2026 Garage Sale Thread (15th Annual)

[JMP]

In light of my recent absence I can't even begin to reply to all the suckage here so you all still ****. Local moving sales are really starting to take off in my area so I'll likely have some things to share here. I hit up an early Friday morning sale and picked up a few things and spent $20 there.

The loot:
Stanley #78 duplex rabbet plane. Unfortunately/fortunately I later discovered from listing photos that the original fence (missing attaching rod) for this plane was on a separate table which means that I will need go back to that sale which is a good 30-40 minutes out of my way and in the complete opposite direction from a large tool sale tomorrow morning which is also quite a ways from me.

12" brass drift punch (looks unused)
8" brass drift punch
Bell System stamped tapered peen mini sledge hammer
Klein needle nose pliers (well used but plenty of life left)
Craftsman underline C wrench
4" Williams adjustable wrench
Not pictured I also got a nice hardwood sledgehammer handle and a couple pieces of rebar.

 

[coachwash]

I ended up going back to yestedays sale, to see if I could find any of the nut drivers for that rack. Well, when I got there they had put up a bid 50% OFF sign, which made me grab something I found too expensive yesterday.

Weaver B6 scope in N2 mount, two P&C nut drivers, Xclite nut driver, S&W sight screw driver, and leatherette case. The Weaver was what I passed on yesterday, but today it was priced in my range (and I was surprised it was still there), I never see P&C nut drivers, and those will go to friend who collects that brand, and the S&W will pay for everything. $22.50 out the door.

After that, dog park, and then off to a sale around the corner.

and another great selection of old US made tools! Box for a Craftsman push drill, Herbrand clutch driver and extension, Blue Point BS tappet, misc. sockets (Snap-on, Cornwell, Plomb), MAC line wrench, Cornwell ratchet, Snap-on early driver bit, Cornwell wobble, bushing driver set, unmarked 1/4 socket box, Plomb 3/8 socket box, Stanley spoke shave, and Snap-on igintion wrench leatherette.

I also picked up this box

full of old fishing gear, it has the label of Hinsdale, so no way was I going to pass on it

All of that for $13.

Very nice grab. You ****!

 

[Beerhippie]

....

The third from left looks like a No. 6 or 5. Should say on the knob.

Here's my No. 6 before I made a nice gal's day by selling it to her:

 

[Outlawmws]

Estate sale ($4): Coleman 129 table lamp.

​

Tempted to see if I can't get it going. Got to figure out how to get it pressurized, but a bit of rubber tubing and a bicycle pump might do it. I'm not sure if the wire lamp cage is OEM, but I'll have to keep an eye open for a globe that will fit.​

Those have a separate pump with about a 1" brass tube and a "******" tip that fits against the fill cap which has a close off valve to hold the pressure. it will require a little preheat (often called a "match-light") where you use one wooden kitchen match to preheat the generator, then light the lamp.


Wire cage is likely original as these either used a glass shade or a lamp shade not unlike an electric table lamp - probably missing a support for a glass shield for the mantles (heat and breeze shield)

 

[Beerhippie]

Damned hard to find some of my pic--need to work on that.

Here's an example of the pump to go with your table lamp:



That's actually for a gasoline iron. The real lantern ones are longer. I prefer the shorter one, as it fits nicely in the side pocket of my Carhartts.

 

[d42jeep]

I found three estate sales on Craigslist that we thought we would check out yesterday. The first was in Martinez, CA and was put on by a newer estate sale company. There wasn’t much of interest to see which turned out to be the theme of the day. I’ve found several Rosco drivers recently and was happy to find this longer one that cleaned up well. The wood chisel was branded Baker which was one I wasn’t familiar with. An Xcelite nutdriver, an unmarked hose nozzle and unused file handle completed our small haul. The low prices at the sales yesterday made up for some slight overspending the previous day.
The second sale was a family run sale in Concord and it looked like the house had been being cleaned out for quite awhile. The item I couldn’t resist was the vintage Dixon
pencil sharpener. The gapper is a Kastar, the little center punch a relatIvely modern Mayhew and a tool for removing chucks.
The final sale was another in Concord and once again had very little to offer. A few boxes of staples, a pair of pliers that well could have been left behind and a little unused drill bit.
-Don

 

[bmwrd0]

Don, the tool for removing chucks was made by Cleveland.

