Display your thrifting finds

OK, "luxury" is pushing it, but I like the flip out keypad, the backlit display, and that it uses a 9V battery which means I can use a USB battery instead of disposable coin cells.

The stainless steel surface is easy to clean, and the readout isn't blocked by the thing you're weighing.

I don't know, what do you think? Good deal?

Fans of Criterion may be familiar with this release. The most pretentious home video distributor actually put out Michael Bay’s Armageddon on DVD. I have a handful of other Criterion releases. They like auteurs, and Bay is an auteur of chaotic trash.

Found for $3. Both disks are present and in good condition. The insert has a small tear. The case is pretty scuffed up though. Very happy with this condition for that cost.

This thing looks, and feels, like it came from an actual F-15. Holding it I feel like I could bomb [country that offends you] tonight!

Anyhow it's a Radio Shack 26-8104 "F-15 Combat Fighter" joystick. It's heavy. There seems to be a metal plate with actual hex head screws holding it together. There's a mish-mash of PS2, PC, and DB-15 connectors on there, can't wait to see if it sends out mouse or keyboard signals. Maybe because it has so many buttons it uses both the 15 pin and keyboard interface?

Googling it gives the rarely seen

"No results found for Radio Shack 26-8104 "F-15 Combat Fighter"."

Like, you'd think maybe one or two hits, something, some retirement home Myspace page about flight sims, nothing.

I just buy these things because they amaze me more than having a use for them.

Never heard of this company, this is for some fancy throughout-the-house amp system. These things would be near the speakers while the central control was elsewhere. It must need a pre-amp or something since there's no volume control.

I only picked it up because of the great weight and metal face plate. For 18$ I get an enormous transformer in there. Apparently on eBay the sold listings are >100$. Not bad.

Still-in-wrap discs for $2 each then a pair of totally '80s portable speakers. I think there must have been a portable Citizen radio-cassette player in the middle. I just wanted them for the rizz

I think these three movies are a good haul on Bluray. There is a lot less quantity than before in the disc sections, I was pretty happy to find these.

Didn't need it but I miss keys and I think this thing was pretty good in its day. Unfortunately I didn't check for leakage in the store, they get upset if you open the package before buying. It had carbon-zinc batteries with a little leakage that rinsed away with tap water, but the backup battery was horrendous. Thing won't power up, I suppose I'll have open it and clean it/fix it. Or just toss it in storage.

£3.00 purchase for my partner to cut for her collages.

It's clean and looks new. I wanted a bigger cup and here we go! Granted the price isn't some great 1$ find like we used to have...

Couldn't believe it when I saw this at the Sally Ann tonight. I recognized it immediately from my childhood, my best friend at the time had one. I remembered it being very sturdy, able to easily withstand rage quits and keep working. I never had one, I was a Kraft joystick kid.

Now I can see why it's so resistant, the base is two pieces screwed together and it looks like about 3mm thick plastic, and it's strong stuff. The contacts inside are quite large metal leaf contacts with no corrosion.

It needs a good wipe and clean, and for 5$ it's a good deal, that doesn't even cover shipping on eBay. I will have to try it on my VIC-20 some time.

A basic LD player without double-sided playing, no s-video out, and no digital audio out. But hey 12$!

I didn't think I'd find Nakamichi gear at a Renaissance but here we are. It's a lower-end deck for sure, I consider any deck without an illuminated tape well thingy to be of lower status, at least in the estimation of the manufacturer at the time.

It's pretty bare bones, but the front is very clean, no nicks, but the cover has some scratches and a dent you can see on the left over the logo.

Inside there are Nakamichi motors and a belt I'd say needs changing: it's pretty slack.

Off to download the service manual, plan for a bit, then store this deck among the untouched previous dreams of repairs...

For 5$ I couldn't resist. It feels plasticky and cheap, just the way I like it, but the pointer thing is pretty good.

Just that, a relic and another relic.

