Are You Kidding, it’s what I do

What’s the Coolest Thing I Ever Found and Kept?
(Daily Writing Prompt)

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been wired for the hunt. Some kids grew up wanting baseball cards or comic books—I wanted finds. That rush you get when something unexpected turns up in the grass, in a drawer, or even in the trash… that has been in my blood since I was a boy.

One of the first times I ever felt that electric jolt of discovery was when I was around twelve years old. My father bought me a metal detector—one of those clunky early ones that hummed like it was searching for UFO signals. I marched straight down to my grammar school field and started sweeping the ground like a seasoned explorer.

To my shock, within an hour I was digging up old coins—over two dollars’ worth. Some were silver, which amazed me. But then came the moment that changed everything. I pulled up a large, dark coin the size of a half-dollar. I brushed the dirt away and saw the date: 1822. I had never even heard of a Coronet Head Large Cent. I didn’t even know our country made such a coin.

I remember standing there in that field, holding that coin like it was a pirate doubloon. That was the moment I realized something about myself: I loved the thrill of finding something forgotten or overlooked and bringing it back to life. That feeling never left me. I sell most of the things I find now unless I need them but this one I kept.

As the years went on, that early instinct grew into something bigger. People often ask me how I got started buying and selling things or why I spent my life picking, digging, and hunting through boxes and barns. The truth is simple: I love the hunt. I love the surprise. I love the idea that something valuable can be hiding in plain sight.

When Mommy and I first got married and money was tight, those instincts kicked right back in. There were no gig jobs, no eBay, no side hustles—just me trying to support a young family. After a short stint doing tile and caulking jobs, I remembered my Uncle John and Aunt Bea, old-school antique dealers who always had a story. One Thanksgiving, my uncle took me into his basement and showed me his finds. Every time I asked where something came from, the answer was the same:
“I found this in the trash.”

That was all I needed to hear.

The next week, I yanked the back seat out of my car and started treasure hunting in Upper Darby on trash day. I’ll never forget that shock of discovering how much good stuff people threw away. Three carloads later, I was in business, selling everything through The Penny Pincher and supplementing our income by $500–$800 a month.

That thrill eventually led me to antique picking, flea markets, estate sales, and finally eBay—where I became one of the first sellers in 1999. Over the years I’ve found some incredible things, including the Waterford chandelier sitting on top of a trash can that I sold for $2,600 back when $2,600 felt like a fortune.

But even with all the amazing treasures I’ve uncovered, nothing ever matched the magic of that 1822 Large Cent—not because of its value, but because of what it represented. It was the spark that lit everything else.

Today, I’m semi-retired. I only pick as a hobby now, but once a treasure hunter, always a treasure hunter. It’s not something you can shake. Even now, if I’m driving past something interesting on the curb, or wandering through a thrift shop, flea market, or estate sale, that same curiosity kicks in. I can’t help it—I still slow down, still look twice, still wonder what treasure might be hiding in plain sight.

So when today’s prompt asks, “What’s the coolest thing you ever found and kept?” the answer is easy. It was that old, dirt-covered 1822 Coronet Head Large Cent discovered by a skinny kid who didn’t know his future—but somehow found it anyway.

If you enjoy treasure hunting as much as I do, or you’re curious about the kinds of things I’ve picked over the years, feel free to check out my eBay store. I’ll link it at the bottom of this post.

https://www.ebay.com/str/consignfordesignhometreasures

And if you’ve ever found something that gave you that same spark, I’d love to hear your story too.