 

[firstyearchevelle]

Marketplace find. Oddly this was on MP for about a year. Reasonably priced. Certainly the nicest piece in my ever growing long C collection.

 

[Outlawmws]

Marketplace find. Oddly this was on MP for about a year. Reasonably priced. Certainly the nicest piece in my ever growing long C collection.

You **** for finding an Amber grip!

 

[Smokeshow69]

Marketplace find. Oddly this was on MP for about a year. Reasonably priced. Certainly the nicest piece in my ever growing long C collection.

Very nice find not often seen in that condition! I’m sure the guys on the long c thread would love to see it if you posted it?

 

[Patrickm82]

Awesome piece @firstyearchevelle!

 

[alinc100]

Saw a decent looking ES in the "city" north of me, so me and the little dog went up to the nearest dog park, and then swung over to the sale

A lot of good vintage American iron in the second (!) two car garage, with a corresponding amount of shoppers. But, I persevered, and found an Xcelite nut driver rack, three Indestro polygon wrenches from the '30s, a vial of drill points for push drills, two socket chisels (one marked USN, the other Stanley Handyman), Winchester screwdriver (repurposed tip), and a partial Plomb socket set (all extras are good also). Not too shabby for $10, and I am really excited about the Xcelite rack. I may need to hunt down a full set, and switch out my Proto nut drivers (which are made by Xcelite).

I think I may have found your nut..drivers that is....Was at a sale today, and while I couldn't stop and access GJ I flipped the coin. Will be able to get today's haul out of the truck in about 10 minutes.

 

[ctuai]

The third from left looks like a No. 6 or 5. Should say on the knob.

Here's my No. 6 before I made a nice gal's day by selling it to her:

Thought I saw something like that at the sale I got the Coleman and sure enough went back for the second day of the sale and found this Aladdin no. 12. Got it for a couple of bucks so I might have to throw some money at it to get it going.

 

[alinc100]

In reverse order. This was stop #2 of the day stop #1 was some trading/cash swapping to be inventoried a bit later. #2 was 3rd day of a sale on the east side( of course stop #1 was far,far west side)
Craftsman 6520 Hip Roof box/no tray, to looks like it was only in the 1952 catalog in this configuration.
Xcelite DeLux nutdrivers 3/16",7/32",1/4",9/32",5/16",2@3/8"
Craftsman crowntop wood chisel
Magna 7 piece Metric Nutdriver set with vinyl pouch 5mm-10mm
Channelock 426G hex key set in vinyl pouch.

 

[four.cycle]

Aladdin no. 12. Got it for a couple of bucks so I might have to throw some money at it to get it going.

I was quoted "About $25, maybe more," for the mantles.
Risers, galleries, and wicks are more difficult to find, if you can find them at all.

 

[d42jeep]

In reverse order. This was stop #2 of the day stop #1 was some trading/cash swapping to be inventoried a bit later. #2 was 3rd day of a sale on the east side( of course stop #1 was far,far west side)
Craftsman 6520 Hip Roof box/no tray, to looks like it was only in the 1952 catalog in this configuration.
Xcelite DeLux nutdrivers 3/16",7/32",1/4",9/32",5/16",2@3/8"
Craftsman crowntop wood chisel
Magna 7 piece Metric Nutdriver set with vinyl pouch 5mm-10mm
Channelock 426G hex key set in vinyl pouch.

You **** on the early Xcelite drivers. Nice shape too!
-Don

 

[1Bad55Chevy]

You **** for finding an Amber grip!

What's the deal with the amber grip?

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

No great looking sales in my area. Got skunked at a couple cleverly disguised ongoing sales. I did find this case at a new home neighborhood. It’s not a pelican but very heavy duty and appears to be water tight. $10. It’ll find a good use soon.

 

[ctuai]

I was quoted "About $25, maybe more," for the mantles.
Risers, galleries, and wicks are more difficult to find, if you can find them at all.

and another $25 for the chimney. Wick and flame spreader look good so don't need those. Curiosity is an expensive hobby

 

[Outlawmws]

What's the deal with the amber grip?

