What I take (and what I don't)

Printing presses, letterpress type & print-shop gear

Tabletop, platen and proof presses (Kelsey, Chandler & Price, Golding, Vandercook), type cabinets and California job cases, lead and wood type, galleys, chases and quoins, composing sticks, paper cutters, and bookbinding, etching and litho presses — a retiring printer’s shop or a hobby press in the garage. Heavy presses are photo first: tell me where it sits and how it would come out, and I’ll say honestly whether I can move it (a forklift for suitable loads). Printing press pickup →

Flat files, map & drafting cabinets, card catalogs, mail sorters

Oak and steel flat files and map or plan cabinets, drafting tables and stools, oak card catalogs, multi-drawer parts cabinets, and old wooden pigeonhole mail sorters and post-office-box doors. Pull any confidential drawings first. Anything marked USPS property (trays, tubs, hampers, carts, satchels) is federal property — it goes back to the post office, not to me. Flat file & drafting cabinet pickup →

Architectural salvage & old door hardware

Glass, crystal, porcelain and brass doorknobs and backplates, mortise locks and skeleton keys, hinges, sash and cabinet hardware, plus removed doors, stained and leaded glass, mantels, radiators and vintage plumbing fixtures. I pick up what’s already out or ready to go — I’m not a demolition contractor — and heavy pieces are photo first. Architectural salvage pickup →

Vintage & industrial lighting

RLM and barn shades, Holophane glass, cage and explosion-proof lights, schoolhouse, theater and mid-century fixtures, and new-in-box commercial fixtures from a job’s leftovers — once they’re down (an electrician takes down anything wired in). No loose fluorescent tubes, CFLs or HID bulbs, and no fixture still carrying a pre-1979 ballast. Vintage & industrial lighting pickup →

Outdoor & camping gear

Tents, sleeping bags and pads, backpacks, camp stoves, climbing, ski and snowboard gear, trekking poles, and more. Albuquerque is an outdoors town, so good gear gets a fast second life. Brand and condition drive value, so a photo helps. Camping & outdoor gear pickup →

Tools — hand, power & yard

Drills, saws, sanders, wrenches, mowers, trimmers, generators, pressure washers, air compressors, chainsaws, tool chests, shop equipment, and hardware. Working tools are always in demand. Please drain fuel from gas equipment first. Used tool pickup →

Bikes & sporting goods

Adult and kids' bikes, parts, and cycling gear, plus golf clubs, fishing gear, kayaks and paddleboards, skis and snowboards, and quality fitness equipment. Bulky to store, easy to rehome. Bike pickup → · Sporting goods pickup →

Musical instruments

Guitars, amps, keyboards, drums, band and orchestra instruments, pedals, and recording gear. Even well-worn instruments usually have real value. (Full-size pianos and organs are too big for one person.) Instrument pickup →

Electronics & e-waste — working or not (my favorite)

This is the stuff I most want. Game consoles and games, cameras and lenses, vintage and home audio, drones, synths, laptops, tablets, phones, plus computer parts, networking gear, cables, and components — working or not. I find the value in whatever's resale-worthy and recycle the rest myself; it's genuinely easy and free for me, so almost nothing has to hit the landfill. A model number and photo help, but when in doubt, send electronics my way. (The one thing I pass on is giant CRT/console TVs — too heavy for one person.) Electronics & e-waste pickup →

Scrap metal, wire & radiators — free removal

Copper, aluminum, brass, steel, wire, and radiators: I haul metal off free and keep the salvage value, so you clear the space at no cost. Heavy machinery and industrial equipment too — by arrangement, a forklift for suitable loads (photo first). This is free removal, not cash for metal (a scrap yard is your move if you want to be paid by the pound). Free scrap metal pickup → · Industrial equipment removal →

Vintage & quality furniture — photo first

Photograph the whole piece, the maker’s mark (inside a drawer, on the back or underneath), any damage, and the stairs and the way out — I’ll say honestly whether it’s something I can move.

