I happened upon this spot in Montreal West when out with a friend this summer. I found some nice jewelry that first day, which enticed me to come back the next week. I was alone then, and had the misfortune of meeting the tosser who wasn’t particularly happy to see me. I forget how our conversation went exactly – I think she asked “can I help you?” (in a tone that made it clear that she had no interest in helping me), and asked me to leave her garbage alone. But I was more assertive than I often am: I told her what I was doing wasn’t illegal and showed her an example of something I saved (in this case, a full bag of IKEA tea lights). Eventually she decided I wasn’t worth the bother and drove off somewhat miffed. Her passenger was an older woman, probably in her 80s, who seemed mildly amused by the whole scene.
Anyways, right after she left I opened a bag and quickly found cash. The contents were a bit damp from rain, and my theory is that the cash was in an envelope that fell apart when I started moving things around. Regardless, there was 280$ in total, which was a nice reward for dealing with the grumpy lady!
This is my second cash haul of 2019, the other one being that collection of foreign bills (worth around 175$) I found in TMR. That doesn’t compare to my legendary 2018 cash hauls, but I can’t complain.
I found plenty of interesting junk here. That wool knitting bag is quite nice (any ideas where it might come from?), and the radios have some value as well. The brass napkin holder is marked “handarbeit”, or handmade in German.
I saved some flower pressing stuff, including a well organized collection of flowers in that “Pocket Simon” box. I remember selling all this to a friend at one of my yard sales, I think for 5$.
Here’s a few more bits and bobs. I’m wondering what the word for the thing in the middle is, if you know please share in the comments!
Here’s a look at the jewelry, which if I remember right was stored in a nondescript plastic shopping bag. The most expensive piece might be that black & gold locket to the right of the ring in a box at the top. I couldn’t find any hallmarks but my jeweler told me that it’s 15k gold, and likely Victorian. The stone is probably onyx. It seems to be worth a few hundred dollars, maybe a bit more. The ring is 10k gold, and the large stone is probably cut glass. The bracelet below that is silver, hallmarked 835 (835 parts per 1000), a mostly obsolete standard which appears to have been only been used in a few European countries.
That vintage sealed Lancome Magie Noire was a good find as well. It sold pretty quickly to a local buyer for somewhere between 60-80$.
Here’s some more quality jewelry. I saved a few bits of gold, like that St Anthony medallion near the top centre and the earrings inside the bangle. There’s also a number of silver pieces, my favourite being that bracelet with the charms. Two of the charms are silver, and the Innsbruck one is 14k gold. The bracelet itself is marked RBH 900, which means it may been designed by Rasmus Bjorn Halvordersen, a Danish Arts & Crafts era silversmith. I don’t know if his work is particularly sought after, but it’s a nice piece regardless.
I also thought this ring was neat. There’s no hallmarks I can see but I’m sure it’s silver. I don’t know much about the design, so please let me know if you do!
I found more quality junk here, but I decided to divide it all into two different smaller posts. I should get the second edition up soon enough.
Links
1. Facebook page
2. My eBay listings, Sign up for eBay, Search for something you want / research something you have (I’m a member of the eBay Partner Network so I make a bit of money if you buy things [even if they’re not mine] or sign up for an account via these links)
3. Help me pay off student loan debt / Contribute to the blog
4. Follow me on Instagram
5. Email: thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com