junk jewelry and the prepper

     The spring yard sale season is warming up.  Still, it is early and a weekend with high winds or a chill can cause people to put off their sales for a better day.  It was like that when I left to run my weekend errands on Saturday.  I wasn't even looking for signs for sales.  I got all my errands done and found some time to visit a family member along my route.  I bought some plants and plant food at Lowe's and headed home.  

     On the way home, I saw a sign about two blocks before my turn-off from the main highway.  I have been to sales down that road before.  Those people camp!  I flipped on that right turn signal and slowed down to a roll.  I could see the sale items from the road.  Some odds and ends tools and home decor, not much, but not bad.  I stopped.  I have a son who is collecting ax heads and files so I thought, maybe.  I looked around, no price tags.  A lady called out, "make an offer I want it gone."  So I said a dollar for the ax, and what do you think about this watch?  

     I was looking at a wind up watch with a very vintage look and I liked it.  She said, "$5 for all of it."  I looked down at the table where the junk jewelry was spread out and said, "If I fill this bowl with all of it, is it still $5?"  She said yup and it came home.  I filled a Pyrex bowl full of all the junk pieces on the table, I just scooped it up and dropped six dollars on the checkout table and said thank you several times as I grabbed my ax and left.  

     As a prepper, of course you know the ax will be in my tool 'shed' or if it seems I have enough (3) it will be given to the son with the greatest need for axes.  But, the junk jewelry you ask.  What pray tell does junk jewelry have to do with prepping?  Well, 'lemme' tell you.  

     In the jumble of chains and pins and watches and a lint and hair, I found three pieces of silver.  Three pieces of solid silver that could be sold or traded for bulk silver coins or bouillon.  They weigh about 1/3 of an ounce.  That alone is more than $5.  I also found three pieces of collectible signed designer costume jewelry.  These pieces will go into a lot of jewelry to be sold to collectors online later.  They will be valued between $15 and $20.  So far, that alone made the deal a 'real deal'.  

     After all the watches were sorted out of the pile, I separated out the quartz watches from the wind up watches and checked both piles for quality, name, country of origin, working condition and generally whether I liked it or not.  There was gold to be found here.  Yes, a little gold bezel on one watch, about $40 worth of scrap gold.  There was also a MIDO Swiss watch (not pictured) , currently a similar watch on Ebay is listed at $399.  There were two working Timex watches, A siboney swiss watch, all working and keeping good time.  There are another six wind up watches, two are 17 jewel, that are not working.  They were over wound.  Two I will have repaired, the rest will go into a watch lot to be sold online.  All this adds up to more than the $5 spent and will bring in income to fill the prep coffers.  

Quartz watches and junk

17 jewel, wind up, swiss and american made

    The wind up watches I am keeping are of such high quality that I have no doubt I will pass them on to my grandchildren.  I am keeping them in the prep supply inventory in the case of an EM pulse.  The quartz watches in current use will be useless.  Wind up watches will keep ticking.

     To prepare for hard times, be clever.  A second source of income to use to build up your bank of prep supplies or pay for a retreat is a good thing.  Finding things you can use or barter at today's low price is virtual income.  You may cash in some now, some later.  Junk jewelry is a hobby of mine.  It gives me great pleasure to purchase other's treasure and sell it for more than I paid.  Some of it comes to live with me and some of it is given to others who appreciate it.  I only paid $5 for over thirty useful pieces.  Oh, yeah, and I got an ax!  I also forgot to count the Pyrex dish.  They are pricey when purchased new and mine came full of junk jewelry!