2021 Garage Sale Thread

[RTM]

Folding Army shovels from WWII are always a good score! Is it Dated ? MFG?

Nothing jumped out at me. Where does one expect to find the markings. I have a pair, and they look identical. Thanks

I love them for precise digging tasks. My brother took my thumbnail 50ish years ago with one in pick mode.

No gauge answers until you put in your pool request.

 

[Provincial]

I had a good day at the Flea. Not that there were more vendors, but the stocking was much better. Many of the booths had little change in inventory, but a couple had restocked, and the pickings were great! One, in particular, was very good, and I got there after it had been picked by some serious collectors!

Photo #1 starts with the 25cents each pieces:
Indestro 3/8 dr. x 6" extension
Proto Professional 1214 7/16 combo
Armstrong Armalloy 1159-A 11/32 combo
Plomb USA 3025 DOE 7/16 x 1/2

The 1/2" tall number stamp set cost me $4.00. I have a 3/8" set, and I thought it was HUGE! This set is GIGANTIC!!!!

After that is a pile I got for $20.00:
0-100 psi tire gauge (it tests out perfectly)
Challenger 1/2 dr. 5/8 8-pt.
Snap-On 1/2 dr. S90260 9/16 6-pt (Ford connecting rod)
Long-C BE 1/2 dr. 19/32 12-pt.
Duro 1/2 dr. 9/16 12-pt. (X2)
Thorsen 1/2 dr. 582 Drag Link socket
Plomb USA 3/8 dr. 5216 1/2 12-pt.
Plomb LA 1/2 dr. 5420 5/8 12-pt.
Plomb USA 1/2 dr. 5422 11/16 12-pt.
Plomb USA 1/2 dr. WF-51 15/16 12-pt
Plomb USA 1/2 dr. 5420-S 5/8 8-pt.
Penens USA 1/2 dr. 1614-S 7/16 8-pt.
Plomb USA 1/2 dr. 5343 5/8 12-pt. deep
Husky 1/2 dr. 1216 1/2 12-pt.
Husky 1/2 dr. 1228 7/8 12-pt.
Husky 1/2 dr. 1230 15/16 12 pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. T-2 Swivel
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-14 7/16 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-18 9/16 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-25 25/32 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-26 13/16 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-30 15/16 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-31 31/32 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-32 1" 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-34 1-1/16 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-36 1-1/8 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. D-40 1-1/4 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. Arrowhead 1-1/4 6-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. 018 9/16 8-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. 020 5/8 8-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. 40220 5/8 8-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. 024 3/4 8-pt.
Next door I found the Craftsman Long-C punch set

Photo #2: Long-C punch set

Photo #3 is the stuff from the "picked-over" booth. All for $25.00:
4# Cross pein hammer
3# hammer with brass faces. "Danco Hammer Company" Danielson MFG.
FS-6 Filter spanner by Leverage Tool Co.
K-D 2078 valve spring compressor
Blue Bird battery terminal puller
Channellock needle nose pliers
Kraeuter 71-8 pliers with strange jaws
Sperry HVH602 Voltage Sensor (cleaned up one face of a battery and it works!)
Unmarked grooving chisel 8-1/4" long
Fire hose wrench
Starrett #18-B automatic center punch (needs a tip)
Walden T2012 21/32 T-socket
Walden T2722 11/16 T-socket
New Britain No. 70 sliding T-handle
SK 41653 1/2 dr. hinge handle (cadmium plated?)
Blackhawk 9207 1/2 dr. hinge handle
Sparta CB-5 3/8 dr. hinge handle
Bonney 2105A connecting rod wrench (Ford Model A)

Photo #4 Continues this batch:
P&C 2832 DOE 15/16 x 1"
P&C 0259 1/4 spinner with Thorsen 5/16 socket
P&C 2714 7/16 combo
P&C 501 stubby screwdriver
P&C 2018 1/2 dr. 9/16 hex Ford connecting rod socket. The "2" is an overstrike.
Plomb USA 3036 DOE 11/16 x 7/8
Plomb USA 1220 5/8 combo
Plomb USA 4769 1/4 spinner
Proto Professional 1214 7/16 combo
Proto Professional 1211 11/32 combo
Proto LA 5241 #2 Phillips 3/8 dr.

