The Importance of Researching Every Item

Ok maybe not every single item but it's good to research everything you aren't totally sure of.  I bought a box of random mixed nick-knacks at an auction this past weekend because it had a few Fenton figurines in it.  I found these cats in the bottom of the box and on first glance I just assumed they were cheap trinkets.  The kind of thing I'd throw $1 on and put in one of my vending spots.  They are really heavy though and they were marked Dept 56.  I've sold Dept 56 holiday houses a few times but had never seen these solid metal cats before.  After a few minutes of poking around online I learned that these are from a line called Classical Cats by Martin Leman that came out in the 80's.  Each is hand painted and they are made of solid pewter.  At this time there are two from this line listed on eBay.  One is listed at $35 and one at $40.  Glad I didn't go with my first impulse of throwing $1 tag on them.  Now they are headed for eBay!

My New Favorite Way to Scavenge! Dumpster Diving!

I've always been a bit of a trash picker.  I grab good things or scrap I see on the curb and I have grabbed things out of a dumpster from time to time in the past but this summer I started making dumpster diving a serious regular hobby.  I don't really talk about it much on Facebook or with friends but my immediate family is well aware because I often share many of the items we score from dumpsters with them.  Dumpster diving has a bit of a negative stigma sometimes and it's a bit of an ethical gray area for some people so for the most part I keep it to myself.  But what many people don't understand is you can find some pretty amazing usable things in dumpsters if you get past the stigma and don't mind getting a little dirty picking through garbage. Things that you can save from landfills. (Also do some research and check into local laws before attempting it!) It's become a fun treasure hunt for us and here are a few of our favorite diving rewards.