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| I could not believe the playfield graphics were in perfect shape! |
When I first moved into my home 13 years ago, the highlight of my month was the third Tuesday of each month wherein we had something called " bulk trash pickup. " At the time you could sit up to three items curbside and the city would remove it as part of your taxes that you pay. A few years ago they changed that to "call in appointment only" and then eventually, it went away altogether.
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| I had to look twice when I saw this sitting with original ephemera on it. |
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Trust and believe that was ONE of my original deciding factors when 13 years ago I decided to move in the city. I'm not ashamed to say I am a "certified and qualified" trash picker. I'm not ashamed to admit it. The money you have spent on decor,and furnishings I have saved by "picking". I think 70% of my house furnishings, and decor came from curbside. They say trash is treasure but it's true.
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| 1960 Bally Pinball Fun Spot Playfield curbside Baltimore. |
I actually had this down to a science, before "American Pickers" there was the "Parkville Pickers", a group of people from Parkville to Hamilton who would spend their night riding up and down the street taking "free" trash. Probably illegal, but I guess we thought we were doing a good deed by saving these antiques from the dump! I had it down to a science, the next neighborhood over was the 4th Thursday, then there was the infamous Roland Park, on the 4th Wednesday, or something to that impact. I was "trashing" in hoods all over Baltimore. There were at least 10 of us, up and down the streets often waving to each other wondering what the other had found. Ahhhhh, the good old days. Those days are long gone now.
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| I wonder how these graphics were done as they are so lovely.. |
Now people are forced to call a trash removal service or take the items to their local dump, sadly instead of just announcing a once per month - sit your trash out - free for all which would go over well for people as this country is in the "go Green recycle" gear now. It would also save landfill space but noooooooooo we have litter everywhere now more than ever, people illegally dumping furniture and more all over the place. Sad. So imagine my surprise when I found this, just sitting on the side of Harford Road in a trash heap last week. I can only imagine someone had an old Bally Fun Spot Pinball Machine in their basement, (
see what it looks like here on the and were disassembling it piece by piece to get it out. I never did go back and look for the rest, what do I need a pinball machine for?
I plan on taking some of the hardware off this playfield, removing the lighting and removing all the wiring from the back. That will make it only a shell of a playfield and light enough to hang on the wall. Ironically the graphics are of a 1950's carnival and hubby works as a concessionaire. So there you go, a good home for this piece of trash that would otherwise be hogging up the dump.
It's Baltimore (pronounced Bal-mer) Hon, anything goes.
Past Trashy Treasures Finds:
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| Horse. |
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| Architectural Column |
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| Stove Clock |
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| Stained Glass Window (two cracks, one missing piece) |
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| Shabby Cabinet |
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I could go on and on, because it's my whole house!
Update : 1/2/16 I decided to sell my 1920's home and move to the country. I wonder how many of these old trash finds I'll have room for? The rest will be sold in my shop RetroChalet.
