Official swap meet/estate sale and flea market FIND thread
bowdowntome
Posts: 398
OK, let's see what you got.
There was a thread not too long ago about estate sales and if anyone actually finds stuff there, so I thouight it would be neat to start a thread for people to show everyone what can be found. It doesn't have to be a world class find, or even cards for that matter, just sports related.
Yesterday I went t oa local estae sale and came away with 3 early 80's commemorative Coke bottles, still full, for the Cardinals W.S. win, Royals W.S. win and a Mizzou something or other. Not in front of me and I haven't been able to snap a picture yet. Cost $5
Today I went to the local outdoor swap meet and found a guy selling a small stack (about 40) of 1977, and 1978-79 Marketcom Test issue mini-posters. I thought I was really taking a chance at $10, since they were folded. But, it turns out that's they way they are normally found. I had no idea of value, then I looked them up in my annualk Beckett when I got home, and WOW!!!! $$$. My book is a few years ols but lists them at $8, 10, 12 up to $40 for SP's, in NMT-MT.
My first question to anyone familiar with these, what is considered NMT-MT since they are suppose to have fold marks?
Here's what the little mini-posters look like:
Now, one of the ones I got is Harvey Martin (Dallas Cowboys) but it isn't even listed in my book. I checked an older book from the mid-90's and apparently, at that time, the list of known posters wasn't near complete. It looks liike it still may not be. Anyone have a later book than 2001, to see if the Harvey Martin is listed yet?
Harvey Martin:
I also found this neat Packers pinback for $3
I have clue as to how old it is. It looks like it could be anywhere from the 40's to the 60's (I'm not a pinback person). I only got it because I usually have good success selling old Packer items on ebay.
Some of this stuff will stay in my own collectino and some will be ebayed.
Let's see what you all find. I'll try to post something every week since I go scrounging about every weekend.
There was a thread not too long ago about estate sales and if anyone actually finds stuff there, so I thouight it would be neat to start a thread for people to show everyone what can be found. It doesn't have to be a world class find, or even cards for that matter, just sports related.
Yesterday I went t oa local estae sale and came away with 3 early 80's commemorative Coke bottles, still full, for the Cardinals W.S. win, Royals W.S. win and a Mizzou something or other. Not in front of me and I haven't been able to snap a picture yet. Cost $5
Today I went to the local outdoor swap meet and found a guy selling a small stack (about 40) of 1977, and 1978-79 Marketcom Test issue mini-posters. I thought I was really taking a chance at $10, since they were folded. But, it turns out that's they way they are normally found. I had no idea of value, then I looked them up in my annualk Beckett when I got home, and WOW!!!! $$$. My book is a few years ols but lists them at $8, 10, 12 up to $40 for SP's, in NMT-MT.
My first question to anyone familiar with these, what is considered NMT-MT since they are suppose to have fold marks?
Here's what the little mini-posters look like:
Now, one of the ones I got is Harvey Martin (Dallas Cowboys) but it isn't even listed in my book. I checked an older book from the mid-90's and apparently, at that time, the list of known posters wasn't near complete. It looks liike it still may not be. Anyone have a later book than 2001, to see if the Harvey Martin is listed yet?
Harvey Martin:
I also found this neat Packers pinback for $3
I have clue as to how old it is. It looks like it could be anywhere from the 40's to the 60's (I'm not a pinback person). I only got it because I usually have good success selling old Packer items on ebay.
Some of this stuff will stay in my own collectino and some will be ebayed.
Let's see what you all find. I'll try to post something every week since I go scrounging about every weekend.
Football collector 1948-1995, Rams oddball cards & memorabilia, Diamond match.
Cataloging all those pesky, unlisted 1963 Topps football color variations Updated 2/13/05
Cataloging all those pesky, unlisted 1963 Topps football color variations Updated 2/13/05
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I did, however, find a nice 1970s Johnny Bench model H&B youth bat for $5 at a flea market a couple weekends ago. Somebody at another table was selling '85 Topps cello packs, but they had obvously been plundered. A couple even had a piece of Scotch tape sealing them shut!
I saw more than a few people there today selling, or trying to, cards, but it was all junk. The guy set up 2 spaces down from where I found the Marketcom test mini's, had about 8 5000 ct boxes full of baseball commons from about 1987-92, and some guy actually BOUGHT them while I was standing there paying for the Marketcoms. I wouldn't have wasted my strength hauling those away even if the seller paid me!
I much rather look in out of the way places or not so obvious booths.
I also did a little checking on ebay to see if there are any of these Test issues being sold. I only found 1 listing for the TEST issues, from 1977.
