2025 Garage Sale Thread (14th Annual)

[WisJim]

One final item from the weekend garage sales. An unadvertised (as far as I can figure) sale with one item of interest, all in a sealed up plastic bag but I took a chance on it. Xcelite ratchet handle and a bunch of bits including 3 extensions and a set of metric nut drivers, among others.

 

[RTM]

Here is my teeny tiny haul from today our flea market selling got off to a very slow start and in the first hour we didn't even make back our entrance fee. At that point kind of disheartened I took a quick walk through to see if there was anything I had to have at a bargain price. These were the only two items deemed worthy of an expenditure. The clamp is a Brookstone Japan and I have a very similar one at home so hopefully they're the same length. The tiny little Thorsen ratchet 77MC was just too cute to leave behind and it looks like it says MFG USA. Not sure if I have an appropriate set going together, but it can go in the general use pile.





Overall our day did work out ok. We had some stuff we just wanted gone, preferably to a good home. Couple of tool newbies got better deals than others, flippers were very disappointed with my prices.

 

[liliysdad]

Made a run to our favorite monthly flea market, about an hour from here. We always seem to do pretty good. Todays haul wasn’t bad

A 78 vintage Coleman 200, a Coleman 275, a 66 vintage Military Coleman 252, and another 220.

Also grabbed a 15” S-K 1/2 ratchet, a Williams S-52, another S-K 45170, a Craftsman 1/4 RHFT and a little 1/4” breaker.




Also got time to work on the Rock Island 591 I picked up last month. I think it turned out pretty good.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Few pickups today from an estate sale. Millers Falls 16 foot tape measure. Old Craftsman USA 10inch adjustable wrench, no name rubber mallet and a trowel. As well as a VCR, Pearl Harbor movie VHS tapes, and a Volvo White die cast truck. The person who passed away worked at Volvo Trucks North America at the plant in Dublin Virginia where the estate sale was at. If the rest of the die casts are still there tomorrow I might pick them up because I can imagine some of them are quite rare. Tape measure and trowel were $2, rubber mallet was $4, wrench $2, truck was $10, VHS tapes were $2, VCR was $18 since it was Panasonic I went ahead and got it had it been any other brand except Sony I’d have waited till tomorrow when everything is discounted.

 

[bmwrd0]

On Thursday, I hit what turned out to be the biggest horder sale I have been too in a while. There was so much stuff, cars, stereos, random whatevers, etc. that I could not even move around in the shop. Just stuff everywhere, so I was only able to hit the highlights, but I think I did pretty good:

Gooseneck lamp shade, elephant lamp, OTC dual saltus, Hazet wrench, Chrome Vanadium DBE, German jeweler's saw, brass hammer with a Williams handle, RCA desk microphone, and a rucksack marked FSS. $20.

Today, I was planning on going back to see if two days had cleared more treasure, but it was a 1/4 mile walk up hill to get past the parking area, and as I don't walk too well anymore, I wasn't really looking forward too it, but, when I checked to see if there was anything else of interest, I found a farm sale not too far away, and the ad sounded promising

Unmarked 1/4" socket box, Armstrong specialty wrench, unmarked bearing scraper, MAC Sabina double saltus, sockets (Blackhawk, Snap-on, Wards, etc.), Snap-on socket trays, pocket scales (General, unmarked), Craftsman ratchet w/9mm socket, Belden crimpers, wood handled nut driver, Goodell Pratt push drill, Snap-on and John Deere wrenches, Yankee 1436 drill, Warner cast iron, P&C 1/4" speeder, machinist jacks, no. 7 ignition pliers. $10.

I love sales like these, just able to dig as things were left. You never know what you will find, like an elephant lamp!

 

[Provincial]

Stopped by the local second-hand store today. He had emptied out a stack he bought from a retiree moving South, and having sold the boxes for a good profit, was pricing individual wrenches at 50 cents each.


P&C 2825 DOE 11/16 x 3/4 (thinned ends)
P&C 2825 DOE 11/16 x 3/4
P&C 2728 combo 7/8
Plomb USA 1224 combo 3/4
Plomb USA WF-84 DBE 13/16 x 7/8 (chrome plated)
Vlchek WBE 24 combo 3/4
Bonney 1124 combo 3/4 (Loc-Rite broaching on box end)
Bonney ZT612 3/8 dr. extension 12"
Wizard N2192 short DBE 1/2 x 9/16 (((( ALLOY y U.S.A.))))
Life-Time LC11 Combo 11/32 (Barcalo, Crescent "C with hex inside logo)
Billings 1720 DOE 5/16 x 11/32 ---VITALLOY---

The Life-Time:

This is my first "scoop" 11/32 wrench.

