What's the most confounding item you've bought?

kcm

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The wife and I were at a local weekly auction nearly 20 years ago. At the auction that week (and for about 4 weeks total) were lots of items from the 40's and 50's that were brand spanking new - most still with price tags. Lots of fancy gowns and dresses, fur coats, jewelry, toys, games, tools, etc, etc, etc. Just about anything one could want, and it was all brand new/never used.

Well, we bought a few things, but most went above what we wanted to pay. But one item we won was a lawn sprinkler. It was a Melnor sprinkler, much like this one except it was 100% metal:
Vintage Melnor Turret Sprinkler Lawn Garden Water VG CLEAN CONDITION | eBay
It was still in its original box and the box had never been opened. The only thing was that someone had done a little math on the box in pencil many years before. The pencil marks were faint and almost gone.

Neither of us had any interest or use for this sprinkler, but not long before that my Mom & Dad had mentioned how they couldn't find a decent sprinkler anymore, and how they wished they could find one like this again. So, we sent it to them for Christmas. Our cost? $1.00. When they got the gift, they wondered what they should do with it. I told them to do whatever they wanted - it was now "theirs"!!

Well, my dad passed a couple years ago and Mom died last month. While going through their stuff, we found that sprinkler. It was unused, still in its original, unopened box. Apparently my folks thought they should hold onto it rather than having one heck of an awesome all-metal sprinkler like they had been looking for!

Now here's the confounding thing for us - we live in a wetlands area. We have ZERO use for a sprinkler, as the water table is never more than a few feet below our feet, and (VERY) often up to the surface. So confound it!! Do we keep it in the box? Use it to water a waterlogged yard?? ...This has got to be the MOST MISERABLE $1 we've ever spent in our lives!! :dontknow:
 

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lol... good read. :)

As usual I have a few stories. :P
 

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Frame that puppy and hang it in your Den. Every time you see it you will think about your wonderful parents. Oh yea - they are probably looking down at ya laughing! :)
 

I've seen some sprinklers go for $100 plus on eBay.....


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At a warehouse sale, bought a vintage 70's heart defibrilator, you know the kind that had those paddles and you put them on someone's chest when they are in cardiac arrest and yell "Stat" and jump back and they bounce around like a Texas Death Row inmate on a bad day? I had it in my office and nobody would come ten feet near it, even though I assured them it was not plugged in. I paid 5 dollars and thought it would be a quick ebay sale to some third world hospital or Hollywood props department, but no. Must have a medical license to sell one, so I cut the power cord, destroyed the insides and properly disposed of the carcass.
 

Yesterday I bought a used but working pressure washer for a steal....$12 bucks!
Wife has been wanting to buy me one for my birthday, so I san clean off the back patio, along with other chores...
So, halfway through the patio job, I got swarmed by my own bees....in the panick, I broke the hose nozzle connection, so now it's useless....and I got stung 4 times.:BangHead:
 

Yesterday I bought a used but working pressure washer for a steal....$12 bucks!
Wife has been wanting to buy me one for my birthday, so I san clean off the back patio, along with other chores...
So, halfway through the patio job, I got swarmed by my own bees....in the panick, I broke the hose nozzle connection, so now it's useless....and I got stung 4 times.:BangHead:

Kinda puts a different spin on your honey do list! :laughing7:
 

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