Here’s some more finds from that Cote St-Luc spot. I found a bunch of old ration stamps. None are very valuable, but they are a cool relic to have in my collection. I had never heard of beer rations, which are another interesting piece of history. I also really enjoyed finding the old Montreal Royals tickets on the right. If they were from the year Jackie Robinson was playing for them, they’d probably be worth a fair bit. However, my bet is that they are from a little before 1946. It’s hard to find good information about 1940s AAA baseball ticket stubs though. I just put them up for auction on eBay yesterday, and we’ll see what the market thinks.
The auction is strategically timed. Trump is supposedly ending de minimus starting August 29th, so after that date American buyers will have to pay tariffs/customs (taxes) on my eBay stuff, even if it’s just some collectible worth 50$. I’d estimate that about 50-60% of my eBay sales go to the States, so these new fees could have a significant impact on the eBay side of my business. We’ll see what happens though. Maybe eBay can lobby to be excluded from this new reality, or maybe he’ll change his mind for whatever reason. Regardless, the auction ends so that when I ship it the next day, it should get processed in time to not get tariffed, on the off chance these tickets sell for a bunch of money to an American.
So, if any American readers want anything I have listed, now’s the time to do it. I did a 10% off sale that ends Thursday on all my items, and would consider bigger discounts on stuff that’s been sitting around a while. Just send me a message and we can figure something out.
These folks were big time stamp collectors. I didn’t find many stamps though, and none of the related paraphernalia was exciting enough to make the blog. I’m not sure why those First Day Cover envelopes don’t have stamps on them, but the WWII-era designs are cool.
They also liked their paper ephemera. I found lots of cigarette cards, but none of the exciting kind. I also saved a bunch of old booze bottle labels, which can have a bit of value.
Otherwise, this person was in the toy industry for many years by the looks of things. I found a whole bunch of industry magazines, company correspondence, catalogues, and a lot of old photos. Most feature toy industry related events, and also photos of the products themselves. Many are 8x10s, which is a nice size for framing.
Vintage toys are a big market, so I think these will sell nicely. I gave most of the photos to a friend to sell on my behalf (for a cut, of course). She goes by @brocantophilia on Instagram if you want to check her out. She’s picky but she’ll often sell my nice glass, ceramics, chairs, and lamps for me. She also sells her own thrifted quality junk. Anyways, give her a follow if you like pictures of nice & interesting things.
Otherwise, trash has been pretty slow recently. Dog days of summer etc. But there’s no way to know what is coming, so maybe a great score is just around the corner.
Links
1. My eBay listings. Sign up for eBay (Canada, US). Search for something you want / research something you have (Canada, US). — These are Ebay Partner Network links. If you create an account or buy something after getting to eBay from these links, I get a small cut of the profit!
2. “Things I find in the garbage” on Facebook
3. Follow @garbagefindssells on Instagram (this is managed by a friend, I’ve quit Instagram for the time being)
4. Email: thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. Note that I really suck at keeping up with my email.
5. Help support the blog, or just buy me a coffee! PayPal link below.
I feel you on the de minimus thing. I hope the courts stop it and the appeal fails because I sell vintage as well, on Etsy and the majority of my buyers seem to be American. I think it will end my business, but we’ll see!
The photos are so cool here! It’s a shame that Ephemera so often gets tossed so thanks for saving it.
Here’s hoping. It doesn’t make much sense, just a lot of bureaucracy for no real benefit.
The de minimus thing is ridiculous, as are the business-killing tariffs. I really hope it doesn’t hurt your sales! I love the old black and white photos, and the info on beer rations. Had no idea!
Ephemera! Your favourite thing!
Here’s hoping something transpires to put the kibosh on Trump’s de minimus move.
Love the photos! Especially the photos of the photos. I hope your sales go well. Regarding tariffs, I suppose if someone wants something enough, they’ll pay for it, whatever the cost? Best of luck with the auction, and the sales. I hope cooler heads will prevail regarding policy, but all bets appear to be off these days.
Probably will sell a few things to the States regardless but the costs look like it’ll be pretty prohibitive for many. As is, according to that article the tariff tax would be 35%, which would make a lot of my stuff non-competitive. And if someone has a budget of say, 100$ for an item, it doesn’t matter to them whether that money is going to the US government or to me, that’s all they have to spend. At least it won’t effect local sales, and I have been saving a bit for rainy days
Thanks for this update! I especially like the language on the back of the baseball tickets.
Treasure hunting is a thrill I thoroughly enjoy. 😊 I’m really glad to see you salvaged some more history treasures. I was also surprised by the beer ration coupons. I’m going to ask my dad if he knows anything about that. Thanks for sharing your finds and I look forward to your next adventure !