Here & there

Posted on by garbagefinds

Here’s a few finds from miscellaneous, short-lived destinations. This spot was cool for a week, but I didn’t pick up much after that.

It seemed like a Scot lived here. These are sporrans, part of the traditional Scottish attire. Apparently the horsehair ones are typically used by pipers & drummers, and the smaller one is a more formal dress sporran. I’d guess they dated to the 60s or so, and I sold the lot on eBay for 150$.

I also found a lot of Boys’ Brigade stuff, including a nice leather sash with a matching pouch. I’m not super familiar with the Boys’ Brigade, though they seem to be similar to the Boy Scouts. I have someone who wants to buy the collection, but we haven’t figured out a price yet.

Otherwise, it seemed like someone had a love for music. I found a cover of an old music book, probably from someone’s childhood, and a grand piano jewelry box made in Occupied Japan. I also picked up four sweaters from a Montreal barbershop group. My only other find of note was a non-functional Wittnauer watch, which I sold quickly on eBay for 65$.

I got pretty excited about one particular spot in TMR, but I think I was late to the party because after two weeks of decent trash the gutting (renovation) of the house began. That was a bit disappointing. Anyways, I saved some neat ephemera, including an old bus transfer, a very vintage bookmark, and a framed picture of King George. I grouped that Santa tin with a different Santa tin I had from the same era and sold them on eBay for 100$, though currently they’re lost in the mail…

My best find though was an antique Waterman Ideal fountain pen in sterling silver, which was part of a small collection mostly featuring promotional pens. Dating to somewhere around the 1920s, these pens seem to sell for around 200$ Canadian, give or take. I might just do an auction for this one and let the market figure it out.

Finally, a spot in NDG excited me after a fun first week, but was mostly disappointing after that. Excluding some copper pots I didn’t include in the shot, this was the creme de la creme. That copper thing in the middle is a bit of a mystery to me, it’s marked “URYEA” (or something close to that, I don’t have it with me right now) but that doesn’t ring any bells on Google. I also like that little lidded sugar bowl (?), the frog planter, and the salt & pepper shakers, the latter of which were made in Japan. But two things stuck out to me the most.

First, this really old thermometer made by Charles Wilder of Peterborough, NH. It was likely made in the late 1800s, given that apparently Wilder died in 1900 (though the company continue on briefly). I like how it has “blood heat” and “sumr heat [sic]” etched on the side in that very old-timey way. Some of his stuff seems to go for decent money, though I’m not sure what this particular model sells for. If you have a Worthpoint account maybe you can tell me! Aside from it being cool, it also contains mercury which isn’t something you should be casually throwing out.

Lastly, that pouch in the front contained a small collection of coins. There are a few pre-Canadian Newfoundland coins here, including a couple of silver 5-cent pieces (which were quite small). I also like the big cents and the Philadelphia transit token. The oldest coin is near the bottom left, it’s an 1843 US 1-cent piece. I’d say it’s in pretty good condition, and probably worth at least 30$. Check out similar coins on eBay for a better look at the coin design.

I still haven’t shown you some of my bests finds of the year yet… I tend to like to wait a while before making those public. However, I think I’ve waited long enough, so expect to see one of them in my next post.

18 thoughts on “Here & there”

  1. Great finds Martin! The Boys Brigade articles are in beautiful condition, good luck with them. Love the silver pen..should be exquisite once it’s cleaned.

      1. This would be back when meals were a bit more formal and especially if there were guests – you did not put the jar on the table ……… It carried over some into the 50s, I still have my Nan’s china beehive meant for honey

        1. My father often used to put marmalade into a special bowl with a lid that had a cut away for a spoon. Meals were often quite formal at home.

  3. Love the street pic. The shadows of the tree leaves are a wonderful effect.
    Great batch of finds. I learn a lot from your descriptions of the items. Fun learning! Some things take me on a trip down memory lane. 🙂
    Your dad (piper) and Uncle Gerry (drummer) wore the horsehair sporrans when they were part of the Black Watch pipe band in Montreal, back in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
    I hope your two Santa tins get “found” in the mail.

  4. Hopefully, this will show up, it is a screenshot from Worthpoint:

    Prices seemed to be in the $100 to $200 range, but one that was missing the glass went for $14US and an older wood one went for $1700US.

  7. HI – Taking a trip through your archives. In October 2019, you posted a pic of a silver cup with a scene from Exodus in repousse. The silver markings were from the late 1800s and. asked if anyone had any ideas. There is Hebrew on the very top of the cup. Don’t know if it you still have it hanging around, but it is a cup of Elijah for Passover. Passover is coming up, great time to list it.

    1. Thanks for reminding me. I wasn’t 100% sure if it was silver, but I tested it just now and it came back positive. I think the hallmark is 13 Loth, which is a German standard that’s been obsolete since the 1800s I think. What do you think?

  8. I sold a two handled antique ritual hand washing mug to Menorahgalleries who is a very high end Judica seller on ebay. I could reach out to him to help you. I know nothing about vintage silver markings.

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