It would be harder to find a greater temple to human creativity than the thrift store. Places, where unneeded items are abandoned, are so often a stop for so-called bad ideas, from hardly-useful inventions to rejected art and clothing that was never in style in the first place. But these weird things haven’t found their final resting place… they’re just waiting to be found by people who they truly speak to.
To quote a saying that the Facebook group Weird Secondhand Finds lives by, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Their hauls, taken variously from thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets, and relatives’ closets that haven’t been cleaned in decades, prove that among the items that people decided they didn’t need are some seriously fascinating creations. Sometimes you can even find incredibly valuable and educational artifacts at thrift stores that you won’t believe somebody let slip away.
If you can't get enough after looking through this gallery of thrifting oddities, check out our previous lists of the best second hand shop finds.
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#22 It’s Been Hanging On Our Porch For Almost 10 Years. I’ve Never Thought Much Of It... Today While Watching Edward Scissorhands I See This!
My wife picked this up at a thrift store years ago for $2. Is it the same one?! Now I like it more
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281points
#23 2015, I Found This Lovely And Large Portrait In A Local 2nd Hand Story
2015, I found this lovely and large portrait in a local 2nd hand story.
The card on it really caught my attention.
I’m very familiar with Manazanar, the former WW II U.S. interment camp for Japanese American residents and citizens.
My grandfather was a farmer in coastal San Diego county and some of his fellow farmers were Japanese. At the time of the war, only US born Japanese Americans could buy land for farming. My grandfather stored their belongings when his neighbors were sent away. Many others, including churches also stored internees personal possessions.
I had a feeling that this portrait might have been stored for a family and for some reason, they had not recovered it.
A few calls and emails, I was able to get help from the ranger at Manzanar.
Although Itoko was a newlywed when she arrived at Manzanar with her husband, parents and in-laws, the ranger was able to connect me with her nephew Fred who lives in San Diego, not far from me.
He told me that they had never returned to their home in Pacific Palisades and instead relocated to San Diego where they farmed celery. She and her husband never had children and Nephew Fred took care of them in their older years.
Most amazing of all! Itoko was still alive! She was in a nursing home and has memory issues but she recognized her portrait immediately. She told Fred that it was her and that it hung in her bedroom when she was a child.
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277points
#24 Found This Fairy Dress In A Second Hand Thift Store Called Twice As Nice In Tucson. Rainbow Antler Headband Is The Best
It's my favorite outfit, I donned it out for my birthday last February with my best friends. We like to dress up and feel fancy. It seems hand stitched
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270points
#25 My New Lucky Cricket Tea Cup And If You Don't Like It... Dishonor On You, Dishonor On Your Cow
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268points
#27 My Grandmother Passed This Year And My Aunt Was Kind Enough To Give Me Her School Uniform From The 1940s. It Fits! I Feel Very Proper
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262points
#28 “Babe! I Found Everything!” “I’m Not Buying It.” “But Babe! Just Be My Yukon Cornelius Pleeeeease!” The Things I Talk Him Into At Goodwill. At Least I Got Photographic Evidence!
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261points
#30 I Would Like To Raise You These Limited Edition Bmo Doc's
Found at a salem, or goodwill they definitely came home with me! No one sells them anywhere anymore, they're super rare!
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255points
#32 Crocheted Maxi Skirt. Yes It’s Ugly, But I Will Rock It With Leather And Chanel
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248points
#33 My BF And I Went To A Thrift Store To Get A Toaster For Our New Apartment, Didn't Realise The Toaster Made A Duck Until I Went To Toast Some Bread
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248points
#34 Was Looking Through The Ugly Sweater Section At Goodwill, And Found The Sweater, I Was Wearing!
I definitely got a good laugh out of it, and so did the people around me!
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247points
#35 This Is A Portrait Of My Grandmother Seated In A Chair That She Needlepointed. I Am Sitting In A Chair She Helped Me To Needlepoint Wearing The Same Suit. I Inherited All.
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239points
#36 Found At An Antique Shop. The Prototype For Toilet Paper Showing That It Clearly Is Supposed To Be Over
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235points
#37 Found These Red Velvet Chairs At A Garage Sale For $1 And Had An Overwhelming Compulsion To Paint Crows On Them
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231points
#38 I See Your Tiny Pets With Mini Furniture- I Give You “My Giant Hare On A Victorian Chair!”
I found this Victorian chair at a thrift store and decided quickly I couldn’t live without it! It’s antique velvet with carved wood.
This is my Flemish Giant Rabbit, Leroux, aka Big Bun. He sadly passed away last year at the age of 9. He was about 19 lbs. and such a character! (Picture on the left for size comparison). He lived everywhere with me including downtown Chicago! He was my world.
Big Bun was always a house rabbit. He even had his own room (included in the photos)! He lived a little longer than normal (lifespan is 7 years or so.) I fed him the best of the best food (Oxbow brand) with plenty of Timothy hay, fresh veggies, and digestive tablets. He was litter box trained and never had accidents in the house. He loved to snuggle and would watch tv with me! Flemish Giants are a wonderful breed of rabbit and make fantastic pets!
I included a picture of him with his dog brothers and my favorite photo of him in his Christmas bow tie. He was always a legend.
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227points
#39 Finally Gave This Gem A Night Out It Deserved. This Was Perfect For Harry Potter Yule Ball Event That Hosted At My Favourite Little Geek Themed Bar
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223points
