On Saturday I finally got around to digging this stuff out of my basement. It had been there a couple months, ever since I happened upon that great pile of trash on the curb out front of a multi-million dollar house. These items are on the most part pretty banal, but I felt they were worth sharing nonetheless.
All in all I filled three large reusable bags and one shallow plastic bin with miscellaneous junk. I saved some decent looking clothes, but since garments aren’t really my forte you won’t see them here. The mound on the bottom left is a cool black velvet or velour coat, though I can’t figure out how one would actually wear it.
I did an impromptu yard sale with my roommate on Sunday, so some of this stuff has already flown the coop. The wallets and cosmetic bags were largely unused and did fairly well at the sale. It kind of blows my mind to see how much these people owned but never used, but I guess that’s how it goes when buying things is a hobby.
I kept the Mercedes-Benz folder, and the Versace Jeans Collection mini-duffel – they might be worth selling on eBay. The LV items were well worn and not worth the time to authenticate or sell on eBay. I think I sold each for 1$.
Someone at my sale was pumped to find that Agatha bag, which I probably priced too low at 1$. She also bought an Agatha hair accessory for 2$. Otherwise, most of this sold for between 1-2$.
Inside the pouch at top left was a pack of Winston cigarettes. Judging by the packaging I’d guess they were from the 80s or 90s. Not quite as cool as the vintage MacDonald’s I found in Villeray, but this pack did sell for 2$.
The white bag on the bottom right contained four cool costume belts. I tried to look up the brands online but didn’t have much success. It could just be that I’m not reading the branding right, however – the first looks like Olala (but could be something far different), and the second is etched Giorgio something (definitely not Armani). I posted pictures of the branding below, and would appreciate any help you can offer! Keep in mind that you can zoom in for a real close look by clicking the “view full size” button on the bottom right of the screen.
More miscellaneous junk. While sorting through it I discovered a couple minor treasures I didn’t notice earlier, like the Cartier lighter on the bottom right. It has a ding, but should still be worth selling on eBay. I also found a loonie that I forgot to put with the rest of my found change.
I sold the train bank for 2$, and the Jack Daniels Zippo lighter for 3$. The coins are a mix of pesos and smaller Canadian coins.
I also found a bunch of quality, seemingly barely used reusable bags. They don’t help the environment if you don’t use ’em folks! Although, in defense of their previous owners reusable bags are given away for free so often now that many people end up with an accumulation, thereby defeating their intended purpose. I had more than what’s pictured here, and gave a bunch away during my yard sale. I also gave one of the mop ends, and a can of insect repellent to a friend.
Let’s finish with this vintage Gucci felt shoe bag. It seems pretty legit, and is in nice condition for its age. I saw a couple for sale on eBay starting at about 50$, so it’s probably worth listing there.
Otherwise, there was another little bag stuffed with drawstring bags and jewelry pouches, some of which were made by Prada. I could list the Prada bags on eBay, but I could also use them when mailing out small and valuable items. Either way, they’re nice to have.
This week has been very good so far. It’s been hard to keep on top of all the new stock! I may end up doing another sale this weekend at my garage in hopes of making room for the next crop. The landlord has been doing some repairs there, making the space hard to use, but it’s also true that my friend and I have collected too much junk. It’d be good to unload some and get the space better organized.
Relevant links
1. Facebook page
2. My eBay listings
3. Etsy store
4. Kijiji listings
5. Contribute to garbagefinds.com
6. Follow me on Instagram
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.
Thank you for this little window into one (or more) rich people’s former lives…
No problem, I think it’s valuable to show the difference between the possessions of the well-to-do and the not so well-to-do. You never see this kind of waste in working class areas; when they throw good stuff out, it’s largely because they think it’s old junk (perhaps it’s stuff they inherited) that isn’t good anymore. Perhaps they don’t appreciate the history of it as much as others would.
A good example of that might be the things in my last post, “Tuesday in Rosemont.” I found a lot of neat stuff there, but it was mostly old stuff that someone didn’t see the value in. I would bet that they inherited it, and just didn’t know what to do with it all.
