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Why SHEENY...??
For those of you who might wonder..."Why Sheeny ...", let me take a moment to enlighten, so that
you may experience the smiles, nostalgic memories, and the love and the yearning for a simpler day.
Sheeny : a peddler or street vendor, usually someone who bought and sold used articles, rags, or
scrap metal. This term is not used so much anymore. Some usage may have been derogatory.
A threat to kids was "If you don't behave yourself, we'll sell ya to the sheeny." www.coalregion.com.
Sheeny was simply the name for the junk man, never mind race or religion. We had what would be
called the Sheeny Man. He was usually a guy that walked the alley on a horse driven cart. But it was
more like a buckboard. And he would collect things that people would throw away. He was a junkman.
To see someone picking thru your garbage can be disgusting, embarasing and sometimes calls up the
image of "Junkman"..."Sheenyman"..."Garbage Picker"..."Transient"..."Bum"...etc.
But stop and think, large businesses, organizations and the like are doing exactly the same thing on a large
scale...and you don't seem to be offended! It's called recycling! It's a basic fundamental of human nature
and of nature itself! From big business to family traditions of handing down things to another generation,
it's a way of life.
Resale shops, secondhand stores, state-run organizations, all receive things that are retrieved from "the
state of the junk". How do you think "Dumpster Diving" became such a fad?
Junking - redefining the usage of things...not to mention...a way of cleaning up our polluted Earth.
www.homepages.go.com
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Now, after understanding the state of "Junking", I must also mention the following:
A lot of the items I offer come from auctions, yard sales, basements, garages and out buildings, attics
and even houses and buildings slated to be torn down.
Therefore, I cannot guarantee an item is not from a smoke-free environment, nor can I guarantee that
it does not have that old, musty aroma.
There may be slight moisture damage, stains, soiling, even evidence of bug damage (paper items especially).
But rather than throw something away, a lot of times it may still be of interest, for reading, information,
research, pictures, etc.
These types of items are not intended for the serious collector, unless the collector knows it is a "sleeper",
rare or unique and is a "must have". In that case, he will probably be getting a great deal.
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Now, you have to wonder. Are my items collectible or just items of interest?
A collectible is typically a manufactured item designed for people to collect. Like sports cards or the
many other trading cards available.
A collector's item, in contrast is made without the intention of special interest but due to rarity or uniqueness,
production fault, human error, or other events, becomes sought after due to its rarity in these circumstances.
Ephemera is transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved.
Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, bookmarks, catalogues, greeting
cards, letters, pamphlets, postcards, posters, prospectuses, stock certificates, tickets and zines.
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and
maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector.
The items collectors collect may be antique, or simply collectible. Collectors and dealers may use the word
vintage to describe older collectibles.
Items which were once everyday objects may now be collectible since almost all those once produced have
been destroyed or discarded (see Ephemera).
Memorabilia (Latin for memorable (things), plural of memorābile) are objects treasured for their memories;
however, unlike souvenirs, memorabilia are valued for a connection to an event.
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