Photo #5 continues this batch:
Wizard 1/2 dr. 1/2 and 9/16 12-pt.
Snap-On 1/4 dr. 3/8 deep 6-pt.
Snap-On 3/8 dr. 3/4 deep 12-pt.
SK 3/8 dr. 40416 1/2 swivel 12-pt.
Blackhawk 1/2 dr. 7/16 square Arrowhead USA
New Britain 1/2 dr. 15/16 12-pt.
New Britain 1/2 dr. Chrome Vanadium 1234 1-1/16 12-pt.
Large angle screwdriver (unmarked)
New Britain 1/2 combo
Grind-off (?) #1619 DBE 19/32 x 11/16
Wright 80153 DBE (this is in the Wright Aeronautical number range)
Artisan 3/4 combo
Bon-E-Con DBE 7BSH 2024 5/8 x 3/4
Bon-E-Con DBE ZB12-14 3/8 x 7/16
Wizard H2081 DOE 7/16 x 1/2
Lectrolite Tappet DOE T-1618 1/2 x 9/16
Long-C DOE #1027
Long-C DOE #1033C 15/16 x 1"
Perfect Handle 11-1/2" long. Scales are loose and taped on.
Craftsman 41585
Craftsman 41297 #3 Phillips
Craftsman 41589
Craftsman 41028 Awl
Hold E-Z TR-4 screw starter
SK 70044 small screwdriver
Spintite 1/4
Spintite 1/2
Xcelite HS 18 9/16
Millers Falls tack puller

The seller offered a box to carry all this in. I asked if I could have the box shown in the next two photos, and he agreed. Does anyone recognize this box? It seems to have been silver with a red stripe around the bead on the bottom. The hasp is fixed, and the staple (loop) pushes in to release the hasp. It is made of light gauge metal, and the lid is dimpled for a handle, but was never drilled for the brackets. The box is 18" long, 6" wide, and 6-1/4" high.

That's not all! There is more to come.

 

[Provincial]

I was looking through a steel box on the floor of a booth today. The seller said "I'll make you a deal on the whole box." We agreed on $8.00.

Photo #1 shows the contents after I discarded the junk.
Stanley Torx set in pouch. T15, T20, T25, and T30
DG-10 air blow gun with my type of air fitting
P&C 4515 stud remover missing the wedge
SK 1/2 dr. deep 12-pt.
"CT" 1/2 dr. 3/4 deep 12-pt.
Craftsman G2D 1-1/16 12-pt.
Craftsman G2D 1-1/8 12-pt.
Craftsman G2D 1-3/16 12-pt.
Craftsman G2D 1-1/4 12-pt.
Proto 1/2 dr. 1" 12-pt.
Indestro 1/2 dr. 13/16 12-pt.
Snap-On 1/4 dr. square sockets, 1/4, 9/32, and 5/16
Thorsen sockets, all 1/2 dr. and 12-pt.
No COO: 1", 15/16, 7/8, 13/16, 11/16
USA: 15/16, 11/16
BernZomatic 3/8 dr. extension
AT&T "can wrench" for telephone splice access
PM 5/16 nut driver
Stanley 3/8 nut driver
Chopped 1/2 open end welded to a long shank
P&C "100" P2730 15/16 combo
Husky USA CE2428 DOE 3/4 x 7/8
Craftsman Industrial #2 phillips
Craftsman Industrial 3/16 flat
True Test
Craftsman WF

Photo #2 shows the box, which has original green paint on the handle and the lower interior. The lid is brown inside, and seems original. Anyone recognize this paint scheme? It looks like the box held a circular "Skil" saw.

