Your Dream Find While Scrapping?

I guess this is mainly directed at curbside scrappers and the like. We all go out and try to find lots of precious metals in appliances/computers/etc. BUT, what is your dream find, be it scrap metal or an actual item you could use (maybe with a little fixing up)? Even if its not your dream item, what are your better finds while out?



Dream find: a discarded diamond ring someone forgot in a jewelry case. I always search large piles where someone was clearly evicted/etc. and hope a ring slipped through the cracks.

Honorable Mentions:
-Money
-Candles. Girlfriend loves melting them down and making new ones. Always brownie points for me
-CZ Diamond with certification. Est. value $50.
-A Knight Statue, iron. Was a fireplace tool holder, now a statue for me.
-Two cases of discarded Pepsi. Cans were sealed, tasted great!
-A giant glass pig. Girlfriend currently throws spare change in it. Its just awesome.

Have only been scrapping for six months, so looking forward to more interesting finds!

When I was curb shopping my eyes were open for anything. My most memorable finds were:
1) $35 face value in silver dimes in old suitcases with two modern $50 bills attached = $1000 total at silver prices on the day. kept
2) Westnofa Siesta Chair with footstool = $800-$1000. kept
3) Kovacs chrome stacked orb lamp, needed new cord, $145. sold
4) Wassily Chair, chrome and white leather, $2-$300, still have
5) 13 Russell Woodard, Sculptura line, outdoor chairs, Sold 5 pieces for $600, kept 8 pieces.
6) An art print titled ZERMATT, a 60's print of a 30's painting, Jan 2010 auction results from Christies in London $24,000. hanging on the wall
I have found gold and silver jewelry, autographed music posters, cd's, dvd's, and so much other stuff that I have sold at yard sales and flea markets that I cant remember what I had.

I guess most of my good finds are mid century modern items, and that is probably why I am hanging on to them.

These, they have made me sooo much money since I found them....
http://img.alibaba.com/wsphoto/v0/47...e-and-hard.jpg

I once saw a scrapper digging threw an old sofa for change. Thought that might be a good idea, but also a easy way to get stuck with a herroin needle

Went out on bulk trash day in my neighborhood, and literally 10 houses down from my house this guy and his son were stacking 3 PALLETS with 486 computers, monitors, printers, etc. I pulled up and asked if I could have them, and help them bring out ALL THE REST that were in the garage. The guy got so excited he started handing me boxes of ram and finger cards. That was a great find!! Also great to watch all the other scrappers pull up, stop, ask, and be told, "she's already got it all, thanks!" LOL

My best trash find ever was on the day I decided to walk my dog behind the Blockbuster video and discovered their dumpster was *full* of the video tapes they had stopped carrying that day. I dug over 800 VHS tapes out of that dumpster and made hundreds of dollars on them. I have had other really good days too, but that one stands out as the single best day.

After the store manager found his dumpster empty the next morning, they started smashing every tape they threw out (there weren't many more.)

that manager is stupid, one good reason would be that why would you pay people to break VHS when you should be paying them to help run your store. That my friend is just pure ignorance, if they can't sell it and you can, "we should break them" Yea that makes sense, lol.

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Originally Posted by happyisthealero

that manager is stupid, one good reason would be that why would you pay people to break VHS when you should be paying them to help run your store. That my friend is just pure ignorance, if they can't sell it and you can, "we should break them" Yea that makes sense, lol.

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That goes on more often than you can imagine. I know of a non-profit that does it. It comes out of their donation bin and if they cannot use/sell it in their little storefront then it gets busted and thrown into the dumpster.

There should be a place to recycle the VHS. Instead of just throwing them in the dumpster

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

That goes on more often than you can imagine. I know of a non-profit that does it. It comes out of their donation bin and if they cannot use/sell it in their little storefront then it gets busted and thrown into the dumpster.

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I'm sure that in the case of the Blockbuster, there was probably some deal that forbade them from destroying the local market for the movies by dumping them in the dumpster intact. Some assistant manager probably was lazy figuring that nobody would ever look in the dumpster. Then I came along. :p

Same thing happens with softcover books and magazines. Check out the dumpster behind a bookstore on the right night and you will find stacks of unsold periodicals. They will have their covers torn off or mutilated. It's done to protect the market for the merchandise; after all, if word gets out that all you have to do to get a free copy of Time Magazine is just wait until the next one comes out, how many would they sell?

Dumpsters are fun, my friends.

--Geoff

Quote:

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Originally Posted by happyisthealero

There should be a place to recycle the VHS. Instead of just throwing them in the dumpster

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If you really wanted to recycle them, you can take the time to take out all of the tape and sell the plastic. That's recycling, and you get to smash stuff.

Nice subject.

Busting up perfectly useful items is a particular peeve of mine.

I used to work at a Muffin shop, as a teen. Every day, we'd throw away 50 pounds of fresh made muffins. I begged and pleaded with management, and eventually we found a pair of nuns that would come by every day at closing to bring them to a homeless shelter.

Don't even talk to me about destroying books, which I would be forced to do at Waldenbooks once. Sacrilege!