Hidden Gems and Valuable Treasures People Found on the Street

Coin collectors probably dream of coming across something like this. Someone posted this photo online and said they were driving down a dirt road that people sometimes use to dump their trash. He happened to stop one day and found a box filled with old notes and coins, some of which are from countries that have long since dissolved. What are the odds someone just happened to stop on the day when there was actually something worth finding?

At first glance, you might think someone found this cat on the side of the road, but this person already had the cat. Instead, they found this IKEA bed that was made for dolls. They brought it home, and it turned out to be the perfect size for their cat, who can be seen sleepily lounging away in this photo. This is actually a great idea for anyone who has a cat. 

It’s not every day that you come across artwork from one of the most famous artists of the last century. However, that’s just what happened to one worker who posted these sketches by Dali online. Apparently, their boss was cleaning out a family home, and he brought these in, along with a lot of other stuff, and said employees were free to take whatever they wanted. Someone with a good eye snagged these. 

Here’s another really cool find. Someone happened across this old liquor cabinet. Unlike other cabinets, this one was hand carved and you can see all of the intricate carvings in the photo. It’s a bit hard to make out, but it looks like the whole cabinet is covered in all kinds of different scenes, while the edges are probably decorated in dragons or vines, which means it could’ve come from somewhere in Asia. 

This one is almost unbelievable. Some lucky person happened to be riding around when they came across this bike with a “free” sign on it. They said that there was nothing wrong with it and that it ran fine. Apparently, the guy had just been laid off, and he planned on moving. However, he couldn’t afford to take the bike with him, so he just parked it in the yard and gave it away. 

It’s not uncommon for someone to throw away or see an old piece of furniture lying in the trash and just leave it there. However, the person who posted this photo knew that this old cabinet would look great. With a new coat of paint and some paper on the inside of the shelves. It also looks like whoever the previous owner was, they’d decided to give it some paint in the past. 

It’s not uncommon to paint old furniture, but it is a bit uncommon to paint over marble-top tables. So, imagine this person’s surprise when they started stripping the top on this table, probably expecting to find wood, only to find a beautiful marble top. The paint that was used also looks really thick, so whoever removed all of it probably spent hours trying to get it off. It looks like they also restored the wooden legs. 

This just might be the coolest rocker we’ve ever seen. Someone posted this photo and said that they found in the curb down the road from their house. They planned on sanding it down and then giving it to their godson as a gift, which is pretty cool. It even looks as though the propeller in the front might move. Imagine having a rocker like this if you were a little kid. 

Dressers can be a bit pricey. However, that price shoots way up when you’re talking about a new dresser and not an antique like the one pictured here. Someone happened to find this on the side of the road for free, and they decided to give it a new look. The finished product looks really good, and we can’t imagine how long it took them to blend all of the paint. 

This is probably one of our favorite finds on this list. Someone threw out this Kitchen Aid Professional, along with the mixer and attachments, for some unknown reason. Luckily, someone else was driving by, saw it, and stopped to pick it up. These things are really known for their durability, and they usually last forever, so it’s kind of weird that someone would just throw it out for no reason. 

Most of the stuff on this list is relatively old, but not this. For some reason, someone threw out a pretty new-looking 4K TV. And from the image that the person who found it posted online, it looks as though it works just fine. They even said that they don’t really watch much TV, but when they saw it, they had to stop and dig it out of the trash.

This is one that we can understand why someone may have thrown it out. The person who posted the image said that it needed repairs, and you can tell that one of the arms is slightly drooping. Apparently, their daughter found it on the side of the road, and together, they worked to redo the upholstery and fix the arm using some wood glue. It probably took a bit of time to finish everything up. 

They really don’t make some things like they used to. Just take a look at this Singer sewing machine from 1922. It looks like it was built to last, and all of the gold detailing on it is gorgeous. While it’s not uncommon for something in one of these to break, it’s usually a pretty easy fix, and once it is fixed, it lasts for a really long time. 