1977 Marketcom
I'd say that if this seller can actually get the price he's asking, I did better than I expected. Mine cost .25 each.
Cataloging all those pesky, unlisted 1963 Topps football color variations Updated 2/13/05
Congratulations on picking up some cool stuff! I have to admire you - I don't have the energy to go looking for stuff anymore.
When my son was young we went to the flea markets every weekend and to other places to include all the shops in our town.
I wish I could have a little shop where people came in and talked sports and collectibles and wouldn't even need to make a lot of dough anymore. It just seems cool - sorta like everyone hangin out at Floyd's barbershop.
Ya did good
mike
<< <i>1977 Marketcom >>
Love that action shot of Jack Youngblood. He's the reason I became a Rams fan - as a kid I dug the cool Ram helmets, but when Jack played in the Super Bowl with that broken leg, I was done!
Geordie
Dodgers collection scans | Brett Butler registry | 1978 Dodgers - straight 9s, homie
Brian
Finds at estate sales? I think they are for "stories" on ebay for the most part. Estates are always picked over by someone before being sold. Maybe some piece of antique furniture gets overlooked, maybe, but coins, cards, stamps, etc. - very unlikely so I don't waste my time there.
At least a flea market you can walk around, relax, grab something to eat, but standing around for hours at an estate sale is excruciatingly boring. One time I hung aroung to bid on this labeling machine that I could have used for my office. It was used, listed for about $700 and I figured I'd win it for $50 or so - the darn thing sold for a little over $800 - more than the list price!!! That was the last estate sale I ever plan on going to.
I basically spent a large chunk of my childhood at swap meets, mostly because that is how my parents started out their business, this was back in the early 70's's to about the late 80's. Back then it was very easy to find shoeboxes full of "old" baseball cards, most of which were from the 50's - 60's, for a few $'s a box. Those days are long gone. The casual swap meet seller, looking to get rid of the junk in their basements and closets, has been replaced by the "weekend warrior" business person. I rarely ever stop to look at sellers who are there as "sports card dealers", mostly modern and mostly cheap. I'll give a glance as I pass, just to confirm my suspicions. At our local swap meet, there are about 75% regular sellers who show up week after week. You can almost inventory everything they have in your head, and it's usually junk. Why else would it sit there for so long, getting sun bleached? But, there are usually about a dozen or so sellers there who actuallly turn their merchandise over so you don't see the same thing week after week. These are the sellers where I usually find the "good stuff". They usually get it from garage sales, or estate auctions, etc.. and are looking to move it fast, make their profit and move on. They are not usually experts in any areas, so it's very easy to spot the gems at bargain prices.
Estate sales, well maybe they are different in this area than more metropolis areas. Or maybe I'm just refering to something different, I've just always refered to them as estate "sales", when they are really auctions. I know for a fact that our local auctioneers do not cherry pick the goods. I've actually helped them get sales ready. Basically, they just pick out items they might refer to as "featured items", which usually get listed individually in their newspaper ads. everything else, get's boxed up. They try to keep like items in the boxes (computer parts, pots and pans, books magazines, etc...) But they always end up with misc. items so they just get boxed up, so much per box.
These are not BIG TIME estates like you see in the movies, with loads of Chipendale furniture and Rembrandts. These are country estate auctions. Most of the time they consist of farm machinery and implements, as well as common household goods and furniture. Most are unremarkable sales and are from relatively new families to the area.
The good ones around here are the oldline families who can trace their roots back to the founding of the city. They're not usually rich, and live in old farm houses. But they almost always have generations of accumulated "stuff".
I've found lot's of good stuff at area estate auctions. Unfortunately, I think they have gotten a bad rap because of the scammers claiming they find all those old pre-war cards at them. I've never seen anything of the sort at an estate auction, and if I did find something like that, I sure would NOT advertise it as such.
Basically, the keys to my finds are:
1) I don't look for cards specifically, but I'm always on the lookout for cards in unlikely places or from unlikely sellers.
2) I do look for items that are not widely collected but are collectible.
3) I do look for items that I have some knowledge about, or that I can buy cheap enough so that in the case they don't sell or I don't make a killing, I'm not distressed.
4) Did I mention I look for items that are not widely collected?
5) I keep an open mind about anything and don't just stick to, say cards. I've taken chances on lot's of stuff that I made out on quite well, some surprisingly well.
6) I've got many sports collectibles books, and try to make mental notes of everything, in case I run into some odd piece of junk that I gott have.
7) Most sports collectors in the area have 0 knowldedge of anything other than sports cards and Beckett prices, so it's easy to get the upper hand on them with oddball stuff.
You should see some of the weird looks I get when i walk away with something that just about everbody else would have thrown away.
