2026 Garage Sale Thread (15th Annual)

[JMP]

Went back to the big sale from a few weeks back. I contacted them and they decided to do a pop up sale for a couple hours. Still surprising after stop #3 that I continue to find things I hadn't noticed before and even after all the picking they still have a lot of good stuff left for another couple sales.

I didn't have a 24", the Craftsman was too pretty to leave behind, didn't have a large pipe cutter (should have grabbed one of the nice nos ones earlier but they were gone).





Another Ampco non-sparking screwdriver! Also Indestro Super clutch driver, Mac wood handle stubby, Vaco mini nut driver


Regrettably the plastic base of this Craftsman precision screwdriver kit had broke as I forgot that I had left it in my bucket with tools on the car ride home. I have the broken bit so hopefully have some glue handy.



Crescent duck bills (I always pick up duck bills when I come across them), vise grips, 10" and 8" Diamond, Chromavan stickleback, Wiss WHN1 hand notcher.


Indestro, Proto, SK, Williams


Wright, Gray Canada, Wilde 12pt metric, Bonney, SK, Sunex, Proto, couple nice 3/4" drive Craftsman sockets

 

[Patrickm82]

Damn!! @JMP hell of a haul from that place.

 

[Outlawmws]

Damn!! @JMP hell of a haul from that place.

Ditto!

 

[Vinny]

Don't usually come to this thread but I'm real proud of how this worked out.
Found on local FBMP someone selling an Allegro A-750, a pump used in conjunction with a fresh air mask, for $100. These usually retail in the $1200 range. The pump itself looked brand new, like it was never used, but they mentioned it didn't work.
I took the chance and met up with the guy, and saw that the switch on the plug was broken. I figured that was all that was broken, so I bought it and tested it with another plug and it worked. I tore the whole thing apart and it was clean; even the veins were barely worn.
I lucked out further, and found a new original replacement plug for $20 on eBay. I went ahead and bought new filters off Zoro, and for grins, all new piping because brass looks better than galvanized steel.
So out the door, with all add ons, got a brand new pump for $200!

 

[3baygarage]

My regular Habitat stop wasn't the most fruitful today. I did find this Mephisto #1 Phillips screwdriver in good usable shape. There were probably a dozen or more amber handles in the bin but this was the only Mephisto.

 

[JMP]

My regular Habitat stop wasn't the most fruitful today. I did find this Mephisto #1 Phillips screwdriver in good usable shape. There were probably a dozen or more amber handles in the bin but this was the only Mephisto.

I hadn't heard of them. Must be pretty uncommon I would think.

 

[3baygarage]

I hadn't heard of them. Must be pretty uncommon I would think.

They seem to have sold more pliers and other items from what I've seen over the years. Their share of the screwdriver market had to be pretty slim.

 

[LesserSon]

1973 Mephisto catalog

 

[alinc100]

One estate sale yesterday along with 2 socket sets a co-worker picked up at a garage sale a few weeks back, knowing I buy/sell tools he shot a picture from across the room "do you want these sockets?" I replied "if they aren't too much money" ended up at $10. The Indestros will be made whole and sold, the cheap Japan set I would have skipped in person ,but I pair it with a similar ratchet and sell it cheap and quick. I think the steal/find of my day was the vise, you could say the estate sale was a TOO because I had to switch shifts to afternoons for a few weeks and it gave me time to actually hit this sale before work. The NFS Craftsman toolbox was pristine , but relatively empty when I got there.

Estate Sale 05/20/26

Billings Life-Time 15/16” x 1” offset dbe
Tru-Fit 7/8” x 15/16” offset dbe
Chrome-Vanadium -Made in W.Germany 3/8” x 7/16”,1/2” x 9/16” offset dbe
Indestro(?) 1/2” x 9/16” ,3/4” x 25/32” dbe
Lectrolite 1/4” x 5/16” doe
Craftsman 1/2” combo pointy A
Williams superrench 5/8” x 25/32” doe
Williams 8” superjustable
Crescent 6” adjustable
Oxwall flex 1/4” driver
Starrett Micrometer No.210A (empty ) box
Meggeson Glycerine Lemon & Honey Pastilles tin full of taps
Snap On SW-211 1/2” dr 11/16” 12 pt shallow 1956 date code
Craftsman 3/8” drive 13/16” spark plug socket =v=
Standard Bond Box with keys
Craftsman bench mount woodworking vise ,new in box
Indestro Super 1/2” dr 12 pt shallow ,90%
Junker 3/8” Metric Japan Socket set

 

[alinc100]

This afternoon I managed to get to another sale. Found this Craftsman cabinet on the wall.