The JC Penney's drill is a 3/8" with a 1/2" Jacobs chuck, and works great. Variable speed and reversing.

 

[d42jeep]

Nice haul! Your S-K 41653 is chrome plated but unpolished. That handle should respond well to evaporust. A cad plated S-K 17” breaker would not be marked with the logo or part number.
-Don

 

[LesserSon]

Where does one expect to find the markings?

I can just make out “US” at the tip of the yellow arrow. The manufacturer and year should be stamped in smaller letters right below it.
I have a Wood 1945, and Saturday I saw a nice Ames 1945 (hence my guess, assuming synchronicity), in a belt sheath.

 

[gearhead1960]

Might be! There are only characters on the saw blade and handle, no english.
I dont know the difference between Chinese and Japanese characters.
I tried doing an image search and the blade characters came back as "Solid".
I have no idea if that is valid...

Brian

While I'm no expert, I think that is actually Korean..... just my opinion....

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I thought the pertinent question was what GAUGE steel it was made of?

Ironically, just like the jerry can, we appropriated the design for the M-1943 Intrenching Tool from the German army. The M-1910, which was used in WWI, and issued to and used by Army and USMC troops in WWII prior the adoption and manufacture of the M-1943, did not fold. It had a fixed T-handle. We eventually won the war, and we did it with a stronger economy, better technology (including novel triple alloy steel formulas), a better supply chain, air superiority, and multiple fronts, but the most amazing part about the victory was just how woefully outmoded and unprepared we were compared to our adversaries, and how quickly we modernized, even as we were fighting.

I have a 1943 Wood in a 1943 Coglizer Tent and Awning sheath. It does not get used. The best intrenching tools for use, in my opinion, are the M-1951 models with the pick on the back.

 

[3baygarage]

Provincial- cool haul. what a nice Craftsman Vanadium punch set. Plomb spinner handle too? You ****!

 

[tin medic]

Tool sales have been lame so I had to step it up. 1977 BMW R100S that currently looks like this but I am returning it to stock form.



Which looks like this.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Dude, you can go to all the extreme lengths to **** up to the host all you want, you are not eligible to win Picker of the Year again!

 

[tin medic]

[emoji1787]

 

[BlueBomber]

Well, normally I ignore the porcelain ware at yard/estate sales, but if I ever get back to one this year, maybe I'll look a little closer, especially in the fancier parts of town....

https://apnews.com/article/yard-sale-find-porcelain-bowl-worth-500k-6afe3261a5b4b74e9c02a533e0403081

 

[ChefRex]

Tool sales have been lame so I had to step it up. 1977 BMW R100S that currently looks like this but I am returning it to stock form.



Which looks like this.

Please do, looks to have good bones and the stock configuration is ****.

 

[ChefRex]

Well, normally I ignore the porcelain ware at yard/estate sales, but if I ever get back to one this year, maybe I'll look a little closer....

https://apnews.com/article/yard-sale-find-porcelain-bowl-worth-500k-6afe3261a5b4b74e9c02a533e0403081

I think that might be a good return on investment.

 

[bmwrd0]

Tool sales have been lame so I had to step it up. 1977 BMW R100S that currently looks like this but I am returning it to stock form.



Which looks like this.

Nice! Per my handle, I had a '78 R100/7 for many years and many miles. Mine was more of a Cafe bike, with drop bars and 2-into-1 exhaust though.

 

[Smokeshow69]

BMW- nice find on that Blackhawk spinner.

Flea finds this week, had a nice Snap-On and Blue-Point day.

-Snap On SAE ratcheting wrenches to go with my metric set
-Snap On flat blade
-Snap On/Blue Point 18” and 15” adjustables
-small wrenches- S-K combo, Blue Point small open ends, Plomb ignition wrench
-John Deere adjustable
-Easco saw
-Craftsman Pro screwdriver
-ratchets- Proto N-38, Master Mechanic rhft, unmarked 1/2” hex drive that looks like Indestro
-long Pexto pliers
- old Billings and Spencer pliers
-sockets- Mac impact, Craftsman black knurl bands and an 8 pt,3/8 female connector

The craftsman sockets with the bands on them are from the craftsman stainless steel series that was made in the 80's/90's...they are somewhat collectible ? List them on ebay....

