Antique/Thrift/Second-Hand Store Finds - Good deals and unique finds shared here!

[Roxanne Wolf]

Ever go into an antique or thrift store and find something that absolutely blew your socks off? Something that was either a steal of a deal or so unique and cool you had to have it?

As both a bargain and treasure hunter, I have a few unique finds I've gotten at great prices, and I'd love to hear about yours too!

Doesn't need to be recent or super rare, just something that you found that makes you happy, has a cool story or you're proud of finding. From clothes to furniture to trinkets, I'm not picky.

Without further delay, here are a few of my favorite secondhand finds:

Spoiler: Flight Calculator - Dead Reckoning

Found at a local antique store, this find only cost me $10. As an aviation enthusiast, this little piece of history is a reminder of how far navigation for aviation has come and still brings me joy to own a little piece of history.

Spoiler: Commemorative Japanese Coin Bank

"Tawaraya style pillar box (round iron post) As Japan's first red iron cylindrical post, 100 units were installed in planned locations such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto in 1901." (Translated via Bixby Vision)

For just $5 I was able to bring home an immaculate little coin bank, a small piece of history from another part of the world which now houses my favorite "America the Beautiful" quarters.

Spoiler: Antique Baking Dish

For just $5 this antique Blue Cornflower Corningware baking dish has provided me with hundreds of meals, and hundreds more to come. Some may find this design nastolgic, but I find the Pyro-Ceram construction both durable and easy to clean. I am thankful such a useful item came my way and that I can continue to care for it much like it's previous owner did.

I hope you found my favorites finds interesting, and thanks for visiting this thread!

 

[Drkinferno72]

Found an old duke nukem 3D computer game at a good will

 

[Peanut Butter in Peril]

My mom once found an old PeeWee Herman pull string doll that still functioned. Can't remember where she found it. This is what it looked like.

I don't have any pictures of it because it was sold at her shop a while back.

Not much of a second hand shopper looking anything but clothes for work. Though I don't mind perusing fleamarkets every so often.

 

[break these cuffs]

I've probably found better scores, but my favorite was a Rowenta iron for $6. I'd just started a desk job and the dogshit iron I had been using regularly fucked up my morning by dumping water everywhere.

 

[naaaaiiiiillllll!!!]

This is going to be a fun thread. While my extended family are thrift shop/swap meet* maniacs who have found some truly amazing things, I will hold off telling those and focus on ones I’ve personally found:

At a swap meet* an older veteran sold teenage me an MRE (I think it was red beans and rice) along with some old Soviet pins (they looked like something that was quickly (and cheaply) made for some kind of parade or event — one had a white dove with “CCCP” highlighted). Sadly I don't have any photos of these (need to find them again).

At a Goodwill (thrift store chain) I found a complete set of used Emeril Lagasse kitchen knives (including the original block, which is not common for thrift shops). I had just moved and was starting to seriously get into cooking, so the timing of the find was perfect. Link in the Food Knives thread where I go into more detail.

Lots of clothing as well -- a nice leather jacket (doesn't fit me anymore) and winter/ski gear. I'm 100% certain I'm forgetting some, but I'll make sure to share when I remember.

*an outdoor flea market, usually in a large stadium parking lot where vendors park their cars and setup a table/stand nearby). I learned this term is not universal so just wanted to avoid confusion.

 

[Death Grip]

Loads and loads but can't get any more pics at the mo, as everyone in the household is sleeping.
Losers
Not me but my partner found this on his wanderings, was listed for a tenner but he got them down to seven GBP.

 

[MerriedxReldnahc]

Aside from some good jeans at thrift stores I've found some pretty awesome stuff at my favorite antique store. I've found a lot of trading cards and they always have a great selection of comics.

Here's some of the card packs I've left unopened. I did open a pack of the Batman cards and ate the gum. I do not recommend that.

Comix! Last time I was there I found a stash of really terrible 1990's self-published furry comics that I was very tempted to grab because 1. Lol furries and 2. I love indie self published stuff.

My favorite antique store treasure is this Royal Halsey teacup that I use fairly often.

 

[Combat Wombat]

I wear this in public

 

[ToroidalBoat]

saw an old-timey analog cash register today

(only one slot for dollar bills because everything cheaper then)

 

[Jason Wynn]

I don’t have it anymore but years back I was able to score this really nice gray London Fog overcoat for like $20. Hell of a deal.

 

[millais]

I don’t have it anymore but years back I was able to score this really nice gray London Fog overcoat for like $20. Hell of a deal.

Apparently the prices have gone up on that kind of quality coat. I sold a slightly used Misty Harbor trenchcoat to someone last year for $75, and I think that's supposed to be an inferior brand to London Fog.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

saw an oil lamp at thrift store (has a lampshade and glass oil reservoir)

did not get it because smelly smoky and possibly carcinogenic fire hazard

 

[Apustajan apustaja]

I hunt for ashtrays and smoking related products that I collect. I like them because they are objects I remember that were everyday furniture items, but now they are gone. And sometimes you can make € by selling them on to people that collect out of production dinneware, the ashtray is usually the one peice missing in the series order to make their collection complete.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

got a solar-powered calculator for $1

 

[reptile baht spaniard rid]

a surprising number of weird toys are worth a shitload. Everyone knows Lego. But “klip klop” is also up there and we found a whole set for $5. Kids destroyed it before I discovered the value

 

[Sneeter Rabbit]

I once bought a 1st ed English copy of ‘the beginning was the end’ by Oscar Kiss Maerth in oxfam for a couple quid. Book is worth at least thirty times that amount. Lent it to a friend, who promptly stole it.

 

[Sirius]

I'll revive this thread for fun. I bought a cheap 720p TV and a Fire Stick 4k at Goodwill for about $30 combined earlier. The TV even has a DVD drive on the side, so that's nice.
Right now I'm just watching old media on it, here's Azumanga Daioh. Kinda annoying how I can't attach a USB drive without buying a dongle, but at least I can access my NAS from it.