 

[WisJim]

Nothing at garage sales today--around here people start them on Thursdays if not on Wednesday--so we went to a bunch with nothing to show for our time except a 25cent copy of The Civil War in Pictures by American Heritage magazine.
BUT I did win a local online auction for a Phase II 250-101 tool post set with the regular 5 tool holders, all still sealed in original packaging, and the piston type tool post and a 201 size tool holder for carbide bits that had seen some use. I would have preferred a wedge type tool post I suppose, but this was an auction and I was very happy for less than $77 including all the auction fees and tax. And I can put it to use right away.

 

[LesserSon]

I cleaned up a recent flea purchase - drop leaf table supports. They appear identical to Pleukharp’s 20Apr1886 patent, except the patent drawing shows the brackets (on far right of my photo) coming to a point, and these are square. But they clearly say “pat’d 1876.” I’m saying this is a one-digit pattern-maker error, because I’m NOT going to wade through the entire year of 1876 looking for a match. The class for desks and tables is 108/80, if someone else wants to take a stab at it.
James Pleukharp of Columbus OH, held several patents for various components of tables, and I think I’ve owned two or three that his company produced. I’m not sure, because I’m basing that on seeing the identical mechanism, but my grandfather had a habit of transfering hardware from one piece of furniture to another. My sister has a corner cupboard and I have a dry sink from our grandmother’s kitchen, and you can see from the shadows and screw holes that the latches were swapped from one to the other.

 

[Patrickm82]

Took the day off today to extend the long weekend and got to hit a few Friday sales. 3 stops and only 1 produced. Here’s what I got for $3

Plomb 1427 body hammer
Stanley hurwood no.20 driver
Quick Wedge screw starter like new

 

[Outlawmws]

Nice! Even the original handle on the Plomb 1427!

 

[alinc100]

The other items from the sale with the wall cabinet and a 2nd stop today:
Craftsman Nutdriver set
Craftsman stubby nutdrivers 3/8”,7/16”
Lufkin 12” combination square blade -16R grad
Craftsman Phillips and regular screwdrivers
Easco 8mm combo wrench
Craftsman 12 x 14mm,11/16” x 13/16” doe
Craftsman 5/8”,7/8” combo
Craftsman 3/8” x 7/16”,19/32” x 11/16”,3/4” x 7/8” ,1-1/16” x 1-1/8” doe
Craftsman 1/2” dr 7/8” 6 pt deep
Craftsman 1/2” dr 1-1/4” 12 pt shallow =v=
Indestro super 1/2” dr 1224 3/4” 12 pt shallow

 

[Patrickm82]

Too bad there weren’t more of the stubbies @alinc100 I have never seen craftsman ones before!

 

[alinc100]

Too bad there weren’t more of the stubbies @alinc100 I have never seen craftsman ones before!

I have a set for sale on my FBMP. https://www.facebook.com/share/1BFN1VUCYM/
and there are several sets on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nk...sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p4624852.m570.l1313

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Had a pretty Good Friday. Landed a Yamaha 7.1 receiver for $10, 1” mini jewelers vise for $4, a couple free lanterns with a guillotine Coleman case for free, and a very nice mountain hardware jacket for $1.

 

[Outlawmws]

guillotine Coleman case for free

You **** for that guillotine case alone!

What is the box thing to the right in that pic?

 

[ctuai]

Estate sale ($45): Crosman 760 (1977-80); Homestrand Mariner stove 205-32A; Indestro 824 riveting tool; Folbot kayak paddles (Charlotte, SC); Millers Falls no. 161-A vise; Black and Decker Workmate 79-001 Type 8; Rope.

Got to dig into the alcohol stove as one of the burners is leaking.​

 

[Beerhippie]

You **** for that guillotine case alone!

What is the box thing to the right in that pic?

While I second the ****, I also want to know. Inquiring minds and all that.

