A Picker Strikes OIL!

Remember my post about yesteryear's trash being today's treasures?

Well, one of the items you might remember was this little advertising flyer for 3 In One household oil.

 Ask yourself, and be honest now, would you have bothered to hang on to this, considering the horrible condition it is in? 

Frankly, I could have sworn I heard some of my associates' eyes rolling when they saw photos of the "trash" that I had rescued, especially this!

Well, you may be surprised to learn that I turned this heavily damaged "worthless" piece of paper into the grand sum of:

 $51.78

No, not big money, but pretty darn good for this piece of yesteryear trash.

How did I do it?

Well, I saw something more in it than what many folks would see.

Lost history.

Specifically, some early Canadian history of 3 In One Oil. 

You see,  some time ago, the WD-40 company held a contest looking for the earliest 3 In One oil container.

I had one, a very early bottle, but never did get around to submitting photos of it. (This was in the pre-email era, by the way.)

Later I saw photos of the "winner"...looked the same, if not slightly more modern than the one I had.

Oh well....that is the result of procrastination for you.

It actually looked very similar to the bottle pictured on the damaged flyer, actually.

Some companies are working to create or expand their archives; preserve their history. 

So, knowing this, off went an email to the makers of 3 In One oil, the WD-40 company. 

 Long story short, take a look at what I received as a "Thank-You" for taking the time to rescue the piece, and offer it to them, free of charge, for their archives. Yes, this is what I found in a package was delivered to my doorstep today, via courier:

Total value, after taxes are added (and not even including the delivery to my door), the retail value of these items from local stores is:

 $51.78

It may not be a gusher, but I did strike oil!

MORAL: History is worth preserving. No matter how horrible a piece may look in condition, with a little outside the box thinking on your part,  as well as some research, and if presented to the right people/person/company/group/etc, those pieces of trash sometimes can still be true treasures.