I thought it was decorative but it has all the parts of the real thing as I recall them from childhood. This one must have never been used, there's no kerosene/oil smell. Don't know what use case I have for an oil lamp but hey, I like the look.

I couldn't resist this goofy keyboard, although its heft and quality suggest an industrial use, it has annoying quirks such as the escape key being in a weird place and the space bar being small so I hit the Alt keys instead. But man the keys are good! It's an ione (iONE?) Scorpius 35, for 4.95$.

Next I scored a UHD of A Bug's Life for 5$ at the Salvation Army, not the usual spot for 4K stuff.

Then a Breville Inissia Nespresso machine. Took a gamble in store since there's no water there to test. The machine had all its accessories, didn't stink, was clean, and powered up nicely. I started the pump and the heater warmed up so I gambled 23.85$.

It does make a shot but there's a leak somewhere inside. Maybe time to crack it open on the weekend.

This has a good old 60Hz mains transformer and a little linear regulator board in there. Should be good enough. Didn't need it, but for that price that doesn't even cover shipping. I certainly didn't need one, but I wanted it anyway!

I'm not even a musician but I liked the look. Doesn't work but I bet it's because of the makeshift repair on the battery wires.

My New Year's resolution to stop hoarding DVDs lasted 4 days. Not bad! So here's The Sopranos on 6 discs, they call em DVD-9 discs which means they are dual layer. So I guess they must also be compressed to hell, but for 7.50$ for a 1/2 inch thick folder with magnetic closer, not bad.

It seems to be from the Far East market because of the writing on the back, but the audio is English, French, and Spanish. Interesting!

I had never heard of this series before I thrifted the Season 1 set. The S1 set pops up about once a month in various shops, but I had never seen the S2 before today. That wraps it up, it's only two seasons. It's a pretty good watch IMO. It's magical fantasy historical drama, I guess.

Almost skipped over this one, at a glance I thought it was some kind of chunky transistor radio of the "Columbus" brand, but then I saw the buttons and the HITACHI, the Columbus is just some sticker.

This is a cool little mono tapecorder thingy. Very clean "leather" (?, I think it might be real) case, no smells. Who knows what I can do with this, I don't feel like powering it up, but as a tchotchke? Wonderful!

Oh and it was 8$. I think this thing is worth maybe 20-25$ + shipping, considering I got no accessories and the battery cover is missing, it's fair. You can't notice it's missing with the case on.

No idea what's been going on for the last few days, another new-looking piece of semi-respectable audio gear. NAD has a decent reputation, I don't quite see it but for 23$, meh.

Another bookend. Soon my Kallax will collapse like those pictures of Kallaxes overloaded with vinyls.

It's in mint condition, the inside looks new, like not even a speck of dust. NAD had this odd fetish of backlighting their displays with incandescent lightbulbs, that look like Maglite bulbs, soldered to a board that overheats. The board looks new and the bulbs as well. No smoky insides.

For a manufacture year of 1999, that's quite an interesting design choice.

I didn't even bother plugging it in yet, even I, Certified Master Hoarder, didn't have a CD on hand and there's no headphone jack anyway.

This thing is crazy. It's this giant cassette deck with an ultimate late '70s look to it. Those huge vertical VU meters, LED "Spectropeak" display, that power button, those piano keys, beautiful.

It's in impeccable condition, all the knobs are there, not even a scratch on the cassette door window.

It's massive, super heavy and huge. Inside it's amazing, it's a basic single motor mechanism but everything's huge in there. Huge motor, gigantic flywheel, and some kind of internal secondary chassis to hold stuff in place. Belt's slack though, at least it ain't goopified.

It doesn't do Dolby but has ANRS and Super ANRS, some kind of alternative noise reduction system.

It didn't power up at the Renaissance but it was 15$. It will make a decoration or bookend if, as I suspect, I will never attempt to repair it.

I guess this can be handy if you have coax going between rooms but want ethernet connectivity. Sure this thing is about 15 years old but it's new in box, the stuff inside is still in its baggies.

I just think it looks cool.