In this post, there’s a lot of good and useful stuff that was bought new but seemingly never appreciated to begin with. They had the financial privilege required to buy lots of things they didn’t need, unlike the average person in Rosemont.
Hello Martin..I would like to buy the black rosary from you…I showed my mom your page and she was amazed by everything you find, she wants the rosary…thanks!
I don’t remember if I still have that one. If I see it in my yard sale stuff I’ll save it for you. I’m glad she likes my page!
I get so happy when there is a new post from you. Arm-chair treasure hunting for me and my young son and I love to “go picking”.
Glad you like it, hope you find some good stuff as well!
I’ve logged in just to LOL at the Tesco shopping bag there (the burlap looking one with the ladybirds on).
Tesco is the biggest supermarket in the UK and these bags are very common, but its kind of cool for one to turn up in Montreal I guess!
Keep up the good work with this blog, it’s always interesting.
Holy Gadzooks, Batman! Was that Bruce Wayne’s house?
Glad you managed to salvage (at least) some of the rich folks largesse.
I’m really looking forward to scoping your stuff when I come visit on Friday. 🙂
Love your blog! Discovered you through Diana at AdirondackGirlatHeart who mentioned you on her blog this week. Since I’m a picker too, I find your posts fascinating! Do you normally go through the garbage in place in front of the houses, or do you take it all back home & go through it there? Just curious. I read about the man who basically told you to leave his alone. I’m sure you run into all kinds of people doing what you do, and you certainly have to develop a thick skin. You can’t be embarrassed by picking along the roadside. I stopped once on a very busy residential road to go through interesting looking garbage. I only had time to pick up a straw Chinese coolie type hat, which I love b/c I collect goofy hats. Anyway the garbage truck came along & I had to leave…darn!
Hi, glad you like it! I saw her post actually, hope she has luck with those perfumes – they’ve definitely treated me well. I usually go through the garbage right in front of the house. If I always put bags in the car I’d soon be full up, and wouldn’t have anywhere else to put stuff if I found anything later in the run. Besides, there’s always the chance that there’s something gross in the bags that might spill in the car, or that they might contain some sensitive documents that I don’t want to be seen with (ie: I’d probably look pretty guilty if somehow caught with bags full of someones credit card or tax papers). I usually only throw a bag in the car if it has a bunch of quality small stuff inside, and I want to make sure I don’t miss anything.
To be a trash picker you have to get past the feeling of embarrassment, and also not be afraid to get your hands dirty. Easier said than done! I’m pretty good at that, but those are the main issues others bring up when they mention how they love what I do, but can’t imagine doing it themselves.
I too have started following you after Diana’s recommendation on AdirondackGirlatHeart blog. Looking to increase my knowledge about picking.
Cool, it’s a good skill to have! You can make a bit of extra money even doing it once a week, or just keeping your eyes on the curb while out and about.
Hi Martin, Wow the finds! The purse in the first photo, bottom right is Fendi, as in very spendi. (sic) Also, there is an apple charger in one of the lots, worth ebaying.
True, I think it was well worn though and I may have put it in a free box. Apple stuff is always good, and indeed the Hermes box is a nice get. I’ll wait until I have more, and then I can list them as a lot.
Also the orange Hermes box as value on Ebay
That last name is impossible!! -ouha, -auha, -ouho, -auho, or is it not a u but an ic? As far as the first two it looked to me initially as a Sp-, but it could be an F followed by an unknown descender…or a lower-case f descender like the lowercase g descender on Giorgio’s G.
I love puzzles but this is making me very unhappy!
Hi, the unidentified items in a photo above include a latch hook for rug hooking and possibly other rug hooking supplies. Saw a photo on ebay that showed similar items. I enjoyed your photos and tales of discovery. I also enjoy scavenging from the trash, but primarily donate my finds to thrift stores. I just want things to have a home rather than go to the landfill. I wish you well with your scavenging!