On my way home from work yesterday, driving my usual route through Webster Groves on Oakwood Avenue, I noticed a large pile of objects set out to the curb for the trash man. A woman walking by paused momentarily to scan the objects, but upon seeing my car approaching kept walking. Clearly, she was too proud to pick through someone else's garbage; I on the other hand have no qualms. I did a quick scan as I drove by and was intrigued enough to turn at the next block and loop back around.
Pulling to a stop, I hopped out of my car and began the assessment. The house had a for sale sign in the yard and it appeared the seller had emptied the contents that had been left behind. The first thing I saw was a large homemade easel painted red with the words "Leigh Ann and Kris, 1962" painted in white. It was too large and nothing I needed, so I looked further. That's when I saw a Motorola portable radio on the ground. I threw that in the car and then spotted a clock with a glass face. Another smaller mantle style clock lay next to it. Just beyond that were two vintage tennis raquets. The last thing I noticed was a box of very old stuffed animals. I looked through them with dreams of finding a Steiff, but most appeared to be homemade and were very worn. Thoughts of Toy Story 3 and Woody and the gang headed for the incinerator passed through my head, but so did thoughts of what critters might live on their filthy furry bodies. They stayed. Sorry guys.
At home, I cleaned everything up and began some researching. First up is a Mastercrafters Starlight No. 146 clock from 1958.