Let’s Go Free Pile Shopping!
by Katy on September 5, 2024 · 32 comments
My friend Lise texted this morning, alerting me to a “Free pile 2 doors from me,” which got me off my tuchus and over to her house. (Only a block away, but still giving myself credit for my speediness!) She sent this photo:
I recognized the framed pink print as a Patrick Nagel, infamous for his Duran Duran covers and prolific stylized prints from the 1980s and 1990s. I’d sold a couple of his pieces in the past and wanted to get a closer look to see if my suspicions were correct. Nagel’s artwork was commercially successful to the point of saturation, so this wasn’t my “Portland Woman Finds Lost Renoir in a Free Pile” moment, but still worth bringing home to resell.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the price was right.
I also browsed through the rest of the pile, which ran the gamut from “Haunted Oval Portrait”
To sexist vintage magazines:
I did bring home two other items. This vintage wide-mouth “GEM” canning jar, which I’ll add to canning supplies.
Plus this antique-ish Japanese porcelain bowl. So sweet with its fluted edge and hand painted designs. No chips, no cracks and just a bit of wear on the gilding. It had been holding a handful of rocks, which I tipped into a rusty pan. I suspect it’s post WWII, manufactured to sell to an American serviceman. I think I’ll keep it.
Here’s the Kanji on the back.
I stopped in to chat with Lise before heading home and then passed a contractor who was helping himself to a box of drywall screws, assorted nuts and bolts and two full sheets of plywood. I love how so many Portlanders set unwanted things out on their curb instead of dumping things into the landfill. These weren’t things I’d have use for, but this guy did.
I took just a few minutes to wipe down the grimy print and reglue the framer’s label onto the back. I quickly listed it on Facebook Marketplace for $75 and suspect that I’ll get it. She’s not my taste, but I know that someone else will snap her up.
Thanks, Lise!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
You know so much about so many things—I would not have recognized the Nagel piece, for just one example. I have scored only two freebies this week, only one from the curb two 33 gallon bags filled with leaves for our compost.
The second freebie was at the food bank where I volunteer. They had to get rid of inventory before the weekend, during which it would get too old to give out and would end up going to the local pig farmer for feed. There is a fridge where they put things they want volunteers to take (and then employees if volunteers don’t take them. Although, in truth, they get paid such minimal wages that they are practically volunteers!) I and one employee were the last ones there, so I came home with four large slabs of Havarti cheese, four cans of Pillsbury French bread that will bake up nicely tonight and then frozen so they are baked by the use by date, a container of grapes, a pound of dark bananas that will work for banana bread, and a pound of sliced deli turkey not from Boar’s Head. I was not a pig, there was plenty left for the employee. It was the cheese that had me singing—three and a half of the slabs are in the freezer now. (Just today I realized that teachers can request 15 boxes at a time from the food bank of what are called bone builder boxes, each packed for a family and full of high protein shelf stable stuff like canned tuna, canned salmon, peanut butter and so on, as well as a recipe page for how to use the canned salmon, since a lot of folks are unfamiliar with how to use that form of salmon. It hurts my heart to think of kids coming from homes where they need this from the schools. They are given no questions asked and the teachers can ask for as many replacements as they need.)
What a great offering to the teachers for their students. Our church supports a food pantry through donations of non perishables for the inner city school in the same neighborhood. It truly does feel good knowing kids are eating who may otherwise have gone hungry.
I have a REAL ISSUE with kids going hungry. I have no issue with free breakfast, lunch, backpacks of food for the weekend, EBT card during the summer. I distinctly remember 3 kids at my school – youngest was in my class. They were close in age and their parents were unemployed. They always sat together at lunch time and ate every speck of food on their plate. All were very thin at the time. I know the brother worked in real estate but never found out where the sister in my class ended up.
A hungry cat is poor hunter, a hungry child is a poor learner. It takes all my strength to *not* get physical with “governors” who turn down food assistance for kids because “it is welfare”. F-them. Sorry Katy.
Thank you, Selena.
I have never been truly hungry, never was not able to feed my family. I can’t imagine the stress for a parent.
I agree Selena. The thought of a child going hungry is an extremely troubling thought. I also agree with free meals for students. I’m a retired letter carrier. Once a year, our union would hold a food drive. Many, many generous postal customers would leave non perishables for us to pick up which we would then deliver to the local food pantry. One carrier refused to take part citing the people who received the food were drug addicts and living on the dole. We’ll, maybe, but what if there are kids in the household? Do they deserve to go hungry? I guess never judge someone until you’ve walked around in their shoes…quote curtesy of Atticus Finch.