If you’ve never seen one of these before, then you’d probably be shocked to learn that they go for a couple hundred dollars or more per piece. That’s because Le Creuset kitchenware is known to last for generations. Someone found this one in their building and said that another tenant left it in the disposal room. So, they ended up getting a $200 or more pot for completely free.  

Mid-century pieces are as popular right now as they’ve literally ever been, which has also caused their price to skyrocket, especially for older pieces. So, imagine this person’s excitement when they saw a curb alert for the two mid-century dressers in this photo. Each one would probably go for around $300 or more, depending on where you’re located, and probably as high as $500 or more for the long dresser. 

If you’ve ever bought tools, then you know just how expensive they can be. Toolboxes are the same, but this lucky person looked over while driving and saw that someone had stuck this Craftsman toolbox by the side of the road with a sign that read “free.” It’s a smaller one, so it’s probably not incredibly expensive, but it’s still a great find, and they’re made to last a lifetime. 

We’re not sure exactly what kind of plant this is, but we do know that after this photo was posted, others commented that these go for a couple hundred dollars in the US. The person who posted the photo said that they saw it sticking out of the trash and when they went to go dig it out, the owner walked outside. Luckily, it was just to offer them a box to take it in. 

Old cedar chests used to be incredibly common, and one of the best brands you could get was Lane. However, they’re usually not found with their original shelves, and cedar has a habit of drying out and splitting over the years. So, this curbside find is really great. You can almost smell the cedar just by looking at the photo. It even looks like it has it’s originally tags on the inside. 

We’re not exactly sure how much art supplies go for, but we do know that some of them can get really pricey. The set in this photo looks really nice, and it even comes with brushes and a pair of Lous Vuitton glasses. Someone found all of this stuff in a trash bag outside of an apartment and posted the photo online to show off their haul, which is really cool.

This table just happened to pop up on the curb at exactly the right time. The finder posted this photo and said that they’d been looking for a table for their kitchen for a couple of weeks before they happened to drive by this drop leaf that was left outside. It doesn’t look extremely old from the legs, but it does look really well-built. The top is made from oak, which is sure to last. 

Sometimes, it’s just hard to get rid of things. A thrift store was having trouble selling this chair, but as soon as they put a “free” sticker on it, someone grabbed it up. A lot of people commented and said that they would’ve paid a lot of money for it, but we guess it just depends on where you’re at and what kind of clientele comes through the store. 

If you have kids, then you know how hard it can be to get them to keep their rooms clean and their toys organized. It’s extremely hard if they happen to have a lot of Legos. So, that may be why one parent decided to give away this tub filled with all kinds of different Lego parts. It looks like it was all just thrown in the bucket and given like that. 

They say that you find the best things out by the curb on garbage day, which makes sense. A neighbor picked up this old steamer trunk from someone down the road. You can’t really do too much with them today, but they do make for great decorations, and this one was turned into a coffee table. Best of all, you can open it up and store things inside if you need more space. 

Records have been having a comeback over the last decade. So, we’re kind of surprised someone just decided to toss all of these out into the road. Well, not exactly out into the road, but they did throw them away. A person saw them and stopped to pick them up and take them home. Of course, after this was posted, everyone commented about all of the memories they had of listening to some of these albums. 

This small chair from IKEA was originally made for kids and it looks a bit boring as is. However, someone found it out by the road and brought it home, making sure to redo the fabric. They completely changed the look of the entire chair and they said that their dog now uses it as a place to nap, or as a throne. The only thing the dog needs now is a crown. 

We love these chairs. Not only are they overly elaborate, but they’re also really comfortable. These types of chairs are usually made out of wicker or rattan, although you can sometimes find them made from iron. And they’re usually really expensive. This one is a bit more elaborate than most, but the person who found it apparently didn’t pay a dime. They said they were waiting in traffic when they saw it on the curb. 

Can you imagine how many nights someone, or a family, sat by this old radio and listened to the news from around the world? It’s kind of crazy to think about now, but these use to be super popular before TVs came along and changed the way most people were entertained or informed. Anyway, this one is from the early 1940s, and someone had just thrown it out on the side of the road. 

