Trash or Treasure??????

When on the South Coast in August visiting our daughter Kerry, we did a tour of some old shops with knick knacks antiques lost and forgotten items. 

I really liked this bench, if we lived down there, would have nagged till I got it. Reminds me of an old bench my grandparents had in their sunroom. 

My favourite haunt anywhere. For some reason old cups and old pots and old ornaments bring out the hoarder in me, I want to buy it all. Russell had to severely take me in hand and push me out of them, as I oohed and aaahed and covetted old rubbish. But you know the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure"  it all depends on how you look at it, and who you are. Right ? 

Liked these glass bottles, but the man just rolled his eyes at me. 

Could not believe it, look this old copper kettle, it is electric !! Want it ! Nope...............oooh

I took pictures of everything and some prints had caught my eye, but I did not even dare mention them to the man ; who by now was standing outside tapping his foot, he wanted to go to the beach and catch some fish. 

When we got back, I put my photos up and asked him to have a look at the snapshots. We both got very excited, looking properly and seeing the dates and the signature. We enlarged , zoomed and looked and then phoned Kerry to tell her to go buy all 4 prints for us and keep until somebody got there again. 

I wanted to share the pics long ago , but thought maybe wait till I actually had them in my hand here at home. 

Warren just got back from a business trip to Durban and picked prints up for us on the way. 

Cape Town 1908 - A mail train leaving Cape Town station for Johannesburg

Pretoria 1927 - Church Street, looking towards Church Square

Port Elizabeth 1932 - Plain Street 

Johannesburg 1954 - Intersection of Eloff and President Street. 

They are definitely prints of photographs, but I think the value is that they are signed. they have recently been re-framed as well. Now to find out who the photographer was. Nothing on Google I can see, have tried all search engines. The signature says Simon. Wonder if more in the series. Lucky we have a very long hallway , so down goes the prints of oil pastels of old Johannesburg, they need cleaning and reframing, anyway. 

What do you think ?? Trash or Treasure??