Yes, exactly. Even if adults are drug addicts, their kids need to eat. During the Covid shutdown, and for a shirt time after, my hubby helped with a Boy Scout project to deliver a hot meal on Saturdays to a fairly long list of folks who live in a low income housing project. The Scout troop also supplied a “blessing box” at the community center of this housing project, making sure the stocked items could be easily heated in the microwave, or required no cooking/reheating. Pop-top cans were preferable, as some households might not have can openers, and many homes had adults who were drug addicts, had mental illnesses, etc., meaning the kids had to fend for themselves for
meals. It was very eye-opening. (I helped with packing the meals, and made cookies several times as part of the meal).
That’s just awful.
Oh, well played on the free piles, Katy, and on the food surplus, Lindsey!
I suspect you know that the value in the oval portrait is largely in the glass if it is curved, (or concave, or convex– I always mix them up).
Heidi Louise,
I agree on both counts!
Concave = curved inward, like this: I)
(Using the framed haunted photo in Katys post)
Convex = curved outward, like this: (I
Concave – like a cave – curved inward ( – cupped).
Convex – curved outward (- domed)
Nagel was BIG when I was in college during Duran Duran’s heyday, and a college boyfriend bought a framed print for his bachelor pad. He bought it at a store where you could return any print you bought, for any reason (such as “I’m tired of it”), at any time, and get credit for something else in the store. Sooner or later, he did tire of it, but didn’t want to bother returning it….so he donated it to Goodwill. I heard Nagel has had a recent resurgence in interest!
I wouldn’t have recognized the poster either but I enjoy learning so many things here! I received freebies from my mother in the form of stuff that she wanted to get rid of that she was happy for me to sell and keep the money. Yay!
I’ve spent a good part of today listing things on ebay and FB marketplace. Slow and steady.
Nice!
I put a non working dehumidifier on our curb this week and it was gone in two days. I would bet a scrapper picked it up for the metal.
1. I like free piles on the curb too. Last week I found 2 cans of spray paint. I’d like to make some luminaries w/ tin cans & battery-operated candles for Xmas gifts. I needed some new paint colors.
2. I went to the bread outlet to get sandwich bread. Wednesday is senior day & purchases are 10% off plus the store offers a punch card.
3. Husband used the insurance he bought to replace a pair of glasses that had a broken earpiece. He had to pay a 25$ deductible but that was surely cheaper than a new pair of glasses.
4. I found a 5$ off a Hallmark purchase coupon to use at Walgreens. I’ll go some to get something w/ little out of pocket.
5. The post on my pearl earring stub came loose. Superglue to the rescue. It is now firmly glued in place.
6. I found a pair of men’s black athletic shoes in good shape. These I will take to the homeless shelter. I also found a pair of Nike pink athletic shoes in my size. I washed them in the washer, stuffed 2 old wash cloths to shape them, & air dried. Now I have a new pair of athletic shoes that are like new.
7. I’ve been wearing my scrubs to work although a few are a bit faded. I take my lunch & a bottle of iced tea. No expense at work other than the gas to get there.
I always find it sad that old pictures end up at auctions, estate sales, garage sales, free piles. I realize that sometimes families actually “end” but I always hope there is at least a name of the person in the picture. Depending on the age, it may have been a big deal to have a picture.
Over the years, DH and I collected a few pictures of the type you describe, Selena. We referred to them as “instant ancestors.” (And, of course, they and most if not all of DH’s and my own pictures will probably go the same way. I regard this with a mixture of resignation and my homemade variety of Zen.)
The print has serious Debi Mazar vibes (and I’m living for your ‘Portland woman finds missing Renoir in free pile’ moment)!
Those prints were quite the thing in my post college days. Rattan furniture and a Patrick Nagal print were the epitome of style! 😀
All the metal we set out on the curb gets taken by scrappers. Plastic tubs also are popular.
I remain in awe of your trashpicking abilities, Katy. (The same goes for some of our other trashpicking experts, such as texasilver.) The artwork is of course a major score, but I’m also in love with the Japanese bowl and the Gem canning jar.