 

[d42jeep]

Ironically, just like the jerry can, we appropriated the design for the M-1943 Intrenching Tool from the German army. The M-1910, which was used in WWI, and issued to and used by Army and USMC troops in WWII prior the adoption and manufacture of the M-1943, did not fold. It had a fixed T-handle. We eventually won the war, and we did it with a stronger economy, better technology (including novel triple alloy steel formulas), a better supply chain, air superiority, and multiple fronts, but the most amazing part about the victory was just how woefully outmoded and unprepared we were compared to our adversaries, and how quickly we modernized, even as we were fighting.

I have a 1943 Wood in a 1943 Coglizer Tent and Awning sheath. It does not get used. The best intrenching tools for use, in my opinion, are the M-1951 models with the pick on the back.

Here are some WW2 examples. One I can’t make out due to rust. There are two marked Ames 1944 and one Ames 1945. I also have one of the T-handle examples but I can’t find any dates. The three legible sleeves are dated 1944. The problem with picking them up at every sale is that it’s easy to lose track of how many end up in the back ot the Jeep.
-Don

 

[Smokeshow69]

Ironically, just like the jerry can, we appropriated the design for the M-1943 Intrenching Tool from the German army. The M-1910, which was used in WWI, and issued to and used by Army and USMC troops in WWII prior the adoption and manufacture of the M-1943, did not fold. It had a fixed T-handle. We eventually won the war, and we did it with a stronger economy, better technology (including novel triple alloy steel formulas), a better supply chain, air superiority, and multiple fronts, but the most amazing part about the victory was just how woefully outmoded and unprepared we were compared to our adversaries, and how quickly we modernized, even as we were fighting.

I have a 1943 Wood in a 1943 Coglizer Tent and Awning sheath. It does not get used. The best intrenching tools for use, in my opinion, are the M-1951 models with the pick on the back.

I have my grandfathers T handle from Okinawa... It doesnt get used but my son likes the slightly more modern 1943 for use

 

[Smokeshow69]

Here are some WW2 examples. One I can’t make out due to rust. There are two marked Ames 1944 and one Ames 1945. I also have one of the T-handle examples but I can’t find any dates. The three legible sleeves are dated 1944. The problem with picking them up at every sale is that it’s easy to lose track of how many end up in the back ot the Jeep.
-Don

I cant remember all who made them... I know from helmets that westinghouse and Schleuter made shells along with other contractors, but I never took a deep dive into shovels. Who all made shovels?

 

[seber]

Tool sales have been lame so I had to step it up. 1977 BMW R100S that currently looks like this but I am returning it to stock form.



Which looks like this.

The person who did that to an R100S should have been put away. I let mine go when I got married. Wish I still had it.

 

[cbacres]

Stopped by my favorite scrap yard just to look.

Just about ready to leave and decided to look in one last corner.




There was two of these floats, swivels with 8” wheels and two fixed 10” wheels.

I was prepared today! I had my tool bag.

Here’s the haul. A 167lbs. Of casters.




I somehow managed not to have a 12” adjustable wrench in the bag, I only have about 25 of them in the shop.
The 10” and a pair of vise grips worked on the fixed casters, as they just had a single axle bolt.
The swivels had 3/8” bolts, and I was ready with a correct size socket/ratchet, no blood blisters from needle nose vise grips like last time. Until I got to the second cart, it had very rusted square head bolts and nuts.
I was able to get a 12 point socket on the square. A couple were just not going to cooperate and they knew I didn’t have a fire wrench.
For some reason, I stuck a couple of chisels in my bag, and that did the trick.

I really liked the wheels with the holes in them, I’m planning on using on a mobile vise base.