There's money in them thar hills!
...and remember....."Profit is it's own reward!"
Cataloging all those pesky, unlisted 1963 Topps football color variations Updated 2/13/05
Yes, I collect shiny modern crap
All your Shaq are belong to me
I haven't been too active in flea marketing lately, mostly because the HEAT and excessive gas prices have kept me close to home.
I am willing to share some things that I did find recently though. They show that items don't have to be rare or valuable to be affordable and most of all FUN.
This first item is an older jigsaw puzzle, probably from the early 70's (another interest of mine), picturing a whole lot of old baseball cards. If you look closely there is T206 Wagner in the lower left (reprint, I'm sure). I've seen other similar puzzles before and it always leaves me wondering who's collection the photographer is photgraphing?
Not rare, ceratinly not expensive, but will provide hours of fun during those winter shut-in months.
The next items are called "Grid Star" static cling stickers. Not dated but I'm sure they are from the late 80's/early 90's, since 1993 is the last year both were on the Rams.
I'd never seen or heard of these before, and was amazed that I found them in a flea market booth, here in the midwest, where they were the ONLY sports related items there, and they HAPPENED to be Rams players, which I collect.
Again, probably not valuable, but of interest to me and my RAMS collection. They measure 3" x 4.5".
The problem is that now that I know they exist, I have to find any other RAMS examples, and doing any searches anywhere brings up nothing. The company (Russ Berrie and Co.) still exists and has a website, but they do not sell items like this any more.
Anybody ever seen these before or have any clues as to how many different were made, what years, etc...
I know they are not "vintage", but it's the oddball finds like this that keeps my interest high.
Cataloging all those pesky, unlisted 1963 Topps football color variations Updated 2/13/05
Put it on ebay for a couple bucks,got an offer from a guy in Maine of $600 to end the auction early.
Seems the dispenser hasn't been available in something like 30 years.
Like that old NY Lotto slogan "Hey, you never know"
1967and 1973 Topps baseball wantlists (any condition) welcome. Once had the #14 ATF 1967 set. Yet another collector like skylaneflyer, gimel1 who made it to the completion of 1967 only to need the money more than the company of 609 close friends.
Looking for oddball Norm Cash and Cleon Jones stuff, and 1956 team cards
<< <i>I found a pez dispenser, ball, bat, home plate, glove that opens to dispense the pez.
Put it on ebay for a couple bucks,got an offer from a guy in Maine of $600 to end the auction early.
Seems the dispenser hasn't been available in something like 30 years.
Like that old NY Lotto slogan "Hey, you never know" >>
At the point where the guy offered you 600$ - did you look up to see what the thing was worth?
I'm thinking probably 1500$?
mike
I'd love to find a set of those Ken Burns tapes, especially for that nice of a price. I'm not a huge baseball fan but I did enjoy that series when it was on.
I'm still hoping that someone will make a similar series about football.
sayhey - I love finding boxes of stuff like those brochures at sales, that can easily be pieced out on ebay.
1967topps - I agree with Stone, if someone offered that kind of money to end the auction early, the first thing comes to my mind is that this person doesn't think he will have a chance of getting it if the auction ends on time, because it's probably worth alot more. I'd let it ride.
Cataloging all those pesky, unlisted 1963 Topps football color variations Updated 2/13/05
That happened to me, had a BIN offer right away. I checked the guy out to see that he had been buying to hype up and resell, so I passed and ended up getting a $100 more by letting it run.
what i'd like to find, probably from a SNL fan, is that documentary that was on SNL
the year they had the threat of replacment players. They really did a good job following
a replacement player in the Ken Burns style. I didn't happen to tape it and haven't seen it
since
1967and 1973 Topps baseball wantlists (any condition) welcome. Once had the #14 ATF 1967 set. Yet another collector like skylaneflyer, gimel1 who made it to the completion of 1967 only to need the money more than the company of 609 close friends.
Looking for oddball Norm Cash and Cleon Jones stuff, and 1956 team cards
<< <i>OK, let's see what you got.
Today I went to the local outdoor swap meet and found a guy selling a small stack (about 40) of 1977, and 1978-79 Marketcom Test issue mini-posters. I thought I was really taking a chance at $10, since they were folded. But, it turns out that's they way they are normally found. I had no idea of value, then I looked them up in my annualk Beckett when I got home, and WOW!!!! $$$. My book is a few years ols but lists them at $8, 10, 12 up to $40 for SP's, in NMT-MT.
My first question to anyone familiar with these, what is considered NMT-MT since they are suppose to have fold marks?
