The official thrift/discount store bragging thread

Originally Posted by tonylumpkin

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I went to a "garage sale" today. The woman must have had a problem because the house was filled with shoes and purses. Not just any purses though, there were Coach and D&B by the dozens. There were ten to twenty LVs and more than ten Hermes...new in the box. The prices were probably fair, but with the Hermes going in the $3500 to $7500 range, I wasn't interested.
Geez, this must have been in an insanely nice neighborhood! Even the garage sales I've been to around here in $1M+ homes have a few Coach bags and maybe something designer like Gucci or D&G. Never even thought of seeing authentic Hermes or LV at a garage sale before, though!

Originally Posted by 83glt

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3 Black Fleece jackets - all BB1, so going to B&S Isaia 7 fold tie BB Golden Fleece (in brown Loro Piana tweed) suit, flat front trousers, like new ... so sweet Michele Negri by Isaia cotton/linen sportcoat, 52R, going to B&S All of the above for under a C note.
You're on a roll!! My first day back home in Minneapolis. Missing the SoCal weather and some of the awesome thrift stores down there. Not much luck up here for me today. Found three NWT Agnes B charcoal sportcoats w/ patch pockets. Unfortunately they were all unvented. Passed on those. The only thing I bought out of 5 stores was a NWOT Lacoste Visionary Series polo shirt featuring Peter Lindbergh. Ugly as sin, but they do fetch a pretty penny.

Thrifted an older La Pavoni lever espresso machine today for $25. New ones go for $800+. This one needs refurbishing, but it's still a killer deal.


This one is not mine, but mine is just like it.

^ That's awesome! I hardly ever find cool housewares. Nice score!

Found these cufflinks at a thrift store for $3



not sure if they are any good. They have Krementz stamped on em but I can't find anything through google to match these.


Crap or decent find?

^They're very nice. Krementz was a classic maker of cufflinks from the 1920s-30s. Those appear to have mother of pearl centers (difficult to tell with the flash). While they are not particularly valuable (as in expensive on the resale market), they are classic and elegant.

Originally Posted by Orgetorix

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Thrifted an older La Pavoni lever espresso machine today for $25. New ones go for $800+. This one needs refurbishing, but it's still a killer deal. This one is not mine, but mine is just like it.

Espresso makers are one of the things i'm always on the lookout for when thrifting. I've yet to find anything but cheaply made department store brands, but hope to find something better before my Starbucks Barista gives up the ghost. How does the LaPavoni work? i've never seen one before.

Originally Posted by Nataku

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Geez, this must have been in an insanely nice neighborhood! Even the garage sales I've been to around here in $1M+ homes have a few Coach bags and maybe something designer like Gucci or D&G. Never even thought of seeing authentic Hermes or LV at a garage sale before, though!
It was a very nice neighborhood and more of an estate than a garage sale. Still, the woman had to have been a very serious collector or a hoarder with very good taste.

Originally Posted by tonylumpkin

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Espresso makers are one of the things i'm always on the lookout for when thrifting. I've yet to find anything but cheaply made department store brands, but hope to find something better before my Starbucks Barista gives up the ghost.

How does the LaPavoni work? i've never seen one before.


The tank on the back heats and pressurizes the water; when you raise the lever it pulls a shot's worth into the brewing chamber, and then pulling the handle down forces the water through the grounds and pulls the shot. It's one of the more manual methods of making espresso, so it has a steeper learning curve but is also capable of greater variation and control than pushbutton types.

I'm looking forward to learning to use it. Might have to get back to home-roasting and pick up some really quality green coffees.

Originally Posted by aridhol

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Found these cufflinks at a thrift store for $3



not sure if they are any good. They have Krementz stamped on em but I can't find anything through google to match these.


Crap or decent find?

Good find.

I found about 2 dozen Gianni Campagna suits, all made for the same guy. There were about a dozen navy and a dozen plain gray. How boring! Who the hell would need, or want 12 of the same suit, times 2! Unfortunately they were all ventless with pleated pants and too small anyway. Sad because the construction and tailoring was exceptional, really among the best I've seen. Too bad this guy didn't appreciate that spice of life known as variety...

^^ Yeah, there's usually a catch when a nice haul shows up like that! You're lucky there is actually a store near you that puts out that big of a chunk from a donation. If someone donated 2 dozen suits at any stores around me, only 2-3 would make it out onto the floor. 5 max. The rest would be held in back probably, shipped to another location or who knows what else they do. Makes me sad, as I really look forward to these "motherload" hauls.

just picked up a pair of Alden low vamp cigar shell loafers at a thrift shop today. sole in okay condition.

sending them to get resoled at alden.

$38 for the shoe

$149 for the resole.

187 for a brand new pair of cigar loafers!? Im happy

Originally Posted by chestercopperpot

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just picked up a pair of Alden low vamp cigar shell loafers at a thrift shop today. sole in okay condition.

sending them to get resoled at alden.

$38 for the shoe

$149 for the resole.

187 for a brand new pair of cigar loafers!? Im happy

photos of the shoes before sending in?

Just got back from thrift store. As I looked through the dress shirts
I came across a nice plaid Burberry London shirt...price $39.95. WOW

As I was bothered and thinking I should walk out, I found a nice
brown plaid Burberry London shirt...price $2.95

You gotta love the inconsistency ;-)

I had a pretty good weekend. It started out bad with my normal haunts turning up empty except for a BB and a Burberry's tie at one place: $2 each. So I went to the local Goodwill and the same thing happened that always does: I found Canali, Corneliani, and HF suit coats but no pants. I did pick up nice pairs of Polo and Canali slacks for $4.99 each but they are actually suit pants. All I keep thinking is that at another Goodwill some poor guy has my three pants and my two coats. I thought that was it until I noticed a beauty of a sportcoat. Even from a few feet away the shoulders screamed quality tailoring. Sure enough, it was a Martin Greenfield for Saks, 100% cashmere, 2B, single-breasted, center-vented sportcoat. It's in a very unique silver/cream houndstooth with a very faint coral overplaid. $7.99.

The rest of the day was a bust except for a NWT Polo sweatshirt for $8.99. It's crazy to spend more for that than my sportcoat but wearable sportswear is pretty rare around here, especially stuff still with the tags.

I hadn't planned on hitting it again on Sunday but I got out of church early so I ran by an out of the way place that I rarely visit. This place has 150+ suits/sportcoats and at the very end of the suits I found a HF suit; full canvassed, pick-stitched, side-vented, 3 button, in 130's Loro Piana wool. Next to it was an Oxxford 3/2, side-vented sportcoat and next to that one was a Gianluca Isaia Napoli 3/2, side-vented sportcoat. All three were my size!

This place gives you a discount on Sundays so some guy probably went through the suits the previous day, pulled these aside, and he was going to drop by and pick them up. I just happened to beat him to it. I didn't qualify for the discount so the total was $65. That's steep for around here but well worth it. I tried to do the same thing with a pair of shell Alden's when I first started thrifting and I lost them the same way. New guys, when you see something outstanding you better jump on it! That guy lost out because he was trying to save $20.

^^ Wow, you're on a roll! It's always a huge bonus to find the nice stuff in your size, too!