 

[Patrickm82]

Pretty slow around me yesterday another rainy Saturday. I did hit day 2 of an estate sale that looked promising from the outside but not so much. Here’s what I got for a 10 spot.

Snap on L key roll with a few snappys in there
C-112B
Snap on putty knife with a $3.99 Ocean state job lot tag
Snap on 3/8 universal
Indestro 3/4 -25/32 DBE wrench
2 VTG scotch electrical tape tins
And a crusty adjustable alligator wrench marked “The Elgin”

Only looking like 1 stop today worth a look.

 

[DetailSeeker]

Any advice for cleaning a paper label?

I've had some luck brushing off loose dirt (I'm going to be using the nylon brush rescued from the hair clipper kit going forward), then putting on Lee Valley tool wax and wiping it away. (All very gently, unsurprisingly.)

 

[zanyad]

On Thursday, I hit what turned out to be the biggest horder sale I have been too in a while.

I found a farm sale not too far away

Bmw *****

 

[Beerhippie]

Saturday's scores after cleaning:



The yellow-handle crimpers are, as ID'ed by @Mintgrun over at the Pliers thread, Ideal # 30-425.

https://www.tequipment.net/Ideal30-425.asp

Recently discontinued.

They're now living in my electrical tools box.

The Petersen Vise-Grips came out pretty nicely. I need to go back through the Vise Grips thread to recall when the pre-lever Petersens were made. I found another set of pre-lever, not Petersen branded, Vise Grip Nebraska pliers at another stop, but far too expensive for my tastes.

Now I need to find the rest of the parts of the Starrett combi square....

 

[Patrickm82]

Not much today, slow weekend! Got these few things for a $1
SK polished 7/8 combo
SK polished 3/4 saltus
=V= 11/16 combo
A few timberlok’s

 

[ctuai]

Estate sale ($40): 4 -Woodsmith cabinet scrapers; 3 - Woodsmith cabinet scraper sharpening jigs; Box of outdoor screws; 2 - Boxes Venom gloves; GM car compass; Stanley tramel point; Record 060 1/2 plane; Woodsmith sharpening stone; 3 - Woodsmith Try-Squares; 2 - Bessey parallel clamps; continued pic 2

Two great sales at the same time. Decided to skip the 1st day of this sale so this is all 2nd day stuff. Lots of Woodsmith gear as they're based out of Des Moines. Been trying to avoid the smalls, but the stuff I'm not keeping should be easy to sell. The Erik Frost Mora carving knife is nice. Ok, tested out the box stapler and it's pretty cool.​

Bostich D-60 box stapler w/ box of staples; Box of wire connectors; Scotch painters tape; 5 - chisels (Buck Bros., Greenlee, unknown; Pritzlaff; J.R. Barton); Erik Frost Mora knife; Rali 220 plane; Scrap copper

 

[SuburbGuy]

I have a chair with lions at the front like that. They dig into your leg and, in my case, left bruises.

I have a hunch your dog or cat loves sleeping on it.

 

[ctuai]

Estate sale ($60): E. Young's Secret Fastened slate tablet (1850's); Griswald no. 8 cast iron pan; Planishing hammer; Daisy business card printing press; 2 - Fire King jadeite fruit bowls; 2 - light bulbs; Picture of U.S Grant; 4 - Pocket door hangers; Set of hex keys; Texaco home lubricant; Purox CW-200 torch and bits; Le John fan.

The slate came with a slate pencil. Darned if the thing actually writes pretty good. Dig the printing press. It didn't come with the metal slugs, so I converted to take rubber stamp slugs. The picture of Grant is interesting. I don't think it's modern as it has, what I think is a slate backer. Fun sale.​

My first publication.

 

[mikeinri]

Cleanouts at work are ongoing...

....There are 4 Scotch racks waiting for me, I need to bring my trailer to pick them up. 8' high, 4' wide, 30" deep. Corrugated steel shelves, some also have thin sheets (of something) covering them.

Anyone heard of these?



Mike

Yes I have some Scotch Rack .They went out of business a few years ago so you cannot get replacement parts.

I figured as much. I found a place online selling whole (used) units:

Used Scotch Rack Wood Deck Shelving

Used Scotch Rack Wood Deck Shelving for sale now at American Surplus, your most trusted supplier for heavy-duty bulk shelving. Call or visit us online!

www.americansurplus.com

Mike

Spent some time looking at that website. Their units are 9' tall, and in the 4' wide range, but the depths are only 12" ($75) or 18" ($80). And, they don't have the corrugated steel shelves.

So, I'd say mine are more valuable (by how much, who knows?), but even if I wanted to buy one to have spare parts, that's not an option (other than uprights and cross beams, I guess). Also, there appear to be different styles of connection points between the various uprights and cross beams...

