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Are used bricks worth more than new bricks?

I'm trying to buy some bricks to lay around the edges of my garden, and I keep seeing people sell old bricks on craigslist for 25¢ to 50¢ per brick. Some of them brag about a "nice patina" on their old bricks. I priced them out at Home Depot for 20¢ each. What gives?

Do people just think their crap is overpriced? Or, is there a reason I'm not aware of that people prefer old bricks? Is this like an antique thing, feeding the hipster fetish for authenticity?

soundslikepuget asked in Home Fix & Maintain 11 months ago | Report

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  • Finn3goof_small
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    Tom

    Anybody can make a dumb old brick. It takes jeebus or mudda naycha or maybe Ganesh to make an interesting brick. Or maybe one of the St. Vincents. I think one of the St. Vinnies was into bricks. Pretty sure it wasn't DePaul.

    It's quite akin to the legendary disappearance of old barns in New England. Yuppies, in their constant effort to ruin everything for everyone, were allegedly buying entire barns for the weathered wood. The wood would then be used to side something new and make it seem authentic. Which is so poseur. And if it wasn't the yuppies it was their evil parasitical enablers: the Interior Decorators.

    In New York, especially the South Bronx, we used to hear about guys being killed or trapped in buildings they were stealing the bricks from. None them realized, apparently, that one should take the bricks from the top down, not the other way around. Cave in! Collapse! Of course, the bricks would be much easier to get after that so there is no great loss without some small gain.

    In short, yes, the market for old bricks is quite different from the market for new.

    At .50 each I would expect that brick to be free of mortar and its structural integrety intact so at least get what you're paying for...

    Tom answered in Home Fix & Maintain 11 months ago | Report
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  • Avatar_default
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    Was the 20 cents a bulk rate or something? I did a (very) small paving project not too long ago and the quintessential red 2 x 8 x 4 bricks were 60 cents. Fancy-schmancy pavers were quite a lot more.

    At any rate, I suspect that the cost of the bricks themselves are such a minor part of of most home paving projects that people probably just don't obsess over the price of bricks. And I'll be there are people who are perfectly willing to pay new brick prices for old bricks to avoid the bland new brick look. It's not like bricks really wear out or anything.

    Jack answered in Home Fix & Maintain 11 months ago | Report
    2 comments by soundslikepuget and O my captain…
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  • Bierce1_small
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    "Is this like an antique thing, feeding the hipster fetish for authenticity?"

    Hipsters are cultural tourists. I don't think the recycled / "vintage" design aesthetic really overlaps, unless you're talking about using it in a themed bar.

    Black Beetles in Amber answered in Home Fix & Maintain 11 months ago | Report
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