One time I found a commercial grade popcorn popper, like the kind in movie theaters, laying beside a dumpster. The light even worked and the scoop was inside. It was simply missing one screw that held the pot release handle. I took it home and fixed it; used it for a while and then sold it on ebay for 400 bucks.
Another time I pulled up to a residential stop and the woman was at the street putting more trash in her garbage can. After the small talk, I could see she had a nice quilt she was getting ready to put in so I asked her if she was really going to part with it. Her reply: Yea, my great grandmother made it 80 years ago and I don't want it anymore. I still have it and it is my favorite to use. My mother in law looked at it and mentioned how nice it was because of how close the threads are, or something like that.