choices. Too many of us have been mesmerized by the trillions of dollars worth of advertisements (created by some of our best and brightest and most creative fellow human beings, sadly) which we experience during our lifetimes to think that buying/owning/driving/wearing/displaying lots of — sometimes expensive — stuff is going to make us happy/successful/satisfied/beloved/etc. Keep spreading your message of simplicity and living within a budget and even saving some money, too!

  15. I see a lot of good fans,air conditioners,French doors,etc being thrown out.You could pick them up and sell them easily to increase your income.

    1. I did pick up a fan the other day but I’m going to use it myself, ha ha. I don’t touch air conditioners. I don’t know much about them and I figure that more often than not they’re being thrown out for a good reason. They’re also heavy and take up lots of space. French doors are nice, a little big for the car though.

  16. We must do more to reduce trash output.I love collectors who hang on to history.
    How Much Trash Gets Thrown Away Each Year?

    wish I had not wondered, because this is what I found out:

    “Each year, the typical American family throws out 2,460 pounds of paper, 540 pounds of metals, 480 pounds of glass and 480 pounds of food scraps.

    All told, each of us throws away more than 1,200 pounds of trash per year, far more than people in most other countries.”

    How is that possible? 2,460 pounds of paper? Ha, we know where that comes from, the junk mail that comes to your house even if you don’t want it. 80 percent of what is thrown away gets put into landfills, which makes it of no use to anyone but the earth, who really doesn’t want it. The other 20% is split in 2; 10% gets recycled and 10% gets incinerated. 10% is recycled? That’s a sad percentage!

    Want some more statistics on trash? I know you do:

    The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.

    Each gallon of gas used by a car contributes about 19 pounds of carbon-dioxide into the atmosphere. For a single car driving 1,000 miles a month, that adds up to 120 tons of carbon-dioxide a year.

    About 110 million Americans live in areas with levels of air pollutants the federal government considers to be harmful.

    Americans dump 16 tons of sewage into their waters — every minute of every day.

    Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year, and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.

    Americans throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Placed end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.

    Eighty-four percent of a typical household’s waste — including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles — can be recycled.

    Using recycled paper for one print run of the Sunday edition of The New York Times would save 75,000 trees.

    America’s refrigerators use about 7 percent of the nation’s total electricity consumption–the output of about 25 large power plants.

    Source: News 8 Austin

    ———–

    1. Yup, the garbage and recycling system is broken but no one really cares enough to fix it. I hope people will care more for the environment soon, but I don’t expect much progress as long as the American President is someone who thinks climate change is a Chinese hoax / fake news.

  17. Just south of Marcel Laurin park and south of Bois Franc,there is a jumble of streets in Ville St.Laurent between Cote Vertu boulevard and Thimens.Streets like Sigouin,Modugno,Ostiguy,Frenette and Hufford.I wonder how many people scavenge in the Bois Franc or on these affluent streets.You have encountered resistance from residents occasionally in Westmount,TMR and Hampstead.Do you encounter resistance from residents while scavenging in VSL?

    1. I did on one memorable occasion, otherwise not really. However, when I go to VSL it is usually in the evening (driving there in the morning traffic is a pain) so I’m less likely to meet people.

  18. I get frustrated that not enough people scavenge Dorval,Pointe Claire and LaSalle.On Lakeshore boulevard in Dorval,who knows what one could find?Also LaSalle boulevard in LaSalle and LaSalle streets like Ogilvy,Highlands,BIshop Power,Senecal,Central,Allion,Alepin,Brodaway,1st Avenue to 80th Avenue,Duranceau,Bishop Power,Baribeau,Edward,Raymond,Hepworth,etc tons of discarded treasures go undiscovered,I think.In eastern Verdun and cental Verdun on the other hand,plenty of scavenging takes place.Maybe LaSalle is too far to be part of your regular route,but you should salvage some treasures there from time to time.

    1. I do think Dorval, western Lachine and pretty much all the West Island is a potential gold mine. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really make sense for me to go out there due to the distance involved (too much driving in this city makes me grumpy, haha). I might head out there on occasion though, for a change of pace. One of my friends has expressed interest in trash picking and has a car, I’ll try to send him out there since he doesn’t mind driving so much (and I don’t want him covering my own routes).

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