Caran d'Ache at the Swap Meet

I never thought that it would happen . . . Caran d'Ache at the swap meet. 

But there it was in a cardboard box on the ground. What had caught my eye was the distinct "CARAN D'ACHE" label on the inside cover of an open tin. I kinda lost my breath when I saw it. Maybe I gasped.

Caran d'Ache is a company in Switzerland that makes high-quality writing and drawing instruments which are impossible to find here and expensive even on Amazon.


When I closed the rusted cover of the tin I saw that it was an 80-piece set of watercolor pencils.  The pencils were actually scattered about, with some fallen out into the box. I wasn't sure if the set was complete.


It was complete.

Here it is cleaned up and made all neat by me later at home. A new set sells on Amazon for $131.71.


Also in the box were two tins of older versions of Caran d'Ache's Neocolor II water-soluble crayons. 


A tin of 30 sells on Amazon for $45.42.


Also included in my bundle deal were these artist-quality colored pencils made by the Derwent company in England which I found at the bottom of the box.


And how much did I pay for the bundle, you're wondering?

$10.