Right before pulling out, I found one more cart. Of course I flipped it over and left it like a car in Miami, with no wheels.



Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[BlueBomber]

Wow, cb, that's commitment! Any plans for them or do you, like me, gather such things as raw materials for future projects?

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[BlueBomber]

Well, normally I ignore the porcelain ware at yard/estate sales, but if I ever get back to one this year, maybe I'll look a little closer, especially in the fancier parts of town....

https://apnews.com/article/yard-sale-find-porcelain-bowl-worth-500k-6afe3261a5b4b74e9c02a533e0403081

The link in my previous post went dead briefly yesterday. It's working now, but I'm capturing a screen shot of the page here, for posterity.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Stuart in MN]

I cant remember all who made them... I know from helmets that westinghouse and Schleuter made shells along with other contractors, but I never took a deep dive into shovels. Who all made shovels?

The Diamond Calk company in Duluth, MN made some shovels - my brother has one that came from our dad with their name stamped on it.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The problem with picking them up at every sale is that it’s easy to lose track of how many end up in the back of the Jeep.

It's not something I am inclined to want more than one of, but I can understand the appeal. I still check them out at a flea market looking for an unusual name or a 1943 date.

Who all made shovels?

I don't know. Like mess kits or helmets, it's not an item I ever really got into as a collectible. I can tell you that every one I have ever seen was either an Ames (full name Ames Baldwin Wyoming, in WV) or Wood (Ohio). With good reason. Ames made $7,732,000 worth of them, and Wood (Ohio) made $4,072,000 worth of them. That's a **** ton of folding shovels.

The Diamond Calk company in Duluth, MN made some shovels - my brother has one that came from our dad with their name stamped on it.

That's interesting, Stuart. I knew they made pickmattockses. Quite a lot of them. But I didn't know they made trench shovels.

The link in my previous post went dead briefly yesterday. It's working now, but I'm capturing a screen shot of the page here, for posterity.

Wow. Talk about a score. These kinds of stories are always amazing (I confess to being an Antiques Roadshow junkie just to delight in the much smaller payoffs...), but cautionary, too. It's easy to drop thousands of dollars a year on landscapes thinking that one of them is an obscure long lost Hudson River School artist. There is probably a run on worthless white and blue floral porcelain right now.

 

[Harley94]

I checked the two of mine and both are Wood 1944 and 45

 

[qqzj]

It takes real skills to pick a half million bowl from a sea of $35 bowls. If you make any mistake, that's 35 you will never see again.

The link in my previous post went dead briefly yesterday. It's working now, but I'm capturing a screen shot of the page here, for posterity.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[mikeinri]

Stopped by my favorite scrap yard just to look.

Just about ready to leave and decided to look in one last corner.




There was two of these floats, swivels with 8” wheels and two fixed 10” wheels.

I was prepared today! I had my tool bag.

Here’s the haul. A 167lbs. Of casters.




I somehow managed not to have a 12” adjustable wrench in the bag, I only have about 25 of them in the shop.
The 10” and a pair of vise grips worked on the fixed casters, as they just had a single axle bolt.
The swivels had 3/8” bolts, and I was ready with a correct size socket/ratchet, no blood blisters from needle nose vise grips like last time. Until I got to the second cart, it had very rusted square head bolts and nuts.
I was able to get a 12 point socket on the square. A couple were just not going to cooperate and they knew I didn’t have a fire wrench.
For some reason, I stuck a couple of chisels in my bag, and that did the trick.

I really liked the wheels with the holes in them, I’m planning on using on a mobile vise base.

Right before pulling out, I found one more cart. Of course I flipped it over and left it like a car in Miami, with no wheels.

Correction, you left all 3 that way, lol...

I don't have first-hand experience with Miami, but in NYC they don't leave anything but the frame behind. That's a shock to the system the first time you see that on the side of I-95!!!

Nice score and perseverance, BTW!

Mike

 

[Private Lugnutz]

It takes real skills to pick a half million bowl from a sea of $35 bowls. If you make any mistake, that's 35 you will never see again.