<< <i>
I remember those!...I'm orignially from SE Kentucky and when I was in grade school, I would walk home from school with friends of mine and we would stop EVERY day at a local corner "stop-n-go" and get wax packs and a pop and sit out on the curb and BS/trade.
Those posters came in .25 vending machines (You know the type that you put the quarter in and turn the handle till it falls out at the bottom) they would come in those clear "plastic egg" containers (that is why they are folded). I had hundreds of those back then. I might still have them, but now I live in Florida and don't get home that often. I remember the owner of the store getting mad at us because we would shake the machine trying to get a certain poster to fall next.
<< <i>I remember those!...I'm orignially from SE Kentucky and when I was in grade school, I would walk home from school with friends of mine and we would stop EVERY day at a local corner "stop-n-go" and get wax packs and a pop and sit out on the curb and BS/trade.
Those posters came in .25 vending machines (You know the type that you put the quarter in and turn the handle till it falls out at the bottom) they would come in those clear "plastic egg" containers (that is why they are folded). I had hundreds of those back then. I might still have them, but now I live in Florida and don't get home that often. I remember the owner of the store getting mad at us because we would shake the machine trying to get a certain poster to fall next.
That's cool! It doesn't say anything in the price guide about how they were distributed, but I was kind of figuring they were one of those vending machine items.
Cataloging all those pesky, unlisted 1963 Topps football color variations Updated 2/13/05
I called it a junk shop because that is what it was like. The store was an old barn like structue and he only sold paper collectibles of all sorts. Everything was in sections, baseball in one area, wartime in another area and the items were just thrown about. I don't know how many baseball cards (junk 1990's Topps etc) I stepped on while I looking on the tables for better items. I also picked up 2 1950's Army and Navy felt pennants for about $2.00 each.
Anyway, whenever I go to Lancaster, PA. I stop in to see if he has anything good but lately it has been all junk. I will keep checking though.
Bob
email bcmiller7@comcast.net
I haven't gotten out this weekend to do any shopping, so I'll share some previous finds.
Thes I found in a local antique mall, where absolutely everything seems to be overpriced. In fact, i passed them up at least twice a month for an entire year, before I found out what they were. These are listed in the Standard catalogs as 1962 Post Booklets. They are in fact, booklets, drawn in crude comic book fashion, showing different football tips. I finally decided to buy them after accidentally finding them in the catalog and realizing the price they had on them wasn't too outrageous. Mind you, usually when I continue to pass something up for a while then finally give in to buy it, it's usally gone when I go back. But, i made the journey anyway and there they were, sitting in the glass case, in same booth they were in for at least a year. They even had a 15% off sale in the booth that month, so I got them.
I'm assuming they were giveaways in the boxes of cereal and that many did not survive. I'd never heard of them before that and since then, I've never seen any for sale anywhere.
The 4 shown makes the complete set.
Cataloging all those pesky, unlisted 1963 Topps football color variations Updated 2/13/05
.
I don't jump the fence and try to stir up 15 year old crap, why do you feel the need to do so here?
2 big finds at tag sales. I found 3/4 of a complete set of 1975 topps cards in excellent to near mint condition for $8.00. there were no major stars or rookies but many minor stars. I also found a large box of about 300- 1950's-1060's cards for $4.00. I was out of collecting at that point and my wife told me to buy it because it will keep me busy all weekend. I asked the old lady if the price was correct and she said yes. She told me I will find many great players in the box. I sure did. 2 Pete Rose rookies, 80% of the 1959 Ted Williams set (no #68 Ted signs though) 4 mickey Mantles, 6 Willie Mays, 6 Roberto Clemente...the list goes on. All were in excellent condition. I kept some and traded a bunch. That find brought me back to the card collecting hobby.
I have a dumb OCDish habit whenever I go to estate sales or flea markets. If I find a group of 1990 Topps baseball I HAVE to search it just in case a Frank Thomas NNOF is hiding somewhere. Yeah, I know my chances of winning the lotto are better, but the fantasy of finding a 4 or 5 figure card in a bunch of kindling keeps me growlin'.
It's not like I do this EVERYDAY...but I did do it on Monday.
I see dead people.
Well, I see this thread in a positive way because the question is timeless and pertinent. The first thing I thought of was a flea market / collectibles show at the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was about 1973-74. I was just browsing around when I noticed a booth with a lot of small, old, neat stuff. Among the items were a pair of fairly rare Ward's Sporties pins. I believe the players were Charlie Gehringer and Jimmie Foxx. Cost me 2-3 bucks apiece, and in the late 80s sold them for several hundred dollars each to very eager and appreciative buyers.
Really, this is a good topic to return to. --- Indiana Jones (Brian Powell)