AFAIK they only appear in the 1942 catalog, and WWI ended that offering. It never came back. (well comfort grips and such, but a decade or more later? And not nearly as cool)

 

[Outlawmws]

and another $25 for the chimney. Wick and flame spreader look good so don't need those. Curiosity is an expensive hobby

Just a heads up: use good quality kero or lamp oils with no additives, and BE THERE until you learn the nuances. Turn it up too high and it will smoke and carbon up the mantle. You can successfully burn that off with patience, but better not to need to do so.

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice looking case Mr. W!

 

[Beerhippie]

Thought I saw something like that at the sale I got the Coleman and sure enough went back for the second day of the sale and found this Aladdin no. 12. Got it for a couple of bucks so I might have to throw some money at it to get it going.

Ni

The center-draft lamps are much better than today's side-draft (model B and later)--and look so much classier!

I was quoted "About $25, maybe more," for the mantles.
Risers, galleries, and wicks are more difficult to find, if you can find them at all.

Modern production mantles, unfortunately, are ****. This goes back for at least a decade. They'll often crack on the first firing, and always on the first good bump. If you can find some NOS from a few decades back, that's your best bet.

As Outlaw mentions above, you never turn your back on a lit Aladdin. As the lamp warms up, you need to turn the wick down. If it does overburn, it will fill the mantle and chimney with soot--and then a fountain of flame starts to issue from the top of the chimney. I very nearly burned a shack down once when I stepped outside to answer the call of nature. I couldn't have been gone three minutes ( I was much younger then), and the flames were already licking the 8' ceiling.

BTW: This is a great place for everything oil lantern: https://www.milesstair.com/

 

[Outlawmws]

Another decent day and slightly over 1/2 what I spent yesterday:

Made 3 stops and one worked for me for a StreamLight for $3. and my youngest got some sewing stuff and a silk scarf for $5. The StreamLight had very dead original batteries in it so I suspect "used once" - 2 new CR123's and away we go!



Came home; found a late listing not far away and went to that estate sale. Glad I did!

First find was a newer (but still at least 20 years old) Coleman oven. I really don't need another oven, but it had two racks and was $5 so yep, it came home.





The rest I got for $20, - not a buck a tool, but some good ones-

Cool old oil can, A 14" Masterench pipe wrench, and a Plvmb combo:



Light weight digging pic. handy for camping.



And my favorite style of hatchet a Plumb RH Hewing hatchet - It's edge needs touched up; I suspect it was banged into other tools...

 

[Patrickm82]

My $20 box last night turned out pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised.

Craftsman RHFT flex head 3/8” ratchet
Craftsman =V= doe wrench sets SAE and some metric
Craftsman dbe =V=
Kobalt USA polished
Malco and craftsman hex keys
Irwin bell system screwdriver
Sears Japan adjustable
And some random junk

 

[Patrickm82]

Part 1

Pretty good day today I had 4 stops planned. It started out slow but I was happy by the end of it. First up was a blue point extractor set for $1. 1 missing.


Next up was another yard sale. $10 got me;
Klein pouch
Milwaukee 4 way Torx bit driver
1” Bonney
Craftsman metric doe
Penens 3/8
Not pictured a 15 amp plug with the USB charging ports



Another $10 stop I hit a mother load of orange craftsman. Screwdrivers, an awl, Torx, and a 4 piece plier set. Also a tiny vise, Chinese but cute as a button. Another 3/8 flex head with the hour glass selector.

 

[Patrickm82]

Part 2

Last stop was an estate sale of a former mechanic. Lots of good stuff. $140 spent bit worth it

Snap on 1/2” drive SAE sockets 6 point
Brand new snap on 32oz dead blow hammer
Snap on 3/8 flex head ratchet
Snap on 17 mm wrench
Armstrong 23mm wrench
Craftsman USA 3 drawer mid box
Craftsman 1/4” Flying V selector ratchet
Craftsman professional 17mm wrench
Craftsman =V= combo wrench’s with the slim necks
Craftsman Long C deep offset Dbe wrench’s
Proto ignition set
Knipex alligator pliers


Lots of sorting and organizing needs to be done in my garage it’s a mess!! And there’s still tomorrow .

