Tag: dumpster diving

Scrooge pt.1

garbagefinds29 Comments

Back in the early to mid summer I was stopping at this house regularly on garbage day to see what was on the curb. It seemed that every week I’d find either old Christmas decorations or weird vintage junk, often stored in old boxes that dated back at least a few decades (like that Dumaurier one above).

Unfortunately, one day I met one of the people doing the tossing and he was a real d-bag. As things stand today he’d make the top three in my “least pleasant people I’ve met trash picking” list. He had a big truck, an angry dog, and was yelling. Not really wanting to interact with that guy ever again, I abandoned the spot despite the fact that it was producing some unusual vintage trash (my favourite).

This box of old toys was one of the last things I rescued here. Some were ruined, but others were worth salvaging. I stuck it in the basement until recently, when I dug it up to see what was worth selling on eBay. I ended up taking pictures of everything, save for the stuff I had already thrown out or free boxed.

This old tin helicopter was made in Japan by Marusan toys, probably in the 1950s. It’s missing the top rotors and the winding key, but is in pretty good cosmetic condition otherwise. I think it’d be worth around 200$ if it were in mint condition with a box. As is, it’s probably worth closer to 50$.

This old Schuco Fex tin car was also pretty neat. Again, it’s in solid cosmetic condition but has no key and the top detaches from the base. It’s also worth around 200$ in great condition with a box. I hope to get 50$ for it.

The rest of the stuff was cool but not worth the hassle of selling on eBay. Here’s a collection of toy guns…

… a rubber lizard (or some other reptile) marked “Made in Japan”;

… a celluloid Santa on a tin sleigh (the reindeer is a bit busted, otherwise it might be worth listing);

… a wind-up baby goat with a missing tail;

… a vintage xylophone;

… an old lantern;

… a walkie talkie;

… an operator / battery pack for a missing toy;

… a wooden flute from Niagara Falls;

… some miscellaneous bric-a-brac, including a couple of lead soldiers;

… some toy cars;

… a weird rabbit that looks to be made out of paper mache;

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… and a “Tuck-ins” blanket holder, made by a Henry Davis Co. Pretty cute eh? I’ll share some of the stranger stuff from this spot soon enough!

In the meantime, I figured I’d share these old tobacco tins I found last week.

They were stuffed with old matchbooks.

Most were from the same two places (the “Red Lion” Motor Inn and the “Blue Seas,” both in Miami Beach) but there were some others I thought were worth sharing. I always enjoy finding old matchbooks, especially when they’re cool from a graphic design perspective. My favourite of the bunch is probably the Expo 67 Cuban Pavilion matchbook near the top right. I’ve never seen one before, and couldn’t find anything similar online.

This week was relatively slow, but there’s still lots of great stuff, including potential “find of the year” type items that I have yet to share. You’ll have to keep coming back if you want to see what they are!

Relevant links

1. Facebook page
2. My eBay listings
3. Etsy store
4. Kijiji listings
5. Contribute to garbagefinds.com
6. Follow me on Instagram

Email: thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. I often fall behind on emails, so I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to get back to you.

Night of the sterling garbage pt. 2

garbagefinds23 Comments

Part one

A neighbourhood security officer pulled up just as I was finished at this spot, telling me he had received a call about someone trash picking. He seemed like a nice enough guy and let me off with a verbal warning. I hadn’t seen him before, and I think he understands that the residents of this area tend to be, shall we say, “persnickety.” Regardless, I hope we don’t meet again anytime soon.

The first things I noticed were old boxes for jewelry and fineries. The hope of course is that some of them will have jewelry still inside, but the boxes I found (above is just a small sample) are also useful for packaging online sales. As well, a few of the watch boxes (like the Benrus above) are likely worth selling on their own.

Most were empty, but thankfully two of the last boxes I found had jewelry, mostly cufflinks, still inside.

Some were made of precious metals. The ones on top are Mexican silver with abalone, while the cufflinks on the right (I think I originally found both, but I seem to have misplaced one) are marked Birks 14k. The medical bracelet is marked 10k and should net me around 130$ for scrap. The Winnipeg Golden Boy cufflinks are just regular old metal, but I thought they were worth showcasing.

Near the bottom of one bag was a little Birks sleeve with a comb inside, the end of which is sterling silver. I have to glue the comb back inside the silver, but otherwise it’s in great shape.

I also saved a classic oval Birks sterling picture frame. I’ve found a few of these now, but this might be the first one with the original glass.