Having said that, I don't need spare parts, the ones I'm getting are in great shape, and won't be storing anything heavy.

Mike

 

[ctuai]

Well, I wanted to learn more about my photograph of Ulysses S. Grant.



So I pulled off the foil frame from the slate backing, peeled back the corners that held on the inner frame.



Inside, I found the photographers stamp, which was fantastic. Barr & Young were the original photographers of this portrait of Grant (1865), which makes this a carte de viste (CDV) print.



Went to put the backing back on, which I thought was slate, but it wasn't, it's tin because I flipped it over and found this !



He looks ready for a fight. Grant just looks worried and a bit melancholy.

 

[DetailSeeker]

Estate sale ($60): E. Young's Secret Fastened slate tablet (1850's); Griswald no. 8 cast iron pan; Planishing hammer; Daisy business card printing press; 2 - Fire King jadeite fruit bowls; 2 - light bulbs; Picture of U.S Grant; 4 - Pocket door hangers; Set of hex keys; Texaco home lubricant; Purox CW-200 torch and bits; Le John fan.

The slate came with a slate pencil. Darned if the thing actually writes pretty good. Dig the printing press. It didn't come with the metal slugs, so I converted to take rubber stamp slugs. The picture of Grant is interesting. I don't think it's modern as it has, what I think is a slate backer. Fun sale.​

My first publication.

You ****. (Was converting the printing press hard?)

 

[misterbill]

My mom passed away last month and Mother's Day was a hard one this year. I was able to put four dollars back into the economy with a few small finds at an estate sale, though.

A 7" tall Coca-Cola glass of unknown provenance.


A "first generation" Williams S-52 1/2" ratchet (in way worse condition than the first one I found) and a pair of K-D No. 425 "Lamp Bulb" Pliers.


Bill

 

[Smokeshow69]

Well, I wanted to learn more about my photograph of Ulysses S. Grant.



So I pulled off the foil frame from the slate backing, peeled back the corners that held on the inner frame.



Inside, I found the photographers stamp, which was fantastic. Barr & Young were the original photographers of this portrait of Grant (1865), which makes this a carte de viste (CDV) print.



Went to put the backing back on, which I thought was slate, but it wasn't, it's tin because I flipped it over and found this !



He looks ready for a fight. Grant just looks worried and a bit melancholy.

These photos are fantastic finds!

 

[Beerhippie]

Well, I wanted to learn more about my photograph of Ulysses S. Grant.



So I pulled off the foil frame from the slate backing, peeled back the corners that held on the inner frame.



Inside, I found the photographers stamp, which was fantastic. Barr & Young were the original photographers of this portrait of Grant (1865), which makes this a carte de viste (CDV) print.



Went to put the backing back on, which I thought was slate, but it wasn't, it's tin because I flipped it over and found this !



He looks ready for a fight. Grant just looks worried and a bit melancholy.

The sword in the tintype is what was known as a "Pioneer" sword--usually issued to scouts, pickets and telegraph crews for clearing brush and whatever else a sword might be called upon to do.

The revolver in his belt is interesting. I can't make out where the ******* for the caps would be--it may be a metallic cartridge gun. Not unheard of for that time, just not something an average Joe would be carrying.

 

[alinc100]

Two stops today thanks to FBM. Had been watching this machinist tool lot for the past couple of weeks. The item that always catches my eye is 4" combination squares. If anyone comes across 4" combo rules, please contact me. These older heads take a thinner blade than the new replacements. I'd love to do some horse tradin'. I love the size and I love having one in my back pocket when I am in the shop. I had one go missing during a bath remodel so I've kept a steady eye out. Second stop was the SAE and Metric Craftsman USA Full Polish Offset wrenches. Based upon pricing those will be going to the 'bay.

 

[ctuai]

The sword in the tintype is what was known as a "Pioneer" sword--usually issued to scouts, pickets and telegraph crews for clearing brush and whatever else a sword might be called upon to do.

The revolver in his belt is interesting. I can't make out where the ******* for the caps would be--it may be a metallic cartridge gun. Not unheard of for that time, just not something an average Joe would be carrying.

Any thoughts on the musket?

 

[mikeinri]

My mom passed away last month and Mother's Day was a hard one this year. I was able to put four dollars back into the economy with a few small finds at an estate sale, though.

A 7" tall Coca-Cola glass of unknown provenance.


A "first generation" Williams S-52 1/2" ratchet (in way worse condition than the first one I found) and a pair of K-D No. 425 "Lamp Bulb" Pliers.


Bill

Sorry for your loss, Bill.

Cool glass.

Mike

 

[Beerhippie]

Any thoughts on the musket?