We’ve seen a lot of furniture before, but this table is pretty unique. The curves sort of remind us of mid-century modern furniture, but it’s a bit too curvy for that. It’s probably from a bit earlier, during the Art Deco period. It was sitting out on the curb when someone spotted it and thought that it’d make for a nice plant stand. They turned out to be right, and after a fresh coat of paint, it looks better than new. 

Skiing and snowboarding can be really expensive sports. The person who posted this photo said that they’d been trying to save up for weeks to buy their own snowboard and that they’d had to borrow from friends while learning. However, on trash day, they came across three that someone had thrown out by the road. That’s incredibly lucky. We’re glad they ended up finding it and not someone else who doesn’t ski. 

We’ve said this for other photos on this list, but tools are expensive. They usually cost a lot of money because they’re made to last forever, or at least for a very long time. There’s not many ways to cheap out on making them, since their purpose is to take punishment and get the job done. This person happened across a brand new set of wrenches while they were walking down the road. 

This one is a bit sad because you just know someone had spent a lot of time making this, maybe even as a gift for someone else. Luckily, it didn’t make it to the landfill because someone saw it on the side of the road and pretty much saved it. It looks as though someone made it using cloth, perhaps from old blankets or clothes. It’s a pretty cool little piece. 

This is a really cool piece of furniture. It’s an old daybed that looks like it was made out of maple or walnut. Someone just decided to get it for free instead of just going out and buying some cushions for it, which is a bit of a shame because it has a really great shape. The legs and arms are both kind of elegant looking, and we’re sure it’s going to look great once it has cushions. 

The word credenza isn’t used a whole lot anymore, but it basically just refers to a small cabinet that’s usually a bit longer than it is taller. They come in all different shapes and sizes, but this particular one is a Danish credenza, hence the clean lines. Anyway, someone posted this photo and said they found it one the side of the curb while they were on their way to work. 

No this wasn’t stolen, (at least not that we know of). They loaded it up in the middle of the night because someone placed it outside to be picked up on trash day the next morning. Not wanting to risk someone else finding it, the person who posted this photo had a friend help him load it into the truck, and they took it home. It’s a really interesting color. 

This little coffee table was placed out by the road by the previous owners. Luckily, someone saw it and dragged it back home with them, where they went to work sanding it down and giving it a darker stain. After finishing, they posted the photos online, and it looks a whole lot better, in our opinion. It’s obviously made from pine (at least, parts of it), but that yellow stain was just a bit much.

Here’s another happy story. These photos were posted online by someone who said that their washer and dryer had just gone out and that they didn’t really have the money to buy new ones. Thankfully, someone else just happened to put their washer and dryer out by the curb not long after. The woman went and knocked on the door to ask them if they worked, and the people said they did. 

Firstly, we’ve never seen a machine that dispenses roasted peanuts. The whole concept is really cool in and of itself. Secondly, we’re glad whoever found this knew how to restore old machines because the after photo looks really great. When they found it, there was some rust, and all of the colors were fading out. They added some new paint, cleaned it up a bit, and now they have a nice conversation starter. 

Most dog kennels are pretty small and made out of wire. However, this one is really nice. It has a wooden frame and even patterned doors. The person who posted the image said that a neighbor was throwing it out and offered to give it to them for free. Luckily, they were in the market for one, so they took and now their dog has a fancy new place to sleep. 

While Christmas ornaments are only brought out once a year, having a nice set can save you from having to go out and spend a whole lot of money every year. The ornaments in this photo were being thrown out, so someone ended up getting a whole collection for free. Not only that, but they also look like they’re really nice. Just take a look at the cat ornament they’re holding in their hand. 

After seeing someone post a curb alert with a bunch of different items, this person swooped in and got the china cabinet. It looks like it fits their space really well, and the black and wood cabinet goes with the other stuff they have in their kitchen. They’ve also found a really unique way to use it, storing books and what looks like art supplies and other things inside.