 

[Beerhippie]

Got to dig into the alcohol stove as one of the burners is leaking.

One thing to keep in mind with marine alcohol stoves: The flame is almost entirely invisible in direct sunlight. Burned myself more than once due to that.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

It’s some kind of stove.

 

[alinc100]

Late evening pick up just now off FBMP. Didn't look that big but I bet its 80 pounds or so.

 

[Outlawmws]

It’s some kind of stove.

I suspect a Denatured alcohol or prop stove but without details, hard tot tell.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Picked these up at the restore yesterday. Sadly I found out that my favorite cashier passed away last week

 

[Provincial]

I made an unscheduled stop at a TOO last Saturday on my way to do some weed spraying on a remote property. A garage sale with nothing interesting. I did look closer at a coffee cup full of cheap screwdrivers when I spotted a wooden handle. A brass ferrule made me look closer. For 50 cents, it was a Winchester!

 

[mikeinri]

Had a pretty Good Friday. Landed a Yamaha 7.1 receiver for $10, 1” mini jewelers vise for $4, a couple free lanterns with a guillotine Coleman case for free, and a very nice mountain hardware jacket for $1.

Estate sale ($45): Crosman 760 (1977-80); Homestrand Mariner 205-32A; Indestro 824 riveting tool; Folbot kayak paddles (Charlotte, SC); Millers Falls no. 161-A vise; Black and Decker Workmate 79-001 Type 8; Rope.

Got to dig into the alcohol stove as one of the burners is leaking.​

You two absolutely ****!!!

Mike

 

[mikeinri]

Round 1, as promised. Teaser pics for now...



Big shout-out to our younger son (15) for helping me get all of this out and loaded. Took me an hour to sort, another 90 minutes to load and tie down. Lots of stuff spead across two buildings.

Round 2 tomorrow, and I'll bring the trailer Monday just in case.

Mike

Round 2, as promised. More teaser pics...



That's a 6-inch, no-name Chineseum vise. Only took it because it's MUCH bigger than anything I own, which are all antique family heirlooms.

Worked alone this time, spent around 3 hours sorting and organizing, then another hour loading. I don't mind working in the dark, but could have done without the rain that started as soon as I began loading...

More to come tomorrow!

Mike

Round 3 today:



Total FREEBIE haul (so far):

Several stainless steel tables, two stainless carts, a couple of other carts, a bunch of Metro wire storage racks, two steel bookshelves, an all-plastic (Rubbermaid) storage cabinet, a flammables cabinet, two small ladders, a step stool, several heavy-duty plastic pallets, and some building supplies (unistrut, plastic pipe: both of various sizes). Plus the 6-inch vise (in the truck).

Most valuable item (to me) is a lift table (woo hoo!) that needs new casters and a paint job, but lifts and lowers, and doesn't appear to leak!

There may be a few more items available later. I missed out on a few things that I really wanted (they relocated some stuff, and auctioned a lot of others), but this is pretty good.

Mike

Round 4 today...



Pallet racks (3 vertical, so 2 bays), will need to cut them down to fit in the basement. These were sold at auction as part of a bigger package, but the buyer ran out of room in his truck. WIN FOR ME!!!

More miscellaneous building supplies and some pallets (that are probably best as bonfire wood).

Mike

Round 5 today...



Three more Metro racks (one tall one with wheels), an old 8-foot Werner fiberglass stepladder, and a bin full of Liquid-Tight conduit (2 different diameters, I just grabbed it without really looking, I'll have to follow up with ID and length).

The building is pretty empty now. I have 3 more Metro racks and a stainless cart with my name on them for the next trip.

Beyond that, we have a buyer coming to look at a bunch of leftover stuff. Whatever he doesn't take will be up for grabs, or destined for a dumpster.

Mike

Round 6 (early last week, but I forgot to post):



Three more Metro racks, some unistrut, some plexiglass (still wrapped), a thick (3/4" or more) piece of HDPE, and a lightweight cart.

I didn't take the last stainless cart, because it was still in use. I think I'm done, because my coworker made it sound like everything else has been sold.