• Mid-century modern — teak and walnut Danish modern, Broyhill Brasilia, Lane Acclaim, Heywood-Wakefield, Drexel, Herman Miller and Eames, Knoll
• New Mexican & Southwestern — carved-pine and Spanish Colonial–style trasteros, chests and bancos, and New Mexico makers such as Ernest Thompson
• Antique, mission & solid wood — quartersawn oak, Morris chairs, barrister bookcases, roll-top desks, quality solid-wood case pieces
• Retro kitchen — chrome dinettes with laminate tops, enamel-top tables, Hoosier-style cabinets
• Vintage office & shop — steel tanker desks, filing cabinets, drafting tables and stools, lockers, oak card catalogs
• Lamps, trunks, mirrors & decor — mid-century lamps, steamer trunks and footlockers, sunburst and framed vintage mirrors

Not for me: ordinary modern, particleboard or flat-pack furniture, worn or stained sofas, sectionals and recliners, hide-a-beds, mattresses, office cubicles, and anything with pests, smoke or pet damage. Everyday furniture in good shape has a home — who picks it up in Albuquerque — and the City’s Large Item Pick-Up (311) takes bulky items at the curb for residential customers.

Full list and who else takes what → vintage furniture pickup

Collectibles, vinyl, cameras & oddities

Records, cameras, watches, vintage electronics, tube radios and synths, 3D printers (no open resin), ham radios, test equipment, telescopes, typewriters, vintage toys still in the box, action figures and board-game sets, chess sets, quality kitchen gear (cast iron, stand mixers), discontinued parts nobody makes anymore (vacuum bags, filters, knobs), and the interesting stuff that turns up in a cleanout. When in doubt, send a photo. Vintage & collectibles pickup → · Cameras & optics → · Vintage stereo & hi-fi → · Sewing machines →

Quality clothing & shoes

Quality clothing and shoes in good, resellable condition are welcome: brand-name and designer labels, outdoor and technical apparel (Patagonia, Arc'teryx, The North Face, Burton, KUHL), workwear (Carhartt, Filson), vintage and western wear (pearl-snap and brushpopper shirts, vintage denim, band tees, old team jackets and caps), quality leather boots and shoes (cowboy boots, work boots, Red Wing, Danner, Frye, Lucchese-type), brand-name athletic shoes in good shape, and vintage wool blankets (Pendleton-style, Hudson's Bay, Faribault-type). Send a photo of the labels and the soles. I don't take worn-out, stained, torn or smelly pieces, underwear and socks, everyday basics, linens, sheets, towels, pet bedding or rags, and I don't do textile recycling. Quality clothing & shoes pickup →

Medical & mobility equipment parts

This one surprises people: the parts inside home-health equipment are some of the most-wanted things I handle. Power-chair controllers, joysticks and cables, wheelchair headrests and armrests, adjustable-bed motors, control boxes and remotes, lift-chair motors — someone out there is keeping the exact same chair or bed running and needs that one part. It usually comes out of a parent's house or a senior move. First check who owns it: if it came from hospice or is rented, the supplier’s sticker tells you who to call — ask whether it’s yours now. From equipment the family owns, I pick up the parts free, working or not (for a whole chair or bed, send a photo first — no promise), and never disposable medical supplies. Working chairs and beds the family owns can go to a nonprofit reuse program; see where to donate a wheelchair or hospital bed.

Full guide → Power chair, hospital bed or lift chair to clear out: who owns it, where working equipment goes, and the parts I pick up free.

Scientific & technical instruments, manuals, industrial controls

Microscopes, slide rules, drafting and surveying instruments, test gear, and the manuals nobody thinks to save: shop and service manuals for trucks and cars, aviation and avionics manuals, equipment documentation. Industrial relays, contactors, controls and network gear (VoIP gateways, switches) too. Ham radios, tube gear and test equipment have their own page. If it came out of an engineer's den, a pilot's closet or a shop office, send a photo before it goes in the recycling bin.

Books

Books go to a local book donation drop box. I don’t buy books, and nothing on this page is a cash offer: everything here is free pickup.