Things I find in the garbage

The Oracle

March 10, 2015March 11, 2015 garbagefinds14 Comments

My sore foot slowed me down for a lot of the week. Walking was difficult, particularly over uneven and snowy surfaces. I had a friend help me on my Monday night run, and we came across a place that provided a good weeks’ worth of finds. I’ve already made nearly 200$ from stuff I found here, and I expect there’s a lot more money yet to come!

In one of the bags were two old scrapbooks.

It was a kid’s school project about Expo 67. The books were filled with newspaper clippings …

… and some official Expo ephemera. I like the wheel (below to the left) that shows the location of each pavilion.

This map is the coolest piece, however. It’s some kind of master pavilion plan for the Expo, published in 1966. It’s signed by Gilles Gagnon, one of the head engineers of the project. I posted some pictures to the Expo 67 Facebook group and a few people seemed genuinely excited to see it.

This map likely isn’t very common since it wasn’t public domain and wouldn’t have been mass produced. I imagine someone would have had to have had some connections to get a copy. It might be worth a bit of money, but first I’ll get a nice quality scan to share on the Expo 67 Facebook page.

I found three old business card holders, full of business cards from the 1950s to probably the 1980s.

One card belongs to a familiar name, at least to those who follow Canadian politics. It’s the card of Justice John H. Gomery, who became known in 2004 when he headed the commission that investigated the sponsorship scandal. Later, after the conclusion of the commission, a federal judge determined that Gomery had displayed bias and judged issues before all evidence was heard.

It’s a bit funny, as I just saw Jean Chretien speak at Concordia last week and might not have remembered Gomery otherwise. This business card was probably made in the early 1970s, and will likely go into my box of garbage keepsakes.

I found a yearbook from 1944.

It was published by the Strathcona Academy, a high school in Outremont. From what I can tell it closed back in 1956.

This piece of paper, which (attempts to) talk humorously of all the changes that happened in the lifetimes of these graduates, was tucked inside the pages. It was probably given out at a reunion. The tone of some of the statements are bizarre, a great example being: “In our time closets were for clothes, not for ‘coming out of'”.

There were a lot of old photos and large-format negatives.

I saved a collection of buttons, cufflinks, jewelery, and baubles. The bird pendants are a part of a set that was made in Japan.

I thought the Star of David pendant on the left was interesting. The front surface (but none of the rest) seems to be rusty. I’m not sure if that’s part of the design, but it looks pretty cool. The pendant on the right is marked “e-sterling”. I’m not sure that means, but it’s definitely not pure sterling.

Two 10 Commandments charm bracelets …

… and a 1952 Town of Mount Royal curling club pin were part of the collection.

There were a whole bunch of vintage sunglasses and frames, which should do well at a yard sale.

One oversized pair by Christian Dior was particularly nice. I expect to sell them for close to 100$. The were probably made in the 60s or 70s.

In terms of miscellaneous stuff, I found a 1940s-era plastic ring box, some vintage ear plugs (unused of course!), a Dunhill lighter case, a little music box mechanism (which plays the “Happy Birthday” song), two very beautiful miniature perfume bottles, and an old Canadian military patch. The lighter case and bottles are already up on eBay, for about 50 and 60$ respectively. The patch (below) has already sold for 23$.

My most valuable finds though were watches and watch parts. This 1940s Nova watch unfortunately doesn’t work, but looks very attractive. I may be able to sell it for parts.

This Art Nouveau-era (~1910s) watch also doesn’t work, but looks awesome.

The gold-plated Mount Royal on the left is also just for parts, but the newer Anne Klein on the right probably just needs a new battery.

Here’s the first truly valuable piece. It’s an old Exacto (apparently Rado before it became Rado) in a 14k gold case.

I already sold this watch for 160$, and received positive feedback to boot! It worked, but was missing the crown (the piece you use to wind the movement).

This Doxa also has a 14k gold case. Its band is made from lizard and calf leather.

