Copper wash tub fulfills lifelong dream

My book, “Rag Man, Rag Man,” brings back memories of working the East Side city dump as a 13-year-old. It was the summer vacation of 1937 and money was in short supply. There were many of us taking our turns as trucks and cars streamed to the dump. It was the days before curbside recycling.

The number one treasure among mountains of trash was the oval shape copper wash tub. During my 20 years of retirement and thousands of garage sales, I have seen only three. The first one many years ago had a lid and was in mint condition, with a mint price tag of $165. I quickly passed on that.

Missed opportunity

Several years ago I just missed out on a bargain basement tub. As I turned around I spotted this black object with many years of accumulated dirt covering it. Another person had his hand on it and the lady asked $1 for it. The weight of the tub made it worth about $20.

My final chance at obtaining this lifelong elusive treasure occurred a few summers ago. It was a clean, slightly battered tub with no lid. It was reasonably priced, so I bought it to fulfill my lifelong desire.

After looking at it in the garage for awhile, I decided to part with the old relic. My garage sale and junk man days are over.

My deceased wife Margaret often chided me and said, “Don’t bring any more garage sale junk home unless it can fit into your pockets.” At last my pockets and garage are all cleaned out.

X Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and has been inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.