Some of my best finds have come mostly by accident. I was in the Golden Square Mile area for an appointment on Monday. I usually enter this building a different way but because of renovations I had to go inside via the garage. That led me past the building’s recycling bins.
I couldn’t resist taking a quick peek. I noticed a few things inside one bin weren’t the typical dull recycling.
I saw a couple old 1950s theatre programs …
… and a 1960s Canadian Jeweller magazine.
There was also a small box full of portable phones.
However, this mail order catalogue was without a doubt my best find.
The catalogue was made by Asprey, a designer, manufacturer and retailer of luxury good since 1781. Their flagship store is on New Bond Street in London, one of the most expensive retail strips in the world.
It’s actually an incredible book. It looks to be from the 1930s, around the time that art deco design was at its peak.
It provides an amazing look at what wealth and luxury would have looked like in those times.
The book is in exquisite condition, as if it was handled only with the utmost care.
A sticker on the inside indicates that it once belonged to a Kenneth G Mappin. There’s not many references to him online, but it does seem like he was a part of the Mappin and Webb silver company. Here’s a mention of him donating a cup to the Montreal Hockey Club in 1925.
I thought it’d have some value; old luxurious items usually do. However, I was a bit surprised to see how valuable it might actually be. It was a challenge to find any similar ones online – there are none at all similar on eBay – but I did manage to track down a few on other sites. There’s one on Abebooks selling for over 1000$ US. One that in poor condition is selling on the same site for 250$. Another bookseller is selling a copy for 4000$, though that includes a best offer option. That last listing has some nice scans of the catalogue, if anyone’s curious.
It seems like I made a pretty good score no matter what! I love finding things in places that I least expect to. It’s a bit odd that there was so little else in the bins, unless of course there was more that was covered by other junk. I wonder where it came from…
I’m aiming to do a yard sale this Sunday. My storage room is getting full and I have so much stuff to unload. I’ll keep you posted!