Saw this on the ground yesterday...
 

Not pre-war exactly, but also not what I expect to find on my walk home in 2021.

They say plastic takes a long time to biodegrade, but that's ridiculous!:D

Also not pre-war, but ran into this guy on an SF sidewalk a few years back.

found 1970 basketball cards
 

Found these cards walking hope from elementary school in 1970. Must have recognized their value immediately, except that all damage was created by me. Still the only basketball cards I own.

HaHa! About 10 years ago or so, I found this Derek Jeter Bobble head in it's original box sticking out of the trash bin while we were walking out of a Japanese Restaurant.

This thing is pretty hefty, so it wasn't just some cheap cereal box insert either.

My only guess was that somebody gave it as a gift to somebody else in the restaurant.......and they were completely disturbed by the lack of resemblance to Jeter............or they were Red Sox fans.

Now it's sitting on top of one of my cabinets with a bunch of minor league giveaways and assorted knick knacks.

Shouldn't this go in the pick-up thread? ;)

I found a nice Hartland Redskins running back sticking out of a trash can in Takoma Park, just outside of D.C., sometime around 1980. Not much value then, but of course I took it home. About 20 years ago, I was driving in downtown D.C., going to see Frank Howard make a talk somewhere, when I looked over and saw a woman walking briskly down the sidewalk as money was flying out of her purse and fluttering behind her. I pulled over and parked in a bus zone to alert her, but by the time I got to the sidewalk she was turning the corner onto Pennsylvania Avenue a good distance away, so I started picking up the bills. There were other people around, but nobody else tried to pick up any of the money and I got all of it, around $85 as I recall. I got to the event pretty excited about my good fortune and looking forward, as always, to hear what Big Frank had to say.

I found a 10 pound note in a subway station outside of London, and a sealed j under my range after an airbnb guest checked out.

But nothing sports-related. I've actually had dreams (while asleep) where I found really great stuff.

Henry, what a coincidence to see you post - I was talking up your 'Glory of Their Times' c.d. to a friend, and believe it or not - he had a copy already!

I've heard those c.d.'s more than 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Freebird'.

I purchased a group of these Lajoie Game cards from an Ebay seller who claimed (post sale) that he rescued them from a dumpster. So I guess you can say I have experienced a contact high from secondhand scavenging.

Brian

It's incredible what some people throw away. They've had entire Antique Road Show's dedicated to what people have rescued from the trash. Even solid silver pieces.

Ha! Me, too. Nothing against those classics, but I do think the "Glory" set holds up better! I still haul it out every few months and give it yet another listen, and it hasn't gotten old yet, 25 years later.

I have a collection of over 200 smoking pipes, but one of the rarest - a 1920's Peterson clay - came out of a landfill outside of London - dug in the 1970's. After cleaning, I replaced the ferrule with one from a 1950's Pete clay, and the stem from a 1960's briar. It now looks pretty much like it should and smokes wonderfully.