The mechanical movement was replaced with a quartz. The watch was dead when I found it, but it only needed a new battery to work again.

I have it listed on eBay for around 600$ (Canadian, with shipping included). I may end up lowering that a bit, but I figure it’s better to start too high than start too low! Regardless, I’m sure I’ll make at least a few hundred from it. It’s a very attractive watch, and it’s worth a fair bit in gold alone.

However, this watch band may be the most valuable find of them all.

The band is by Patek Philippe and it has a signed 18k gold buckle. I originally figured it was just a piece for my scrap metal collection.

Patek Philippe is a prestigious brand, and some of their watches sell for over 100k on eBay. As a result, watch collectors (who tend to be a passionate bunch) pay good money to get authentic parts for their watches. Buckles of this type regularly sell for between 400$ and 600$!

I have mine set at 700$, in case a collector is looking for a buckle of that exact variety (specific markings of this type, and their desirability can be difficult to research). I may end up lowering that price, but it’ll certainly be a nice payday either way!

This just shows to show that trash picking even casually has the potential to make you some good cash. I gained over a thousand dollars in stock (and that’s a conservative estimate) in just one night. Obviously this kind of thing doesn’t happen every day, but the potential is always there.

My foot is feeling better this week, so I hope to do a bit more exploring in this suddenly pleasant weather. I hope the good luck keeps up!

Last week’s garbage sales (March 2 – March 8)

1. 14k gold Exacto watch: On eBay for 165$. This sold to a guy in Ontario within a day of being listed. I already received positive feedback, so this transaction is a done deal. It’s fun when transactions are completed so quickly! This is one of the watches I found this week, just to be clear.

2. Canadian Officer’s Training Corps patch: On eBay for 23$. Another one of this week’s finds.

3. Tag Heuer F1 watch: On eBay for 105$. This is a nice watch, albeit one that needs some love. Found mid December in NDG.

4. N.E. From sterling pin: To a reader for 30$. Found mid February in Cote St-Luc.

5. Baby cup, silver ring, and book: To a reader for 15$. The shipping was a bit more expensive than I expected, but through my error I learned a bit more about how Canada Post’s prices work. The cup was from Outremont, the ring from Verdun, and the book from Mount Royal.

6. St Christopher medallion: To a reader for 1$. This also cost me a bit more to ship than expected, since it had to go over the border and was subject to customs even though it fit in a regular letter envelope. I was expecting to make just 4$ anyways, so it wasn’t a big loss. Found last week in Verdun.

Total: 337$, 12905$ since May 18 2014 and 3222$ since the new year began. Another good week! I’ve been doing a good job keeping on top of my listings, which has definitely helped make my income more consistent on a week-to-week basis.

New listings

1. Exacto 14k gold watch (SOLD!)
2. Canadian Officers Training Corps patch (SOLD!)
3. Patek Philippe 18k gold watch buckle
4. Vintage Christian Dior oversized sunglasses
5. Vintage 1950s Shell key finder
6. Vintage copy of “Through the Looking Glass”
7. Orientations (WWII-era magazine)
8. Hillbilly Cookin’ cookbook
9. Romanian Jewish theatre book, 1956
10. Vintage Brass book holder
11. Vintage La Castillere miniature glass perfume bottles
12. Dunhill lighter case

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If you have a question, see anything that you’re interesting in buying, or to just want to say hello feel free to email me at thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. I also enjoy reading your comments! Keep in mind that I frequently get behind on emails, so I apologize in advance if I take a few days or weeks to get back to you.

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So long, and thanks for all the trash

March 3, 2015 garbagefinds28 Comments

I had better luck last week despite a still fairly minimal hunting schedule. I did a bit more exploring than I did the two weeks prior, and found a couple new spots that provided some interesting finds.

I came across this pile Monday evening on St Urbain. Most of the bags were junk, including four that were chock-full of VHS tapes.

One bag contained some cool stuff though, including a pair of vintage 1960s lamps and these cast iron doohickeys.

