DUMPSTER JACKPOT!!! Updated with the tally!

[BigWaveDave]

Boss asks me to dump a bunch of pallets into the giant dumpster at work. So I climbed over the edge to see where they’d all fit…. I look down, and Oh Snap! Is that ring? I get ridiculed for climbing in the loaded messy, filthy, disgusting trailer of trash.
Then another? I start moving things around, and OMG!
There are at least 7 gold rings, silver, a few wheats, tokens, a war nickel…. And chains too!
They are mostly bunked up with grease, oil, nasty sticky stuff, so I’m looking forward to cleaning them up, I’ll get yall a tally later on.
Yay me!


Ok, so as it turns out, not as huge a score as I first thought, but still pretty good I’d say!
15 chains, bunch of junk bling, Avon stuff, costume jewelry and the like…

But BOOM! 6 Gold Rings, and a Sterling Sharp Shooter Pin. 1 18K, a 14K, and the others are 10K.
The class rings are engraved with the same initials as the wedding rings.
Hope to track down the owner….curious that the 3 wheats are all 1955…
So overall, I done good!

 

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[Bucket Lister]

wow, always kinda looked down on, or felt sorry for a dumpster diver. you got me rethinking my strategy

In most cases I would agree; it all depends on the dumpster and what's (been) in it. In OP's and my case, they were dumpsters at work.

IDK about OP's, but the one where I worked only had wood scraps & other stuff from the factory--nothing grody. Any of that stuff was in a different dumpster at a different location.

I was a 17 year old kid who didn't know nuttin' 🤪 and I've never done it since. There are some dumpsters I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

 

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[Old Bookaroo]

Years ago, I was walking down the street near my apartment in San Francisco and there was a dumpster on the curb - no top. So I glance inside and the only thing in it was a woman's wallet. Of course I "dove" (well, crawled) in and retrieved it.

It had a driver's license with an address, so I put it in the mail.

Never heard anything about it.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

PS: Yes - I'd happily do it again...

 

[BigWaveDave]

What does it say on the bar above the cross? I can’t make it out. It looks to start with a ?AM. Is it RAM?
Possibly Royal Arch Mason. That style cross would make sense.👍🏼

Pistol Sharpshooter
US Marines

 

[BigWaveDave]

Also found a Sterling Submariner Pin!

 

[ARC]

Eons ago ... Found an entire dumpster of electrical wire (most new scraps) once at a storage unit place...
They had an electrician unit fail to pay and just tossed all of it thinking no one would want it.

I did. heh

Copper was down... $800 + worth if i remember correctly.

 

[oldmxrat]

That's a great bunch of fun you discovered! Good luck with the return.

 

[Slowtaknow]

Someone tossed the wrong box without looking, happens more often than one would think.

 

[pulltabfelix]

Boss asks me to dump a bunch of pallets into the giant dumpster at work. So I climbed over the edge to see where they’d all fit…. I look down, and Oh Snap! Is that ring? I get ridiculed for climbing in the loaded messy, filthy, disgusting trailer of trash.
Then another? I start moving things around, and OMG!
There are at least 7 gold rings, silver, a few wheats, tokens, a war nickel…. And chains too!
They are mostly bunked up with grease, oil, nasty sticky stuff, so I’m looking forward to cleaning them up, I’ll get yall a tally later on.
Yay me!


Ok, so as it turns out, not as huge a score as I first thought, but still pretty good I’d say!
15 chains, bunch of junk bling, Avon stuff, costume jewelry and the like…

But BOOM! 6 Gold Rings, and a Sterling Sharp Shooter Pin. 1 18K, a 14K, and the others are 10K.
The class rings are engraved with the same initials as the wedding rings.
Hope to track down the owner….curious that the 3 wheats are all 1955…
So overall, I done good!

could be the owner was born in 1955.

 

[coinshooter]

Check those 3 pennies. Could be 55 double dies.

 

[Digger RJ]

Boss asks me to dump a bunch of pallets into the giant dumpster at work. So I climbed over the edge to see where they’d all fit…. I look down, and Oh Snap! Is that ring? I get ridiculed for climbing in the loaded messy, filthy, disgusting trailer of trash.
Then another? I start moving things around, and OMG!
There are at least 7 gold rings, silver, a few wheats, tokens, a war nickel…. And chains too!
They are mostly bunked up with grease, oil, nasty sticky stuff, so I’m looking forward to cleaning them up, I’ll get yall a tally later on.
Yay me!


Ok, so as it turns out, not as huge a score as I first thought, but still pretty good I’d say!
15 chains, bunch of junk bling, Avon stuff, costume jewelry and the like…

But BOOM! 6 Gold Rings, and a Sterling Sharp Shooter Pin. 1 18K, a 14K, and the others are 10K.
The class rings are engraved with the same initials as the wedding rings.
Hope to track down the owner….curious that the 3 wheats are all 1955…
So overall, I done good!