However, the best silver piece I found that night awaits you in part three…

I saved some other neat vintage stuff at this spot, like a collection of old pennants from Western Canada…

… some old walkie talkies, a scale, and a retro ashtray;

… two vintage razors, which look to have been barely used;

… a vintage plastic piggy bank;

… as well as two compacts and a pill box. I returned to the spot this week, but the bags didn’t seem all that interesting and I preferred to not see the security guy again just one week after getting warned. I’ll be there next week though if the trash looks good enough.

Elsewhere, I spotted this bin with two giraffes sticking out. One was broken, but the other was in good condition. The giraffe is about 6′ tall.

I opened the bin and found more large animal figures. This tiger is about two feet long, and looks to be covered in leather.

Same with this hippo.

This camel is pretty big too, standing about 2.5′ tall. I’ve never seen statuettes like these, have you?

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Otherwise, I happened upon this little pile in NDG.

I saved this little end table. It’s missing the top (which I’m guessing was marble, since there were some broken marble pieces nearby) and a bit of veneer, but it’s still a nice project piece.

On top of the table was an old Telefunken radio. It needs a little TLC, but seems to mostly work and is in great cosmetic condition.

Behind all that was an old ammo box.

Apparently it was made in 1941, so it would have been used during WWII. I can’t figure out what “O.W.O” (or “O.H.O”?) stands for though, so if you have any ideas let me know!

My current plan for the painting from my last post is to try to get a quote from a reputable art restoration company. I expect the repairs would cost at least a grand and probably more, but the extra expense would probably be worth it. I emailed one place already, but if anyone has experience with specific companies please let me know!

Relevant links

1. Facebook page
2. My eBay listings
3. Etsy store
4. Kijiji listings
5. Contribute to garbagefinds.com
6. Follow me on Instagram

Email: thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. I often fall behind on emails, so I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to get back to you.

Servire Populo pt. 1

garbagefinds18 Comments

On my phone I keep a record of the houses or locations that seem to be producing quality garbage. This helps me remember to check them out when I’m in the area.

This place in St Michel was first productive back in August when my mom was in town for a visit. I took her on one of my runs and checked the few spots I had logged in the borough. However, this one was a bit further away than the others, and after I had little luck at the other spots I almost decided to skip it. At the time, I couldn’t even remember why I added it to my notes.

However, I ended up giving it a chance, and I’m glad I did because the house ended up producing loads of quality junk. It’s also where I found that great collection of vintage clothes from a while back. Plus, it was nice to show my mom that little treasures can be found in ordinary looking trash (I remember our best finds coming from that bag closest to the bottom right).

Months later I’m still keeping an eye on this spot. In fact, I plan on checking it out again tonight. Finds have been a bit more sporadic of late, with the tosser skipping the occasional week (or two), but I’m loyal to my favourite spots and I’ll keep going back until I think there’s nothing left to find.

We took that solid vintage dresser, by the way, and it eventually sold for 50$. I found the matching vanity later on, and finally got it listed yesterday (pretty good price too if you ask me – I mostly want to get it out of the garage).

This was some of the stuff my mom and I saved that first night. As you can see, a lot of it is neat vintage junk. There’s a few vintage perfumes, a couple cool brooches, and some religious medallions, among other things. I’m surprised I never saw a bill authentication card like the one below the skate before. I wish this pic was better, but it’ll have to do.

The sterling silver pin I found that first night is why I titled this series Servire Populo. Apparently, this is the motto of Canada Post, and it translates as “to serve the people.” I also found lots of nursing stuff, so it seems that the people who lived here worked in public service.

I found a few nice watches, but none of them were exceptional or eBay worthy. Those eyeglass frames though are made by Yves St Laurent, and should make me a bit of money.

I found a couple of pipe bags but unfortunately no pipes. I did find a few stamps in that organizer though.

That figurine at the top left was actually a cookie. It ended up in a free box, but I doubt anyone took it. The Parker Pen box is nice, though it didn’t come with the actual pen.

I saved lots of vintage Christmas thingies, which I’m guessing are cake toppers. I think they’re still kicking around somewhere if anyone’s interested!

That Fragonard perfume went to a local buyer, and I remember selling that little notepad for 50c at my last yard sale.

The black cat was probably part of that collectible vintage Stafford tea set, but unfortunately I didn’t find any other pieces from it.

A couple of these pins are nursing related. The sunglasses are Polaroid Cool-Rays, but not the ones that can be sold for a lot of money.

That’s just the beginning, I’ll share more finds soon enough! And, if I’m lucky I’ll find some new stuff tonight.

Relevant links

1. Facebook page
2. My eBay listings
3. Etsy store
4. Kijiji listings
5. Contribute to garbagefinds.com
6. Follow me on Instagram

Email: thingsifindinthegarbage@gmail.com. I often fall behind on emails, so I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to get back to you.