I’m trying to figure out what they’re for. They’re about two feet long, and look to be pretty old.

There are patterns etched into the big pieces at the end (one has the same pattern on both sides, while the other has two different designs).

A friend of mine thinks they’re panini presses, but I’m not so sure. My guess is that they’re metal embossing tools of some kind, perhaps the kind used to make those beautiful ceiling tiles you often see in older Montreal buildings (like this). Any help in identifying them would be appreciated!

Tuesday night brought me to Mount Royal. The trip was a failure before I happened upon this place late in my run.

The bags held some neat vintage stuff. This framed picture, likely from sometime around the 1930s, is titled “Shan. Gri-La.”

There were a few very old books, including two turn of the century bibles and a “Pocket Anatomist” from 1848. The cover is fairly worn, but I figure someone will still give me a dollar for it at a yard sale.

One bag contained a slide projector with empty carousels. The slide projector bulb seems to work, but I couldn’t figure out how to get it to switch between slides. If it works, this model is very good and actually sells for decent prices on eBay.

I found a nice little brass box, which I’d guess was made to hold pills.

I also found a couple more things I could use your help identifying. The piece at the top has ornate ends that can fold down, making the piece flat. The three connecting bits can extend somewhat, making the thing longer. I wondered if it was made to hold wood by a fireplace, but I don’t know that it would work too well in that role. It’s about a foot long unextended, and closer to two extended.

The piece at the bottom is heavy brass and measures about 5x5x4″. A hinged lid pops up from the top, and that’s all I can say about it really!

Wednesday night again brought me to Cote St-Luc. A big pile of stuff waited for me at one of my spots.

From here I saved: some vintage pens; a lock and key; a thermos; an old pocket balance …

a couple of lighters (both of which need new flints) …

a cool sterling silver bracelet …

a little wooden table (the legs fold together and the top is easily removed, making it quite portable) …

a couple of beer bottle lights …

and some signed photos of Playboy models. There’s an advertisement for a tazer on the back of one of these, which is pretty funny.

I decided to do a little exploring, and stopped at a place with a sold sign out front.

I salvaged several cool things, including some glass vases (most of which I left in the give box on St Viateur), a brass tray, a pyrex beverage server …

and a sweet Eagle oil lamp. I find it interesting how fragile glass is often still in good condition when I find it. You’d think that people throwing stuff out wouldn’t be careful to not break it. They might just be thinking of the garbage collectors though, as they can hurt themselves if there’s broken glass inside a bag.

This post-it note was inside the bag with the oil lamp.

By this point I was pretty tired, and wondered if I should bother checking on an old spot in Verdun. There was a whole bunch of stuff out a couple of weeks back (including a couple of brooms), but nothing the week after. I find that garbage brooms are often a sign that the house is finished being cleared out, and I wasn’t optimistic about finding anything more at this once productive spot (it provided all the fortune telling cards, and lots of other cool vintage items).

Still, I wanted to see if there was indeed no more to be found, and drove (fairly out of my way) to go take a look. Only one trash can was out front of the apartment. I checked the can, expecting that there wasn’t going to be much of interest. However, there was one small bag that made a nice jingling sound (one of my favourites!) when moved.

Inside, underneath some fabric and paper towels, was a large collection of old keys.

Several were of the skeleton variety.

There were a few small baubles mixed in, including: a St Christopher pendant, a piece of rosary, a silver plated keychain from Old Orchard Beach in Maine, and an early 50s Shell key finder. The latter is fairly collectable, and should sell for around 15$.

None of this is worth a tonne, but I’m still glad I was there to find it. After going to a particular spot for a long time (since early January, in this case) I get a bit attached its story. I expect this is the last cool stuff I find here. Though I’ll probably check again just to be sure, these keys have the feel of a parting gift. If so, I say: so long, and thanks for all the trash.

