This spot was productive between August & October of last year. As with the last “rich people moving” post, I was too busy to take many pictures at the time so I’ll largely be showing you the best of the best. It started off with housewares, silverware, and a bag full of candles. That peaked my interest, and I made a note to return in the coming weeks.
On my second stop I found a ziplock bag full of jewelry, and saved a few more pieces that were loose in the bag.
As I’ve been saying, I was pretty lucky finding jewelry this year! A lot of this stuff was junky, but as you know I’m often able to save something decent from these collections, and this particular batch was pretty solid overall.
Here’s the best of the bunch as per usual. Here we have a Pippo Perez stainless steel watch featuring several small diamonds. It seems to retail for around 700$, and I list listed mine on eBay for 250$ (sans strap, which was worn out). Otherwise, we have a couple Michael Negrin pieces, a silver Birks brush, a silver chain, and a bit of scrimshaw.
I found another ziplock bag full of sunglasses here, the nicest probably being the pair up top, which if I remember right were Gucci. There were also maybe 4-5 different House of Harlow (Nicole Ritchie’s brand) sunglasses that did fairly well at the auction.
There were several big gaudy rings in the style of those at the top left & silver, a few of which claimed to be silver but were not. These ones were real. As for gold, we have a solo 10k earring, a pair of 14k earrings with big, clear violet-coloured stones (lighter than they appear in this photo), and a 14k white gold ring with plenty of little clear, pink, and black diamonds (confirmed as such using my tester). All in all there’s probably about a grand of potential profit right here!
(FYI that cufflink was stainless steel, apparently it can fool the gold tests and you have to use the platinum acid to deal with it).
I saved lots of nice housewares, doodads, and knickknacks, many of which went straight to a yard sale or to the auction. This geode dish did pretty well at Encans Quebec, if I recall correctly it sold in the 40$ range.
Otherwise, we can finish with this slightly busted but easily fixed bronze piece. It looks really nicely made, but I can’t find a signature anywhere on it.
To fix it you’d just have to weld the pieces back into place, which wouldn’t be hard I don’t think. Anyways, if you have any insights regarding this piece (or any others) please share them in the comments!
Near the end of my time here, some folks maybe 100m down the street started doing their own pre-moving purge. They seem to be done now, but in the end I think they may have topped these guys. You can decide for yourself soon enough.
Amazing finds and great post! There is nothing better than reading about a fruitful treasure hunt. The 14k earrings with the lavender stones are likely amethyst. When you get a high end stuff like this, check the manufacturer of the silverware. Brands like Boda Nova, Yamazaki, Christofle and even more mundane makers can sell for quite a bit. Individual pieces like dinner forks can sell for $40-50 each. I sold a Boda Nova pattern for about $800 profit, Pottery Barn for $300 and Dansk for $300. You can find the pattern name at Replacements.com by clicking silverware and the makers name and scrolling thru the patterns. I found the maker and pattern of the Pottery Barn silverware which was unmarked because it was made in Vietnam.
Thanks, will keep an eye out. I didn’t find any cutlery here, just some silver plated serving stuff, and a few small sterling items (like a little dish and a Mexican S&P shaker set).
Are people so overwhelmed trying to handle moves themselves that they toss jewellery including diamonds? It’s hard to imagine. Why not hire someone to manage your move for you? Too rich, yet not rich enough, I guess. Glad you saved some of this from the landfill, especially when you consider the labour conditions under which diamonds are mined. Have you ever considered offering your services as a downsizing curator? Maybe you could get into homes before boxes dripping in desperation and exacerbation… and diamonds… hit the sidewalk. Bring in a skip, a few discerning friends with an eye for potential and your expertise and take a cut on whatever sells from what you salvage, on top of your fee. Sounds like a business opportunity to me, should you be so inclined.
Yes, it’s a little odd isn’t it. I’ll point form list a few potential reasons.
1. They underestimate the value of their “old junk” (a lot of people aren’t attune to the second-hand markets, the value of gold, etc, and I’m sure some would have regrets if they knew they threw out a 1000$ of gold, for example)
2. They don’t care. When you’re a millionaire, these sums are rather piddly. For them, the ring for example could be like my buying a chocolate bar, I don’t give it a second thought. But they might also have a bit of #1 going on, they’re just privileged enough to not have to care about the value of their items.
3. The person who knows the value of the item is no longer around to others about its value.
4. The item has some sort of emotion, or memory tied to it that leads someone to prefer to throw it out vs sell it.
I’m sure there are more, but that’s a good start.
As for being a downsizing curator, I feel like my personal talents are best kept to the curbs. There is a market for more eco-friendly downsizing I think, but I don’t think it’d be as fun, and my best skill is saving stuff from the trash. Others are already in that market, like estate liquidators, decluttering / organization experts, etc, but few if any have my trash picking skills. If I end up having enough money to start a side business with others though, it could be a good idea.
Love the unusual night-time shot! Methinks there’s something powerful strange going on in that rich-folks neighbourhood. 🙂
I absolutely adore that silver bracelet with the little roses in it! And the piece with the bronze faces is quite arresting.
May the rich folks continue to trash generously, with you reaping the reward for their excess.
Live long and prosper, Martin.
It was a bit of a camera distortion, but it looked cool so I kept it!
Awesome finds, Martin. I too am drawn to those copper faces, wondering about whether they might have been modeled on real people, or what the background of the piece might be. I look forward to your posts!
Good day Martin,
I took the time to look through your blog. I don’t suppose you would still have these slides of Expo 67, wouldn’t you?
https://garbagefinds.com/2015/09/28/slide-scanning-expo-67/
As you know, I am still looking for relevant documentation on Expo 67. Thanks for signalling me if you have anything of interest at hand, or if you come across any «new» old material pertaining to Expo 67 in the future.
(By the way, the huge lot I bought from you that belonged to the Expo Hostess Danielle Touchette proved to be of good help in my research. I feel lucky to have come across your work.)
Luc Beauchemin Designer aventurier et artiste visuel Chercheur en patrimoine moderne et Expo 67
Luc Beauchemin Design | MAS de Cuvillier | 2147, rue Cuvillier | Montréal QC H1W 3A6 cell : +1 514-581-5300 ————————————————————————
[ Transmis avec l’aide d’un ordinateur portable conçu selon un principe d’obsolescence programmée que permet un système économique tout aussi obsolète. ]
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Ah, glad you’re following along! I don’t think I do. But I’ve been digging through my old personal collection junk more recently, and if they turn up I’ll let you know.
I do have some engineering materials from an Expo 67 architect though that might interest you, please contact me through Facebook or at thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com
Hello Martin .Two weeks before ( january 11) on your instagram « garbagefindssells” wereput 3 “High quality minis. Terracotta.30$” brand Fouque .These are santons from typiccal provençal Christmas cribs named “crèches”. From left to right : 1) jeune arlĂ©sienne / young Arlesian 2) le porteur de bois / the timber carrier 3) la joueuse de vielle / the hurdy-gurdy player
The factory FOUQUE is at Aix en Provence. https://www.santons-fouque.fr/fr/ Some others brands are more beautiful. Catherine.
Thanks, I figured they were something like that… I did a bit of research on them, they seemed reasonably valuable but not enough for me to put the effort of listing into them at this point in time.