Mike

 

[3jakes]

Dollar days....
Yard sale Mitutoyo caliper had a $1.00 price tag but was dead. Bought some LR44 batteries on ebay for $4. delivered
Works like a champ.
Klein coax compression crimp. $1.00
Church rummage sale had this 12lb York Roundhead USA stamp, priced at $2.00 (but it was half price day)

 

[Marsim]

This was a fun one for a change. A hoarder in his 90s passed away. The 1950's toy boat is pretty cool. All in for $60. They are opening up some Storage sheds tomorrow, and I'll be there.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Went to a decent sized estate sale today, was #26 in line. Found these for $8 total. Will have to look up Erie, not sure I have any of their stuff.

 

[Patrickm82]

Pretty good day picking today. I had three stops planned and 2 of them had some goods. First stop was a neighbor hood sale with only 2 houses selling. The guy had 3 buckets of tools for $25 a piece. I asked if I could mix and match and make my own bucket he said sure. One was half full of sockets and after a little digging I spotted a couple snap on I chose that one to fill up. After paying for the bucket he asked if I needed any taps. I took a look at what he had and I grabbed the snap on metric set for $10.
Here’s all the stuff I filled the bucket up with.

Craftsman:
BE ratchet
Professional 3/4 wrench
A few vanadium long C
Pistol grip jab saw
1/4 spinner handle
Reed prince phillips
Metric midget wrench set
Punch and chisel
Metric 6 point deeps
Metric 12 point

Snap on:
17 mm combo crusty as hell
Double box
Few random sockets
3/8 extension
Matco double box
Impact 1/2-3/8 adapter

Misc:
2 Irwin bolt extractors
3/4 silver deming bit
2 SK line wrenches
Proto LA swivel 1/2”
Blackhawk 1/4 breaker with socket

**** ton of craftsman and SK sockets already for sale on market place. Should be able to get all my money back from the sale.





Next stop didn’t have much but junky chisels and an expensive snap on cantilever box that wouldn’t move. But on a bench in the back of the garage was this vise. At first the woman said it was going with the house. I asked if they would take an offer and she said sure. I offered $75 for this beauty a Prentiss 2-1/2 swivel jaw and stationary base. Pretty pissed someone took the jaws and pin off and did who knows what with them. I looked around but couldn’t find them. I’ll have to make some new parts but no biggie.

Few more pictures in the next post hit my limit.

 

[Patrickm82]

Part 2 pics

 

[RTM]

T

I swear I had that telescope on the right as a kid (I'm not 90). Beware, the tripod mount, and the lens ring to body threads, are all very weak. Not a good match for a 12 year old.

 

[Outlawmws]

Slowish day, probably due to the 3 day W/E:
A free sale and picked up a stack of short square buckets, 4 jumpers, Umbrella in great shape (for the T-van), Long bracket (material), rafter hook (Tire?), 2 big Tire chocks, can of Bic lighters (all but one worked, I figured a lifetime supply of flints otherwise), 2 Glider kit set w/book, a phone charger, 20 odd loupe magnifiers (Baggie), and a stubby driver







Second stop nada, third stop some free, some not - Free:

Table top ironing board, (for my youngest daughter, she's hot and heavy into cos-play costumes now) and some votive candles:




And 10 for the Mitutoyo calipers, and Blackhawk tubing wrenches:




and another $15 for the aluminum hitch mount cargo rack - needs 2 bolts and a hitch pin:

 

[mikeinri]

Nice haul, @Outlawmws!

Mike

 

[Tarantula]

Swung by a garage sale but the tools had all been rehomed. Instead I found these fantastic critters.
I think this a-maize-ing seahorse will hold my favorite pen rather than a bundle of toothpicks.

Wrapped up the trip with a stop at the nearby Habitat for Humanity ReStore and pulled some wrenches from the piles. They needed a little cleanup.

 

[Outlawmws]

I found these fantastic critters.

Careful! that snail will likely eat the corn right off that seahorse!

 

[INSP380]

Ok, not quite a GS find…. But I thought I’d share it here any way. Got a new QC mgr at work and they wanted to clean house. They were buying new and most of these were still in calibration and not due to check till 27. I missed the first load by dumb luck, but scored the second load on Thursday. Only stipulation / cost was it had to leave the shop ASAP. There should be more after the weekend, height gauges and such….So far everything has checked out fine, been using my gage blocks all around the dial. Right place at the right time…

Steve