In other news

I hurt my foot pretty good on Saturday night, when a large piece of plywood came down on it while I was looking the other way. It was a non-garbage related incident, as it happened when I was cleaning the house. It’s pretty hard to walk right now, but things seem to be steadily improving. I suspect that it’s a pretty good bone bruise.

The injury has slowed my garbage picking somewhat, but not too much. I had someone come along to help me last night, and we actually found some pretty impressive stuff. I look forward to sharing it with you!

Last week’s garbage sales (February 23 – March 1)

1. Antique Union Jack flag: On eBay for 80$. I forgot this flag in the car for months before realizing it was worth some money. It never made it to the blog. Found this summer in Mount Royal.

2. Expo 35 (Brussels) Tourist Passport: On eBay for 100$. A nice payday for this cool old document. Found late November 2013 in the Plateau.

3. Vintage cigar cutter: On eBay for 31$. I forget where this was found.

4. Vintage beer bottle opener – Frontenac Export Ale: On eBay for 30$. Found in Ville St Laurent late last year, but this piece also didn’t make it to the blog.

5. Yves St Laurent Opium: On eBay for 70$. This is the larger of the two bottles I listed. I forget if they came from Hampstead or Cote St-Luc, but I definitely found them in the last month or so.

Total: 311$, 12568$ since May 18 and 2885$ since the new year began. Another solid week. My sales have been excellent for a while now, and I’m averaging about 1500$ a month since the beginning of 2015. That’s pretty good! If this pace keeps up I’ll make around 18k in 2015. That’s still a humble living, but it’s about what I’d make if I worked 40 hours a week at McDonald’s. Needless to say, I’d much rather be doing this.

New listings

1. Gypsy Witch fortune telling cards
2. St Joseph’s Oratory tray – “Made in Occupied Japan”
3. Box of 5.25″ floppies
4. Vintage leather life insurance policy holder
5. Vintage Mercedes booklet
6. Official dinner menu from the visit of Princess Elizabeth to the Windsor Hotel (1951)
7. 1940s-1950s Howard Johnson restaurant menu
8. 1950s menu – Cascade Lodge (Maine)
9. Valle’s Steak Menu, 1950s
10. Valle’s restaurant menu – 1952
11. Six vintage French children’s books from the 1940s

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Will to power; list to profit

February 24, 2015 garbagefinds9 Comments

Last week I continued my minimal hunting schedule, focusing instead on getting organized on the business side of things. I did some culling of my yard sale stuff, putting about seven boxes of less salable stuff back to the curb. I made sure that the boxes were visible, and as a result the vast majority was taken by other pickers. I did this to make more space for better stuff and to reduce clutter in general.

I also spent a fair bit of time listing things on eBay. Several of the items I listed sold within days (and sometimes within hours), which was pretty awesome. My sales have been great lately. According to eBay, I’ve sold nearly an item a day over the past two months, which seems pretty good considering how small my store is. I’ve been getting a lot of good feedback too – my score is now up to 94. Getting to 100 will be a milestone for me! I have a lot more listing to do, but I do feel like I’m getting caught up.

The pickings were slim last week, unlike the week prior. The enigmatic dumpster only ever got this full, and didn’t even get taken away this Monday as the previous bins did. I guess whoever is filling it was busy with other things.

Most of the bags were full of old magazines, but none of them were particularly interesting. I spotted this container sitting on a shelf at the left hand side of the bin.

It was full of bits of jewellery, many of which seem hand-made. Some were complete, while others are just nice metal shapes.

The bits come in gold-tone, silver-tone, and copper-tone. They have that old metal smell, but that cleans up easily enough. I’m thinking it might be cool to sell a few, and use others for arts and crafts projects.

I also saved two packages of charcoal art paper, still in their original plastic wrap. Both are marked 22.45$ at top right.

I found two old alligator (crocodile?) handbags at a spot in Hampstead. They seem to be made of legit leather. Neither are in good condition (though the one on the right is decent outside of the broken handle), but I figure someone might want to recycle the leather.