No idea on the musket--'though it's obviously cap-and-ball. Now I can see the ******* on the revolver, so it's cap-and-ball, too.

I found the sword!



1832 Foot Artillery Sword--not, as I thought, a Pioneer's sword! Unlike a Pioneer's sword, it's double-edged. Pioneer's swords were single-edge, sometimes with a "sawback".

Model 1832 foot artillery sword - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[zanyad]

FBM pickup after work today, got a bench-mount tilting Workmate, $25. Surprised the jaws are plastic with metal edges. Sadly missing the bench clamps. Sorry for the crappy pictures.

 

[JMP]

Got skunked lately but I went to 3 sales today to make up for it.

Sale #1 - Paid $25 for these Craftsman Professional/Industrial screwdrivers. Neat to have a carrying case for them.

 

[JMP]

Sale #2 - A nice score for sure for good US made tools. Paid $65 for everything.

Craftsman finds:





More screwdrivers: - Nice Irwin wood handle screwdrivers and nice SK finds.



Indestro finds:





Snap On: - The find of the day for me is the 1/4 TM711 ratchet. Besides the rust on the mechanism the chrome looks mint like it was almost never used. Also a couple 9/32 drive tools from the 30's which are now my oldest Snap On tools. The T handle on top dates to 1933.





Neat tack hammer. "GW Mount" brass with steel tips.

 

[JMP]

Sale #3 - Paid $45 for the wrenches and the random hardware. These wrenches were on Marketplace for weeks/months and figure it would be nice to upgrade my larger wrench sizes. Not familiar with the Dayton brand but they seem like nice wrenches.

Anyone happen to know who manufactured these Dayton wrenches?

 

[RTM]

Not familiar with the Dayton brand but they seem like nice wrenches.

House brand at Grainger (hint that they probably walked out of someone's day job). Almost always good quality.

 

[d42jeep]

I think the Dayton wrenches were made by Thorsen.
-Don

 

[JMP]

I think the Dayton wrenches were made by Thorsen.
-Don

My vote now goes to Thorsen

 

[JMP]

House brand at Grainger (hint that they probably walked out of someone's day job). Almost always good quality.

They seem new or very lightly used beyond any surface rust. Maybe knicked/spared from professional use and abuse.

 

[zanyad]

Nice finds, @JMP

 

[gearhead1960]

Hit a sale on Sunday and found a few interesting catalogs.....

 

[gearhead1960]

....a few more pics...



....found this stuff and thought I would take it in to flip? Maybe...



...left the following for someone else...

 

[liliysdad]

Definitely not a “You ****” find, but a fun one regardless.

I made my daily pawn shop stop at lunch yesterday, and spied a hard handle on the case. Ratchets are typically fairly well beat before they find their way to the pawn shop, but this one looks brand new. I’m not convinced it’s ever had a socket on it.

SnapOn SHD80 Dual 80 1/2 with black hard handle. Walked out with it for $125. Not a steal but way more than fair.

 

[ctuai]

You ****. (Was converting the printing press hard?)

Not too bad. I just so happened to have a rubber stamping kit, which I cut down the bed and it fitted nicely into the chase. In the picture the top bed is from the stamp kit. The bottom one is from the original press.

A curious coincidence I was thinking about how to clean the old India ink off the ink plate and remembered that I actually owned a benzene dispenser designed for this specific purpose (brass can in top center). Currently, it's filled with a slightly less toxic ethanol.



Here it is with the chase loaded. Still working on getting it to print all the letters consistently. It's a bit trickier than I anticipated. Gives me a bit more appreciation for my Gutenberg bible

 

[JMP]

Went back to the same sale as yesterday and bought a few more things. Spent $50 there. Impressed with the CAT portable work light. It's a discontinued product but works great, goes up to 1100 lumens and can also function as a USB battery bank to charge devices.



Craftsman:




SK - I got the 1/4 driver yesterday but I had to go back to complete the set.



Misc. scrapers / tools.



Also this 1-3/8" wrench for $10 from a different seller. I guess I am trying to build a Proto set now.

 

[Patrickm82]

Freebie today! Guy at work was cleaning out his tool bucket and asked if I wanted this extension. I said sure and he hands me this snap on SXK3 1/2” drive.
Thank you!

 

[Patrickm82]

Went back to the same sale as yesterday and bought a few more things. Spent $50 there. Impressed with the CAT portable work light. It's a discontinued product but works great, goes up to 1100 lumens and can also function as a USB battery bank to charge devices.



Craftsman:




SK - I got the 1/4 driver yesterday but I had to go back to complete the set.



Misc. scrapers / tools.



Also this 1-3/8" wrench for $10 from a different seller. I guess I am trying to build a Proto set now.

Hell of a weekend JMP! Some nice scores