Tuesday Treasures - February 3, 2026

 As promised last Tuesday, here are some items I found in the Goodwill Bins.  

Books Are Fun Bookends

Made from compressed cardboard, these have a recessed panel with four holes in the back, not a normal bookend feature.  However, that is a layout used for award certificates, photo mounts, presentation folders, etc. from the 1930s into the 1950s.  Fabric tape or ribbon was threaded through holes to secure the documents.  

The ribbon material used here (tied like this when I bought them) is a cotton tape, likely made from flour sack material, which was the standard material to use then.  If the bookends and ribbons were originally used together they likely date to the earlier years, say 1935 into the '40s, Depression-era or early postwar American craft traditions.  

Another item from the 1940s is this portable multi-game suitcase made by E. S. Lowe. If you go to the Goodwill Bins, always, ALWAYS, open boxes, containers, bags, etc.!  Before I opened it I could tell it was vintage by the smell. 

It's not complete, but not missing many components (the game book and card decks for instance), and still includes more than some for sale online.  Pretty valuable! 

There's a roulette wheel, which incredibly still has its original ball, a double-sided felt for roulette and horse races (adorable little horses, and tickets for betting!), a board for checkers, chess, and backgammon.   Other sets can be configured differently. 

A rattan purse.  Sometimes I like these sorts for summer. This seems unused. 

A new library book tote bag.  Why did I need a new one, when I'd won one of the county library's during a summer reading program?  Because that one is nowhere to be found, and the last person who used it, returning books in the outside book drop thinks they may have put it in the drop with the books!  I didn't notice it was missing for a few weeks.  Anyway, here is an unused Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger one to replace it!   Perhaps unused as it has a printing error.  Piglet's quote is incomplete.  I saw some online with the correct "A smile makes all the difference."

Piglet's so cute peeking out!  I grew up with the original A. A. Milne Pooh, so don't get me started if you know the Disney Pooh!

A bunch of other stuff.  A few dog toys with squeakers.  Vintage Disney LPs. Postcards!  New in the box Apple Lightning to earbud thing.  Art paper... permanent marker... blue ball point pen... new unopened Bicycle playing cards... the basic bottom of the Bins little things.