Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
So, I got up early, fed the cats, and got dressed and took a ride, a nice scenic one on Georgia and Alabama backroads going up to Gadsden, Alabama, where the southern end of the "Worlds Longest Yard Sale" officially known as the "127Sale", is located. It was kinda crazy and was just yard after yard of, as you would expect, "junk". The typical clothes and glassware and household stuff. I drive a couple of miles past alot of this stuff till I got stopped in traffic and suddenly a guy pulled out from where he was parked and I though, "why not?" so I pulled over into the spot and started walking.
About a block away on the opposite side of the road was a man with guy stuff, tools, gas welding rigs and what have you. He had four Adjustable brand C clamps. All had a light dusting of rust on them, none of this built up flaky rust, just a light dust. They looked unused, not bent or damaged in any way. I got a 8 inch, two 6 inch and one 4 inch for $20, and two new anchor clevises for $6.
A little further up I stopped because I saw lots of signs, real old signs, and lots of iron. The guy with the signs had everything you could imagine, and the guy with the "iron" was, I thought, a little unusual. He had what was probably 50 ft of table stacked up, or heaped up with dutch ovens, iron frying pans and other iron cookware, all old, well used stuff, cooked on grease and build up from years of use. He must have spent years going to estate sales to acquire this much stuff. Apparently he liked iron. He had wagon wheels, plows, anvils (had a $450 price on one of those in the pic of the anvils in the trailer) He is the guy to the left with the beard. I heard him remark to the other man (potential buyer) "I just LOVE these old anvils!" I lusted over the hit miss engine (it was a large one) but didn't ask the price, if an anvil was $450, no telling what a engine would have been.
Well I drove and looked and drove and looked, and passed up lots of stuff. You don't want to stop for a single yard of stuff, you want the places where they rented out spaces and you have dozens of people selling in one spot. As it was I only traveled about 30 miles on the sale route. I did stop at a Volunteer Fire Station that was advertising "air conditioning, clean restrooms, good food" and they were nice. Great fund raiser for them. Had a couple of dogs and chips and a drink and cooled off and was on my way.
Finally got to a major highway intersection where three corners were all flea dealers of some sort or another, big dealers. Found a guy who had lots of tools and stuff. He had one of these Toyota Pickups with the camper mounted on it and "duals" on the rear. He fills up the camper, merchandise, tent, tables, everything, and Lord knows how that poor little four banger pulls it all, but he unloads it and then stays in the camper! crazy.
Anyhow, the guy had some boxes of discounted stuff. Said he needed to "lighten the load going home". I got one 4" and two 8" Proto 3/4 drive extensions for ten dollars each, and a brand new 3/8's speeder for $5, one of the no name, JS part number ones made by SK for the military.
I split after that buy, the weather was looking like it was going to get wet pretty soon, and I was way too hot. Long ride home. Got home just in time to see this (see last pic) appear in the sky, it rained shortly afterward.
Wished I could have driven on up to Chattanooga at least, but I just didn't have the time.
Charles
About a block away on the opposite side of the road was a man with guy stuff, tools, gas welding rigs and what have you. He had four Adjustable brand C clamps. All had a light dusting of rust on them, none of this built up flaky rust, just a light dust. They looked unused, not bent or damaged in any way. I got a 8 inch, two 6 inch and one 4 inch for $20, and two new anchor clevises for $6.
A little further up I stopped because I saw lots of signs, real old signs, and lots of iron. The guy with the signs had everything you could imagine, and the guy with the "iron" was, I thought, a little unusual. He had what was probably 50 ft of table stacked up, or heaped up with dutch ovens, iron frying pans and other iron cookware, all old, well used stuff, cooked on grease and build up from years of use. He must have spent years going to estate sales to acquire this much stuff. Apparently he liked iron. He had wagon wheels, plows, anvils (had a $450 price on one of those in the pic of the anvils in the trailer) He is the guy to the left with the beard. I heard him remark to the other man (potential buyer) "I just LOVE these old anvils!" I lusted over the hit miss engine (it was a large one) but didn't ask the price, if an anvil was $450, no telling what a engine would have been.
Well I drove and looked and drove and looked, and passed up lots of stuff. You don't want to stop for a single yard of stuff, you want the places where they rented out spaces and you have dozens of people selling in one spot. As it was I only traveled about 30 miles on the sale route. I did stop at a Volunteer Fire Station that was advertising "air conditioning, clean restrooms, good food" and they were nice. Great fund raiser for them. Had a couple of dogs and chips and a drink and cooled off and was on my way.
Finally got to a major highway intersection where three corners were all flea dealers of some sort or another, big dealers. Found a guy who had lots of tools and stuff. He had one of these Toyota Pickups with the camper mounted on it and "duals" on the rear. He fills up the camper, merchandise, tent, tables, everything, and Lord knows how that poor little four banger pulls it all, but he unloads it and then stays in the camper! crazy.
Anyhow, the guy had some boxes of discounted stuff. Said he needed to "lighten the load going home". I got one 4" and two 8" Proto 3/4 drive extensions for ten dollars each, and a brand new 3/8's speeder for $5, one of the no name, JS part number ones made by SK for the military.
I split after that buy, the weather was looking like it was going to get wet pretty soon, and I was way too hot. Long ride home. Got home just in time to see this (see last pic) appear in the sky, it rained shortly afterward.
Wished I could have driven on up to Chattanooga at least, but I just didn't have the time.
Charles
Pix later today.