'Zackly. And it's the same with comic books, dolls, ironware, old bicycles, etc etc. When you go to the same flea markets over and over again for years and years you start to recognize people by their faces and, even if you don't know their names, by their predilections. While I am temped by other categories, I am smart enough to know I am not smart enough to take chances. Even in the no big windfall categories. I know there's decent steady money to be made on old glass bottles, for instance, just to name a niche that looks interesting to me, but all the nuances in color and shape and name are lost on me. It's like a glass guy looking into a toolbox and wondering which if any of the old monkey wrenches is worth anything.

 

[mikeinri]

It's like a glass guy looking into a toolbox and wondering which if any of the old monkey wrenches is worth anything...

...Or me, going through my Grandfather's basement last year. I'll need to double-check, but there's a pretty good chance that I tossed the contents of a small SK box (with what I assumed were cheap sockets). Pretty sure I kept the box, though.

Lesson learned: I should have brought everything home and checked here for your opinions!

Mike

 

[bmwrd0]

'Zackly. And it's the same with comic books, dolls, ironware, old bicycles, etc etc. When you go to the same flea markets over and over again for years and years you start to recognize people by their faces and, even if you don't know their names, by their predilections. While I am temped by other categories, I am smart enough to know I am not smart enough to take chances. Even in the no big windfall categories. I know there's decent steady money to be made on old glass bottles, for instance, just to name a niche that looks interesting to me, but all the nuances in color and shape and name are lost on me. It's like a glass guy looking into a toolbox and wondering which if any of the old monkey wrenches is worth anything.

To a certain degree, I can do this with books, as I worked in that field professionally for many years, and that was part of my income. But, I basically served a long apprenticeship to learn that trade, and I will still make mistakes. Do people get lucky sometimes? Of course. But people who make their living doing things like this prepare quite well for that luck to come around, and often work to create that luck.

 

[LesserSon]

It takes real skills to pick a half million bowl from a sea of $35 bowls. If you make any mistake, that's 35 you will never see again.

Sometimes, you pick the wrong bowl, you never see anything again!

 

[Provincial]

I just buy what I like, and don't worry about what it will sell for. Often, I pick up stuff to trade, but I'm realistic about its value. Sometimes I buy something because I'm sure it will be scrapped if I don't. I buy it to save it.

I know enough about some items to know they are desirable. I picked up a Griswold frying pan for less than $5.00, but my wife commandeered it and it didn't get "flipped."

 

[RTM]

We should make a pool. I say Ames 1945.

Ames for certain, 194x on the one shown. There is a rust spot over where the last digit should be. Need to do a bit of cleaning to see if the digit survives the cleaning.

My other shovel is definitely an Ames 1945, but painted silver, which kept the rust away. Had that one for a few years, only paid $2 for it.

Had a hard time seeing any markings without a fair amount of twisting and turning. Having a pointer helped, thanks.

 

[3baygarage]

CB- that’s some nice scrap yard picking. I’m surprised none of the carts were worth saving too!

I think you must be right, Smoke. I've perused the Williams catalogs on archive.org and there are none that match the dimensions or the layout of the one I have.

Mrs. Radar & I took our wannabe garage dog to the park on Saturday, followed by lunch at the old Pearl Brewery in downtown S.A. She felt like continuing the outing and agreed to my suggestion of a return to the Pleasanton sale for their 50% off day. From downtown, it was only 20 minutes away.

She didn't find anything that interested her but I did some negotiations with the seller and came away with these two items that were initially priced to stay rooted to the tables--$375 & $25 respectively.

I pointed out that the "antique" Wilton was built in '66, had a non-Wilton swivel lock, a bent handle, a bent endcap and worn, loose jaws. I offered $100 and he wanted $150. We worked our way to $120 & $125 and I said I'd do $125 if he threw in the Craftsman set. He grumbled for a bit but agreed. The sliding T doesn't go with the set, but was part of the deal.