 

[bmwrd0]

I made a list of three sales I wanted to hit this AM and headed out. First was the sale I hit yesterday, to see what was left. It had been picked over pretty hard inbetween my stops, but some treasures were still to be had

Small rawhide mallet, bit-brace reamer, empty tin of Pennzoil door ease, Blue Point inspection mirror, screw gauge, drill index, Xcelite nut driver stand, wrenches (Snap-on, Milwaukee tool and forge), Kraeuter ignition pliers, electrical connectors, Truth thingy, Thorsen socket, along with

this full-grained cowhide camera case (to be repurposed as a range bag).

The second stop was a family run sale, with all my dislikes of those. The CL ad showed a garage with a five drawer Pressteel mid box, which was what I was after. I made a beeline for it, checked the drawers, which opened buttery smooth, and saw it was filled with tools, which all the other boxes shown and still there were too. I started to make my way to find a price for it, and some guy starts yelling "That is not for sale. None of the tools are for sale". Which happens far too often at family run sales. So, I got in my truck and headed off, as everything else they were selling was trash, literally. This is the ad, by the way. You can see what I mean https://salem.craigslist.org/gms/d/salem-hello-everyone-starting-another/7929234674.html


So, after that, I stopped at the local Restore, where I found two screw starters, and an Orchard Park Xcelite (shown above). After that, I checked out a couple more sales, found nothing of interest, and headed home.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Part 1

Pretty good day today I had 4 stops planned. It started out slow but I was happy by the end of it. First up was a blue point extractor set for $1. 1 missing.


Next up was another yard sale. $10 got me;
Klein pouch
Milwaukee 4 way Torx bit driver
1” Bonney
Craftsman metric doe
Penens 3/8
Not pictured a 15 amp plug with the USB charging ports



Another $10 stop I hit a mother load of orange craftsman. Screwdrivers, an awl, Torx, and a 4 piece plier set. Also a tiny vise, Chinese but qute as a button. Another 3/8 flex head with the hour glass selector.

You suuuuck!

 

[alinc100]

The details from stop#1 photographed and inventoried. This was delayed by dinner and an interruption from stop #3. First pic is preview of stop #3.I almost blew my back out picking up the tote.
Stop #1

All Craftsman
Sockets
1/4” drive
4mm,7/32”,3/8”-v- 6 pt shallow
9mm -EE- 6pt shallow
9/32”,5/16”,7/16” -invG- 6pt shallow
3/8” -G- 12 pt shallow
8mm -invG- 6pt deep
8mm,9mm,3/8” -G- 6pt deep
11/32” -v- 6pt deep

3/8” drive
9,12,13,14mm -v- 6 pt shallow
3/8”,3/4” -v- 12 pt shallow
14mm -invG- 6 pt shallow
13,15mm -invG- 12 pt shallow
13mm -EE- 12 pt shallow
11,12,13,2@16,17,18mm,13/16” -G- 12 pt shallow
7/16”-invG2- 12 pt shallow
3/8”-9/16”,5/8”sp,11/16”,7/8” -G- 6 pt deep
5/8” easy read(not) 6pt deep
13mm,13/16”sp -invG- 6 pt deep
13mm,13/16”sp -v- 6 pt deep
3/8”-11/16” -G- 12 pt deep

1/2” drive
17,18,19mm -invG2-6 pt shallow
5/8” -v 12 pt shallow
21/32”,19,2@21mm -G- 12pt shallow
13/16”-EE-12pt shallow
9/16” -G- 12pt deep
13/16”-v- 12 pt deep

Wrenches
All 6 point combination
2@ 1/4”, 2@5/16”,2@3/8”,2@7/16”,2@1/2”,2@9/16”,2@5/8”,2@11/16”,2@3/4”,13/16”,7/8”,13,14,16mm

 

[JMP]

My $20 box last night turned out pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised.

Craftsman RHFT flex head 3/8” ratchet
Craftsman =V= doe wrench sets SAE and some metric
Craftsman dbe =V=
Kobalt USA polished
Malco and craftsman hex keys
Irwin bell system screwdriver
Sears Japan adjustable
And some random junk

Great buy for the money. Box alone is worth it. Those Kobalt USA wrenches are scarce and I've heard they were made by Snap On. I found one and now I keep my eyes open for them, especially the 6 point wrenches which I look for in general.