As I’ve noted in earlier comments, I’m largely retired from active trashpicking–mainly because at my age, I’m trying to concentrate on downsizing what I already have rather than acquiring more. But naturally, I don’t always practice what I’m trying to preach to myself: I found a wooden Pepsi-Cola crate in excellent condition last Saturday, and tossed that into my Element pronto!
The free pile is less common where I’m at, but I love to see folks passing on lots of stuff on Buy Nothing. It makes me happy to see people getting value out of their neighbors unwanted items.
I did laugh this week, because I attempted to give away DS17’s soccer cleats on BN. No takers. Meant to drop them at our soccer club’s free cleat exchange. Forgot them in my car. Tried again on BN. Listed them on eBay & sold them for $25 in a few hours. I’m happy to keep them out of the landfill, regardless of the method!
I am Jelly of your abundance of Free piles/curb picking! Not much of that down here where I am (Florida gulf coast)……
BUT, I still get any random free fruit and perishable food from my office at the end of the work week, (if I didn’t take it, the office manager throws it away, i have rescued items from the trash!) so I cant complain! I haven’t had to buy banana’s in 8 months , have quite a stockpile of frozen bananas for bread , muffins, smoothies!
Oh, I would have snapped up that small bookcase if it’s a foldable real wood one like I think it is.
Me too! And I would have sold it. lol.
I am hunting in piles, I am donating them. It feels good to go through the cabin and release to the universe all the second hand items that were used to fill this place when we first bought 15 year ago yet were never a few choice and no are not used.
Donated to hospice thrift shop:
* Snowman coffee mugs and snack plates we used as real plates for awhile. Neither were very practical (icky small bases) or attractive but I am sure someone will want them.
*Various truck and tractor sheets and quilts with nary a child in site.
* A standing desk rig that I used when I was teaching from her during the pandemic.
Tossed
* chipped plates, old mattress protectors, and various other slightly embarrassing items that are now in junk heaven.
Organizing is really frugal for me. It usually sends me into small fix it mode as well. I FINALLY used Screen Mend for the patio door that had a whole around the handle. No more bugs. I replaced two gaping holes where smoke detector died. I put new ones there. I tightened the screws of the mounted paper towel holder. I washed all the bedding in the main bedroom.
Here to tell you, none of this got done when I was working full time three months ago. I look at the clock while I am puttering and I say, “OMG I would still be at school.” What a gift this new phase of my life is.
Mary Ann, I’m so glad you’re enjoying retirement. It really is a precious gift.
Mary Ann,
I am retired from teaching for two years now. This is my 3rd September, and this week is always wonderful: while it was a pleasure meet the students and see colleagues and friends, it is so glorious to be able to be outside and enjoy the beautiful September coolness, putter in my yard, and visit with friends.
I love free piles! Most of what I sell is from them. One thing I do is scoop up some of the in good shape small items then when I have enough of something to make a group like pots and pans, glasswear, home decor, shower curtains and bath mats I take pictures of the group and list the whole group for $10-$20 depending what it is. They sell pretty well. I store my items in tubs in the basement after I take pictures so I know where they are and they stay clean.
Ooh . . . that’s a really good idea! As long as you actually follow through. 😉
Hey Katy, as I mentioned on your Instagram post – that jar is a Canadian Gem canning jar – very very popular for decades. the lid is just a bit smaller than a widemouth, the ring is a bit taller (and we had lots of even taller zinc rings intended to go with glass lids (and rubber sealing rings) – those fit on the same Gems).
Many many a Canadian Canner has snapped up canning lids only to get them home and discover they have bought not wide-mouthed but ANOTHER BOX OF GEM LIDS!! Particularly when we had a lid shortage (most of Covid) the only lids available were Gems and a lot of folk were mistaken in their purchases.
I have been gifted a number of gem jars (friends know I love them – their gently rounded shoulders are much prettier than our boring old Wide mouthed or Standard jars). As a result, I can sometimes take advantage of people offering their unwanted gem lids on BN.
Several years ago the lid manufacturer announced they would stop making Gem lids. Mass panic ensued across the country for those families who had literally hundreds if not thousands of Gem jars. they delayed the stopping of production but the fateful day arrived… However, there is now a rival jar lid manufacturer who has brought back the Gem lids!
I just smile, and admire my jars, and my boxes of spare lids.
Enjoy the beauty, Katy. If you want a proper lid and ring, drop me a line – my daughter has a friend visiting from Portland this weekend!
I’ve decided to designate this jar as a vase as the lid thing seems to be an issue. Not worth a trip to drop off a lid.
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