If you’re anything like us, the type of antique collectors and hunters who revel in the thrill of the hunt and live for the rush of finding that super rare item, than no doubt you’ll relate to the following scenario: So…. you’re heading out on a pick or to the latest estate sale and you’re stoked; the information you’ve gathered through a little birdie has it that there will be some rare vintage dolls, perhaps a few Bobby Hull Rookie cards, a bunch of desirable advertising pieces, and a whole slew of other super rare items. Upon arriving at your destination you adopt your rat-like persona and start rummaging through the stuff to sniff out the items that have, what we like to refer to as the “shine factor” (as any rat worth their weight in salt knows it’s the stuff that shines that garners top dollar, right?). Much to your chagrin, it’s not long before you realize the pick is nothing like you had hoped. You push aside a whack of cheesy brass items to get a closer look at those hockey cards, which are actually fourth year Dennis Hull cards that have seen a better day when they once adorned a kid’s bicycle spokes back in the seventies; you trip over a mess of tangled copper wire to get at those rare dolls, which turn out to be Beanies Babies that a cat has used as a scratching post and those rare advertising pieces you find tucked away in behind an old stove and washing machine turn out to be nothing more than a few modern day Coca Cola reproductions and some made in China knock offs – time to pack it you say? But hold on, not so fast…suddenly you shift gears and go out of antique collecting mode and start thinking about cashing in by the pound; the shine factor is back on – the shine of scrap metal. Now for many, when you think about scrap metal collecting perhaps you visual some homeless grubby types down on their luck desperate to scrape together a dollar or two for a little comfort from a bottle. Frankly with the prices of metals these days nothing could be further from the truth. Fact of the matter is, many scrap metal collectors bring in more income in the first half hour of their day than most people earn from a full day’s wage in their regular 9 to 5 gigs. So next time you’re out on a pick keep in mind that sometimes it’s not always the “obvious picks” that make the big money, after all that age old adage,“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” still to this day carries some weight; and speaking of weight check out the prices below for scrap metal.

Clean Aluminum: $.51/lb

Brass: $1.95/lb

Copper: $3.11/lb

Zinc: $.35/lb

And as we all know silver and gold have recently gone through the roof, bringing in an astounding $26/ounce and $1,680/ ounce respectively.

This item is on fire!

A Genuine Vintage Red Leather Fire Helmet (Lindsay Ontario)

Ca. 1860

Not long ago we posted a photo and written description of a Roman Glass scented oil vial that we have in our shop (Mid 1 Century A.D.). Just looking at the piece transported us back in time as we tried to imagine what it might have been like hanging out with the likes of Emperor Claudius, Nero or the infamous Caligula.

Despite being one of the most advanced civilizations, the Romans did have a few quirky and interesting habits. History has it that Emperor Nero and Vespasian (Roman Emperor from AD 69 to AD 79) instituted a tax on urine. Why urine you ask? Well there was a method to their madness. Urine, as it turns out, was a tradable commodity; it was collected from the lower class and purchased by tanners who used it for their trade as it contained ammonia. When Vespasian’s son complained of the disgusting nature of the tax the emperor showed him a gold coin and uttered the famous phrase, “pecunia non olet”, which means, “money doesn’t stink.” The ripple (or should we say tinkle) effect of the tax remains today as urinals in modern day France are called vespasiennes; in Italy vespasiani and in Romania vespasiene.