As a follow-on to the Free stuff thread, I’m posting this thread for stuff that I’ve found. And for stuff that you’ve found while cleaning places out.
I found the boxes for my Rolexes, my dad’s 1974 blue-face Seiko Bell-Matic (I have two duplicates that I wear), dad’s Vulcain Cricket, dad’s Zodiac watch, my mother’s husband’s two-tone Seiko Mickey Mouse watch in its box (with 1990 receipts), my maternal grandfather’s pocket watch in its case, my paternal grandfather’s Gruen Veri-Thin ‘tank’ watch in its case, an OD G.I. watch strap, a watch band that appears to be Twist-O-Flex but I didn’t look closely at it, and a Cross Cessna pen set.
Last weekend, my dad handed my daughter and nieces a box from his father’s desk and asked if they wanted anything from it. They sorted through pencils and stuff and immediately found his wedding band behind all the office supplies and started trying it on. I snatched that right up and returned it. They might get it someday, but that was not the day.
Correction: It’s an a case. The case is Helbros, and has a ‘ring’ for putting a wrist watch on. The watch (no cover – as made, light floral engraving that is half worn off on the back, Roman numerals, chain) is a Waltham.
I was helping a friend sort through a pile of old Life magazines, to see if any were important.
In between two copies I found his baptismal certificate, and his birth certificate. We were stunned, but that was as nothing compared to his mother’s reaction. We called her and for a minute there was no sound on the line, then she just kind of breathed “noooo”.
Some years ago, I was walking through a park in winter on a trip through northern Ontario when I spotted something gleaming by the path in the snow: it was a pen. I put it in my coat pocket and promptly forgot about it.
Months later (next winter actually) I rediscovered the pen in my coat pocket.
It turned out to be a gold Cartier pen. I have no idea if it is valuable, but it is very pretty:
Seemed to me a very odd thing to find in a park in Northern Ontario.
One of the things I found over the weekend was a Merkur safety razor I’d given to my dad for a birthday present in the late-'80s or early-'90s.
I didn’t pay $62.50 for it though. I think it was $36 at the time, from someplace in a mall. Apparently, Merkur never renewed their patent*, so now you can get a Chinese clone for a double sawbuck.
*According to an answer on the link.
ETA: Of course I’m going to use it! I bought some blades at lunchtime today.
Is yours just like the picture? I had one once. Nice, but the high-numbered settings are probably excessive. If you haven’t used this model before, stick with the lower half of the dial. I hope you end up with a baby’s butt and not Sam Peckinpah.
That’s the model I use. The adjustment #s are 1-6 but I never go above 2, maybe 3. I love that razor. I’ve had good results with Gillette Silver Blue blades. What do you use?
Back to the OP — my summer project is to clean up the garage. I’m sure I’ll find lots of treasures there! I’ll be looking for my military records, my DD-214, my orders through the years…
DavidwithanR can answer your question to him, but I’ll tell you what I’m doing. I have a more traditional butterfly razor like dad used to use. It came with one blade, and that’s the one that’s in the Merkur. The blades I bought yesterday were the only double-edge blades they had at Rite-Aid. I don’t remember the brand, but the print on the back of the flat said they’re distributed by Rite-Aid. And some Wilkinson Classic blades came in the mail yesterday.
I found certified death certificates for my mom and her husband. (I can’t call him my ‘stepfather’ because I was in my 20s when they got married.)
And I found my 100-pound practice bomb. Mrs. L.A. kind of freaked out when she saw it. I told her it’s inert, and she said she doesn’t trust things that are supposedly inert. I told her they used to fill these things with water or sand to practice bombing, but mine is empty. She still wants it gone. I’ll take it to the storage unit. I haven’t decided if I should keep it blue, or paint it OD and paint 918TH BOMBER SQUADRON on it.
Digging a garden in the back of my property, I found a gun in a burlap bag. Upon further inspection, it was a starter’s pistol. I called the police to turn it in. They didn’t want it.
Well, the higher numbers are supposed to give a closer shave, but with this particular model that can just mean “closer to the bone”, which might not be the best look for you.
On some of the old Gillettes, the blade is barely peeking out. This particular Merkur seems to be for the guys who were left saying “show me the damned blade!”