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Trezurehunter]

Excellent score BWD ! Did you check those '55 Wheats for the double die variety ? Get one of those babies and you'll have an even better score !

 

[BigWaveDave]

Yeah guys, you know I checked!
In fact, all 3 of them are the “poor man’s variety” …. Slight die crack on the last 5
Makes me sick to think that maybe a coin collection got tossed too…. And ended up in the landfill before I got to it.

 

[Silvermonkey]

That's still a really awesome score in my book. Gold is gold ( escpecially at $2, 500/ oz). Big congrats!

 

[High Plains Prospectors]

Boss asks me to dump a bunch of pallets into the giant dumpster at work. So I climbed over the edge to see where they’d all fit…. I look down, and Oh Snap! Is that ring? I get ridiculed for climbing in the loaded messy, filthy, disgusting trailer of trash.
Then another? I start moving things around, and OMG!
There are at least 7 gold rings, silver, a few wheats, tokens, a war nickel…. And chains too!
They are mostly bunked up with grease, oil, nasty sticky stuff, so I’m looking forward to cleaning them up, I’ll get yall a tally later on.
Yay me!


Ok, so as it turns out, not as huge a score as I first thought, but still pretty good I’d say!
15 chains, bunch of junk bling, Avon stuff, costume jewelry and the like…

But BOOM! 6 Gold Rings, and a Sterling Sharp Shooter Pin. 1 18K, a 14K, and the others are 10K.
The class rings are engraved with the same initials as the wedding rings.
Hope to track down the owner….curious that the 3 wheats are all 1955…
So overall, I done good!

Good eye on that one!

 

[xr7ator]

Yeah guys, you know I checked!
In fact, all 3 of them are the “poor man’s variety” …. Slight die crack on the last 5
Makes me sick to think that maybe a coin collection got tossed too…. And ended up in the landfill before I got to it.

Nah. They took the coins to the coinstar and bought groceries!

 

[Midden-marauder]

Dumpster diving is a worthy pursuit and often yields fruit. At one point I outfitted an entire apartment with dumpster/curbside finds after my first divorce. Dumpsters and the goodwill bins, this is the scene to make I swear. This is why I like dumps too. Hot finds!!

 

[TDiver1715]

Pistol Sharpshooter
US Marines

Definitely USMC Sharpshooter badge; possibly WWII era.

 

[TDiver1715]

Definitely USMC Sharpshooter badge; possibly WWII era.

Ooh-Rah! USMC Ret here

 

[TDiver1715]

Boss asks me to dump a bunch of pallets into the giant dumpster at work. So I climbed over the edge to see where they’d all fit…. I look down, and Oh Snap! Is that ring? I get ridiculed for climbing in the loaded messy, filthy, disgusting trailer of trash.
Then another? I start moving things around, and OMG!
There are at least 7 gold rings, silver, a few wheats, tokens, a war nickel…. And chains too!
They are mostly bunked up with grease, oil, nasty sticky stuff, so I’m looking forward to cleaning them up, I’ll get yall a tally later on.
Yay me!


Ok, so as it turns out, not as huge a score as I first thought, but still pretty good I’d say!
15 chains, bunch of junk bling, Avon stuff, costume jewelry and the like…

But BOOM! 6 Gold Rings, and a Sterling Sharp Shooter Pin. 1 18K, a 14K, and the others are 10K.
The class rings are engraved with the same initials as the wedding rings.
Hope to track down the owner….curious that the 3 wheats are all 1955…
So overall, I done good!

The black "inverted V" in the center photo looks like a USMC Private First Class (PFC) rank insignia. The Army also used this design. It appears to the be "larger" type used up until the late 1950s, but I am not certain without measuring. Nice finds!!

 

[Limitool]

You did good Dave diving on in... Good job..!

I was getting ready to unload a lot of machinery and tools recently. I hate trying to sell old stuff and the hassle. I was trying to reorganize my large woodshop and had a lot to get rid of. When my father passed between him and I.... I got doubled down on a lot of machinery and tools. My tools were better and newer but all of his worked 100% but was just taking up space. I hired a guy to reside my home and put up all the new vinyl siding I just had delivered. After getting to know him better (very good worker) he shared what he had and didn't have for his shop.

I said bring out your large trailer again on last day. When he was done I paid him in full. Then I asked if he wanted.... a table saw, radial arm saw, bandsaw, 2 router tables and many, many other hand electric tools and a lot of furniture. He loaded them all. I was gonna take to dump or put on market place for free. I was GLAD to see these tools go to someone who wanted and needed them instead of a dumpster.

But you did a great job saving those items sir. Hope you can find some connection with folks soon.