 

[Patrickm82]

Great buy for the money. Box alone is worth it. Those Kobalt USA wrenches are scarce and I've heard they were made by Snap On. I found one and now I keep my eyes open for them, especially the 6 point wrenches which I look for in general.

I got a set (missing 5/8) of the 6 point Kobalt usa earlier this year. They have the satin finish on them not the full polish. Still pretty nice

 

[coachwash]

Thought I might get shut out today, we stopped at a couple of garage sales found nothing. We then went to an estate sale, they were very proud of the tools that they had, nothing great, I was not interested at those prices. Lastly we drove over to the county trade days. There were only a couple of tool guys, I picked up these Long C Craftsman Valadium CI offset box wrenches. Paid $10 for the pair.

 

[JMP]

Today was crazy. This morning I headed over to the big tool sale which did not disappoint. When I arrived I pulled in along with 5 other vehicles at the same time and a mad dash soon commenced with wrenches clanging everywhere. Almost nothing was priced so just make a pile and go. With what I got along with the rest of the morning rush cleanout we hardly made a dent there was so much. I really am tempted to go back for day 2. The seller was more than fair with the pricing. I paid a total of $160 including a few things not pictured. All together it's a bit much for me to fully inventory.

 

[JMP]

Sale #2 today I went all the way back to the Friday sale and picked up the matching fence for this plane I bought! They gave it to me for free along with a small bunch of copper wire. Pretty sure I can dig up some scrap metal rod and thread it so that the fence can be attached. Afterwards I went to trail cleanup / trash pickup volunteer event for a couple hours and got free pizza and beer afterwards.



Also some bonus pictures from today:

 

[alinc100]

Sale #2 today I went all the way back to the Friday sale and picked up the matching fence for this plane I bought! They gave it to me for free along with a small bunch of copper wire. Pretty sure I can dig up some scrap metal rod and thread it so that the fence can be attached. Afterwards I went to trail cleanup / trash pickup volunteer event for a couple hours and got free pizza and beer afterwards.



Also some bonus pictures from today:

Just be painfully aware Stanley did not use standard threads on anything. It's very likely you'll have to re-tap the body of the plane if you DIY the guide rod.

 

[r_olson_06]

Sale #2 today I went all the way back to the Friday sale and picked up the matching fence for this plane I bought! They gave it to me for free along with a small bunch of copper wire. Pretty sure I can dig up some scrap metal rod and thread it so that the fence can be attached. Afterwards I went to trail cleanup / trash pickup volunteer event for a couple hours and got free pizza and beer afterwards.



Also some bonus pictures from today:

A wild J-9! That deserves a You ****!

 

[RTM]

No great looking sales in my area. Got skunked at a couple cleverly disguised ongoing sales. I did find this case at a new home neighborhood. It’s not a pelican but very heavy duty and appears to be water tight. $10. It’ll find a good use soon.

You know that's a watch case, correct? I saw a pile at a garage sale, and asked the seller if they were truly waterproof, he did not know. I would test them before testing with anything valuable, just bring a coward about that.

Even my 2nd hand Pelikan boxes will be checked before anything valuable goes in.

 

[Beerhippie]

You know that's a watch case, correct? I saw a pile at a garage sale, and asked the seller if they were truly waterproof, he did not know. I would test them before testing with anything valuable, just bring a coward about that.

Even my 2nd hand Pelikan boxes will be checked before anything valuable goes in.

Remember the Pelican magazine ads where they showed boats towing strings of Pelican cases? Using Pelican cases as boats? Pelican got their asses sued off for that when professional photgs found out about the pressure valves leaking. Easy to fit a few $Ks of pro camera gear in a large Pelican case.

That was when there were magazines....

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

You know that's a watch case, correct? I saw a pile at a garage sale, and asked the seller if they were truly waterproof, he did not know. I would test them before testing with anything valuable, just bring a coward about that.

Even my 2nd hand Pelikan boxes will be checked before anything valuable goes in.

I put it in a tub of water and held it under as long as I cared to. It did not leak. Yes, I know it’s a watch case. I don’t need it to be waterproof I was more impressed with how thick the walls were. I have several pelican cases and this is only slightly less sturdy.