One Man's Junk

My brother has a knack for finding unusual things.  I think it's a gift that our family has -- finding the absurd in this world.  Anyway today he came out into the living room and said, "Hey, you've got to see my latest find."

Oh, boy!  I thought to myself that it was probably going to be something.  I was right.  He disappeared down into the basement and then bounded back up the stairs with a lamp that had the base of a parking meter.  And it was a REAL parking meter.

"Where in the world did you find that?" I asked.

"I saw it sitting in someone's trash along the side of the road up North," he replied.  "There were two of them so my buddy got one and I got one."

"It gets even better," he continued.  "Try holding it."

He set it in my hands and the darn thing was HEAVY!

"Jeepers!" I exclaimed.  "What in the world?  Is it full of coins?"

"Yes," he said.  "I jimmied the back and look at this."  John pried open a little slot in the back and pulled out a container that was filled with coins.

I couldn't believe it.  Someone had thrown away this "gem" of a lamp and it had been filled with money.

"Now," he said, handing me a coin, "put this in one of the coin slots."

I did as directed and darn if the lamp didn't light up.  Wow!  What a conversation piece.  Have friends over and let them feed your lamp.  Make a little money on the side.

"If you put in a nickel, the lamp stays lit for an hour.  Put in a dime and you can have light for 2 hours," he laughed.

And to think that someone threw out a treasure like this!