diff --git a/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/BaseTest.java b/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/BaseTest.java
index c3e8d534c9..bd234fd05e 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/BaseTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/BaseTest.java
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@
 
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.*;
 
-//import static org.junit.Assert.*;
-
 public abstract class BaseTest
     extends TestCase
 {
@@ -45,89 +43,6 @@ public abstract class BaseTest
         +"}"
         ;
 
-    /*
-    /**********************************************************
-    /* Helper classes (beans)
-    /**********************************************************
-     */
-
-    /**
-     * Sample class from Jackson tutorial ("JacksonInFiveMinutes")
-     */
-    protected static class FiveMinuteUser {
-        public enum Gender { MALE, FEMALE };
-
-        public static class Name
-        {
-            private String _first, _last;
-
-            public Name() { }
-            public Name(String f, String l) {
-                _first = f;
-                _last = l;
-            }
-
-            public String getFirst() { return _first; }
-            public String getLast() { return _last; }
-
-            public void setFirst(String s) { _first = s; }
-            public void setLast(String s) { _last = s; }
-
-            @Override
-            public boolean equals(Object o)
-            {
-                if (o == this) return true;
-                if (o == null || o.getClass() != getClass()) return false;
-                Name other = (Name) o;
-                return _first.equals(other._first) && _last.equals(other._last);
-            }
-        }
-
-        private Gender _gender;
-        private Name _name;
-        private boolean _isVerified;
-        private byte[] _userImage;
-
-        public FiveMinuteUser() { }
-
-        public FiveMinuteUser(String first, String last, boolean verified, Gender g, byte[] data)
-        {
-            _name = new Name(first, last);
-            _isVerified = verified;
-            _gender = g;
-            _userImage = data;
-        }
-
-        public Name getName() { return _name; }
-        public boolean isVerified() { return _isVerified; }
-        public Gender getGender() { return _gender; }
-        public byte[] getUserImage() { return _userImage; }
-
-        public void setName(Name n) { _name = n; }
-        public void setVerified(boolean b) { _isVerified = b; }
-        public void setGender(Gender g) { _gender = g; }
-        public void setUserImage(byte[] b) { _userImage = b; }
-
-        @Override
-        public boolean equals(Object o)
-        {
-            if (o == this) return true;
-            if (o == null || o.getClass() != getClass()) return false;
-            FiveMinuteUser other = (FiveMinuteUser) o;
-            if (_isVerified != other._isVerified) return false;
-            if (_gender != other._gender) return false;
-            if (!_name.equals(other._name)) return false;
-            byte[] otherImage = other._userImage;
-            if (otherImage.length != _userImage.length) return false;
-            for (int i = 0, len = _userImage.length; i < len; ++i) {
-                if (_userImage[i] != otherImage[i]) {
-                    return false;
-                }
-            }
-            return true;
-        }
-    }
-
     /*
     /**********************************************************
     /* High-level helpers
@@ -316,7 +231,7 @@ protected JsonParser createParserUsingStream(JsonFactory f,
     /**********************************************************
      */
 
-    protected final static byte[] jdkSerialize(Object o)
+    protected static byte[] jdkSerialize(Object o)
     {
         ByteArrayOutputStream bytes = new ByteArrayOutputStream(2000);
         try (ObjectOutputStream obOut = new ObjectOutputStream(bytes)) {
@@ -329,7 +244,7 @@ protected final static byte[] jdkSerialize(Object o)
     }
 
     @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-    protected final static <T> T jdkDeserialize(byte[] raw)
+    protected static <T> T jdkDeserialize(byte[] raw)
     {
         try (ObjectInputStream objIn = new ObjectInputStream(new ByteArrayInputStream(raw))) {
             return (T) objIn.readObject();
@@ -386,7 +301,7 @@ public static void verifyException(Throwable e, String... anyMatches)
         String lmsg = (msg == null) ? "" : msg.toLowerCase();
         for (String match : anyMatches) {
             String lmatch = match.toLowerCase();
-            if (lmsg.indexOf(lmatch) >= 0) {
+            if (lmsg.contains(lmatch)) {
                 return;
             }
         }
@@ -442,18 +357,9 @@ public static String q(String str) {
         return '"'+str+'"';
     }
 
-    @Deprecated // use q
-    public String quote(String str) {
-        return q(str);
-    }
-
     // `public` since 2.16, was only `protected` before then.
     public static String a2q(String json) {
         return json.replace("'", "\"");
     }
 
-    @Deprecated // use a2q
-    protected static String aposToQuotes(String json) {
-        return a2q(json);
-    }
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/merge/PropertyMergeTest.java b/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/merge/PropertyMergeTest.java
index ce09d7e91b..8d74a1d9b8 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/merge/PropertyMergeTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/merge/PropertyMergeTest.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.deser.merge;
 
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.testutil.FiveMinuteUser;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.*;
@@ -71,15 +72,6 @@ static class MergedReference
         public StringReference value = new StringReference("default");
     }
 
-    static class MergedX<T>
-    {
-        @JsonMerge
-        public T value;
-
-        public MergedX(T v) { value = v; }
-        protected MergedX() { }
-    }
-
     // // // Classes with invalid merge definition(s)
 
     static class CantMergeInts {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/testutil/FiveMinuteUser.java b/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/testutil/FiveMinuteUser.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..57ae609d07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/testutil/FiveMinuteUser.java
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.testutil;
+
+/**
+ * Sample class from Jackson tutorial ("JacksonInFiveMinutes")
+ */
+public class FiveMinuteUser
+{
+    public enum Gender { MALE, FEMALE };
+
+    public static class Name
+    {
+        private String _first, _last;
+
+        public Name() { }
+        public Name(String f, String l) {
+            _first = f;
+            _last = l;
+        }
+
+        public String getFirst() { return _first; }
+        public String getLast() { return _last; }
+
+        public void setFirst(String s) { _first = s; }
+        public void setLast(String s) { _last = s; }
+
+        @Override
+        public boolean equals(Object o)
+        {
+            if (o == this) return true;
+            if (o == null || o.getClass() != getClass()) return false;
+            Name other = (Name) o;
+            return _first.equals(other._first) && _last.equals(other._last);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private Gender _gender;
+    private Name _name;
+    private boolean _isVerified;
+    private byte[] _userImage;
+
+    public FiveMinuteUser() { }
+
+    public FiveMinuteUser(String first, String last, boolean verified, Gender g, byte[] data)
+    {
+        _name = new Name(first, last);
+        _isVerified = verified;
+        _gender = g;
+        _userImage = data;
+    }
+
+    public Name getName() { return _name; }
+    public boolean isVerified() { return _isVerified; }
+    public Gender getGender() { return _gender; }
+    public byte[] getUserImage() { return _userImage; }
+
+    public void setName(Name n) { _name = n; }
+    public void setVerified(boolean b) { _isVerified = b; }
+    public void setGender(Gender g) { _gender = g; }
+    public void setUserImage(byte[] b) { _userImage = b; }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o)
+    {
+        if (o == this) return true;
+        if (o == null || o.getClass() != getClass()) return false;
+        FiveMinuteUser other = (FiveMinuteUser) o;
+        if (_isVerified != other._isVerified) return false;
+        if (_gender != other._gender) return false;
+        if (!_name.equals(other._name)) return false;
+        byte[] otherImage = other._userImage;
+        if (otherImage.length != _userImage.length) return false;
+        for (int i = 0, len = _userImage.length; i < len; ++i) {
+            if (_userImage[i] != otherImage[i]) {
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+}
+