I saw nothing in front of my spot in Verdun, making me think it might be the end of the line for that particular place.

However, a spot in Cote St-Luc provided a couple useful things, including: two nice vintage staplers; a JFK memorial magazine; a wallet with old Israeli coins inside; an empty vintage wedding journal; some kind of Hebrew scroll; and a few other doodads.

Overall, it was my slowest week in quite some time. Most of that was probably due my minimal schedule, though who knows if I would have found anything regardless. Mid-February definitely isn’t the best time to find garbage, at least here in Montreal.

Last week’s garbage sales (February 16 – February 22)

I may not have many finds to talk about, but I did make a bunch of sales!

1. Ho Hang vintage cologne: On eBay for 85$. This sold within hours of my listing it. I think I found it at my spot in Hampstead, though it could have also been from Cote St-Luc. Regardless, it never made it to the blog. I’m pretty happy with the money! I never would have guessed that I’d be making good money selling old scents.

2. Vintage Dunhill cardboard pipe box: On eBay for 30$. This had been sitting around my room for a long time, waiting for me to fix it up a bit and list it. Last week I finally did, and it sold within a day of being listed. I’m glad to see it leave my home. This was the last remaining item from the box of old pipes and pipe accessories that an older man kindly gave me this summer in Mount Royal.

3. Small vintage banner – Game 8 of 1972 Summit Series: On eBay for 85$. I came across this again when organizing my old stuff. I did a bit of research and found that it was a banner from the famous Game 8, where Canada beat the Soviets thanks to a late goal by Paul Henderson. It sold very quickly, making me wonder if I should have charged more. Regardless, it’s a good price! Found this fall in Cote St-Luc, but it never made it to the blog.

4. Guerlain Shalimar dusting powder: On eBay for 44$. Another item I listed this week that sold fairly quickly. Found around a month ago in Hampstead.

5. E.E. Fairchild fortune telling deck: On eBay for 35$. Yet another item listed this week. It’ll be hard to keep the store stocked if things keep selling at this pace! Found a couple weeks ago in Verdun.

6. St Joseph’s Oratory charm bracelet – 1920s-1940s: On eBay for 90$. I was speculating a bit on the price when this was listed, but it ended up making me a nice chunk of change. I thought it was a very beautiful. Found in May in Verdun.

7. Sterling silver Waterman “Ideal” fountain pen: On eBay for 150$. This received a fair bit of interest, and finally sold this week. Found early August in the Plateau next to Jeanne-Mance park.

8,9: Two Expo 67 Passports: On eBay for 70$. A buyer from China bought both, as well as another passport I had from the 1935 Expo in Brussels. I’ll add that Brussels passport to the profit total next week, as they bought that piece on Monday. Both of these were found this fall in Cote St-Luc.

Total: 589$, 12257$ since May 18 and 2574$ since the new year began. A very nice week, largely due to my listing several new items. I also sold some broken Blackberries, I didn’t add them to the total as the payment hasn’t come through yet.

New listings

I offer a discount to local buyers who can come pick up the item themselves (and preferably pay me in person, saving me the eBay fees). Email me if you’re interested in anything you see.

1. Super Mario Cheez Whiz jar (from 1989)
2. The Black Cat 1940s fortune telling game
3. Tag Heuer watch
4. Box of samples – Lanvin Oxygene perfume
5. Matt and Nat vegan changepurse
6. Yves St Laurent Opium perfume
7. Yves St Laurent Opium perfume (larger bottle)
8. Framed WWII-era photograph by Yousef Karsh (the subject is a Canadian military Colonel)
9. Tokyo Bay watch
10. Vintage hand-painted metal lunchbox (Etsy)
11. E.E. Fairchild fortune telling cards (SOLD!)
12. Guerlain Shalimar dusting powder (SOLD!)
13. Summit Series Game 8 banner (SOLD!)
14. Vintage Dunhill pipe box (SOLD!)
15. Ho Hang Balenciaga Cologne (SOLD!)

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