Found a weird metal box at a yard sale in Toledo and almost passed it by

I was at a big yard sale in Toledo last weekend and saw this small, tarnished metal box for $5. It looked like junk, just sitting there with some old kitchen stuff. I almost walked past it, but something made me pick it up. The lid was stuck, but I got it open after a minute. Inside were about two dozen old watchmaker's tools, all wrapped in oily cloth. I had no idea what they were for, but the guy running the sale said it came from an estate. I bought it on a whim. Got home and looked them up. Turns out they're for adjusting pocket watch movements, and a few of the screwdrivers are from a brand called 'Bergeron' that collectors want. I always used to skip over small, dirty items like that, thinking they were just broken parts. Now I know to check inside everything, even if it looks like nothing. Has anyone else found a whole set of tools hidden in something plain?

2 comments

2 Comments

grayt461mo ago

Man, I would have walked right by that thing. My luck, I'd buy it and it'd just be full of rusty nails.

emma6841mo ago

Spot that same feeling everywhere these days. People are so sure the deal is too good to be true they don't even check. It's like we're all trained to expect the worst outcome. I see it at yard sales, with online listings, everything. Makes you wonder what decent stuff gets left behind because everyone assumes it's junk.