The CM set was in the catalogs from the early 40's to the 1964. This set has all 12pt =v= sockets except the largest, 1-1/8", which is Circle H. Transition year between the two series?

That’s some good negotiatiating!

The craftsman sockets with the bands on them are from the craftsman stainless steel series that was made in the 80's/90's...they are somewhat collectible ? List them on ebay....

Thanks, I do know what they are. I’ll probably sell them in the future after I dig out any others laying around here.

The link in my previous post went dead briefly yesterday. It's working now, but I'm capturing a screen shot of the page here, for posterity.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Swear I picked up that bowl and looked at it recently.

Sometimes, you pick the wrong bowl, you never see anything again!

An old favorite.

 

[BlueBomber]

It takes real skills to pick a half million bowl from a sea of $35 bowls. If you make any mistake, that's 35 you will never see again.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using The Garage Journal mobile app

There is probably a run on worthless white and blue floral porcelain right now.

...as well as a growing number of people suddenly asking big money for their worthless white and blue floral porcelain...

I chalk this one up to being like gambling. If you're playing as an investment plan to get rich, you're not likely to succeed as an amateur. If your spending is entertainment that occasionally pays of bigtime, then responsibly spend away!

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[gpw_42]

... But people who make their living doing things like this prepare quite well for that luck to come around, and often work to create that luck.

THIS is the part that is so easy to overlook. People forget about the other 90% of the iceberg below the surface.

As a relative newcomer (2017, as Lugz and Don can confirm) to haunting sources of vintage tools, it has taken a lot of study and review of the lessons many have posted here and elsewhere. Like BMW mentioned, it's still EASY for me to make a mistake, so I often post my finds on G503 grouped into Good, Bad and Ugly. Thankfully, Lugz made it easy to get a good start on my first GMTK with a stack of items from the Good category...otherwise I'd have probably lost interest out of frustration and the necessarily slow learning process.

 

[mikeinri]

I'll probably never collect military pieces, but am curious about where those shovels came from. Do you think they might have been surplus? Did the Army leave stuff like that overseas, or pay to bring it all back? I'm a little surprised that they let guys bring that stuff home.

Mike

 

[cbacres]

Correction, you left all 3 that way, lol...

I don't have first-hand experience with Miami, but in NYC they don't leave anything but the frame behind. That's a shock to the system the first time you see that on the side of I-95!!!

Nice score and perseverance, BTW!

Mike

Thanks.
I remember seeing frames in Miami too.

One semi trailer leading place lost a bunch of tires and rims off trailers.
The midnight shoppers place glass coke bottles under axles and let the air out of the tires. Evidently it was enough to remove the tires/rims. The manager showed me a Polaroid of it after it happened and I read in news story.

Wow, cb, that's commitment! Any plans for them or do you, like me, gather such things as raw materials for future projects?

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I have a project in mind for some of these but I have been known to grab while I can and place into “inventory”


Thanks Threebay, now you got me thinking I should maybe go back a get one of the wheelless carts.

Honestly, I didn’t really pay attention to two as they were already upside down.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'll probably never collect military pieces, but am curious about where those shovels came from. Do you think they might have been surplus? Did the Army leave stuff like that overseas, or pay to bring it all back? I'm a little surprised that they let guys bring that stuff home.

The probability of these commonly found WWII intrenching shovels being combat veterans is slim to none. Almost certainly surplus that never left the US. And only a small percentage of equipment was shipped back to the US. It was sold for scrap, sold as surplus, left behind (Libya and Okinawa are two prime examples), or, sadly, believe it or not, dumped into the ocean. Millions of tons of equipment was dumped or left behind. Google "WWII Jeep Graveyard" or "WWII Equipment Boneyard." I can count on two hands the number of WWII items I own that have unambiguous provenance for being used in the ETO or PTO. The finds that friends and colleagues in the UK, Netherlands, and Belgium make at boot sales and swap meets have much more provenance.