At long last, the DC Big Flea returned to the Virginia ‘burbs. It’s been a while since the last show and I couldn’t wait to visit it again this weekend. The Big Flea is a massive antique show held at the Dulles Expo Center. Most of the items for sale are furniture, jewelry, and decorative items, but among all those relics there are usually some great pop culture collectibles to be found, you just have to hunt a little harder for them.
I’ve been going to the show for years and it’s gotten to the point where I know exactly which booths are worth visiting for the best selection and prices. Once I hit those (and have spent more than I should), I’ll stroll the aisles and see what else I can uncover. I always enjoy chatting with the vendors and seeing what’s hot and what’s not in the world of vintage pop culture collectibles.
Want to know what I like to see at these shows? Booth’s like “Nancy’s Nostalgia” are the ones for me! Nancy always has a ton of toys piled in baskets and on the shelves, like this…
And this…
Nancy even had a bunch of Mego dolls this time…
This booth always has a crowd since there is so much to see, and I could spend hours going through all the bins, but the nature of the Flea doesn’t really allow you to browse at length. “Get in and get out,” that’s the name of the game at this crowded show.
There are usually around 4-5 toy vendors at the show, but a lot of other booths will have pop culture items tucked away on their shelves. Here’s a shelf from the largest toy vendor…
This guy always a has an excellent selection of vintage toys but I have never bought anything from him. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen anyone buy anything from him, but he must be making some money or he wouldn’t keep coming back. If you were a die hard collector and really needed that ONE item for your collection, this would be the booth to visit.
My favorite toy vendor at the Flea is a guy named Brent, who brings tons of toys and is always willing to make a deal. I bought a few things from him again this weekend, but somehow I managed to leave this Planet of the Apes Autograph doll behind…
I have no idea what this Monstor thing is but I loved it. it looks like it might have framed a TV or a display of some kind. I didn’t even ask how much it cost, but it was pretty sweet.
One of the reasons I love to browse the booths is because I might stumble across items like these beauties…
The booth was owned by Marc Calciano out of Pennsylvania, and was filled with antiques. These two vintage sci-fi movie inserts were sitting on a table behind some glassware and knick knacks, and they totally blew my mind. Robby the Robot and Tobor the Great would look amazing on any man cave’s wall.
Being a movie poster collector, my favorite stop is always Henry Karp’s booth. Henry brought the goods again this time…
Just about all of the posters that Henry sells have been linen-backed, which helps to preserve them and makes them look incredible. Guess what I bought…
I had too much fun as usual, and here’s a peek at some of the other items that came home with me…
I found those early GI Joe figures in a non-toy booth and I knew I could get a deal — $10 for the bunch! Tthey are in excellent condition, almost too good since there is no paint loss, just one broken thumb. Maybe they were repainted, but if they were, someone did an amazing job.
I also got a vintage Marx Nutty Mad, the football player, which was a great deal from Brent at just $10. I bought the Matt Mason figure and the Lone Ranger and Silver to add to my space and Western collections. Both of those franchises have new movies in the works, so they could rise in value in the next few years.
I bought two sets of trading cards because the price was right at $3. The ET set is pretty great. I thought the title of the other set was “Here’s the 80’s,” so I was a bit disappointed when I got home and realized it was actually “Here’s Bo,” and is all about Bo Derek. oops. Any big Bo Derek fans out there?
I take pride in the fact that in that vast building full of antiques, I was able to find this (thanks, Henry!)…
If you’ve seen anything in my recent yard sale posts that would be a nice addition to your collection, make me an offer, so I can justify the admission price of going to the next Big Flea when it returns in September. Hmmm, I wonder if I could get a press pass. That would be $8 bucks I could spend on toys!
I saw all of those booths! And I actually DID buy something from that toy guy. He had some Super Powers figures, and I ended up buying Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow. Honestly, his prices are too high. He wanted $10 for a loose Captain Power figure. He likes to say things are “mint”, without really knowing what that would entail…
I also checked out Nancy’s booth, but you’re definitely right about the “get in and get out” nature of it. I didn’t get to rummage much through the baskets.
That guy still had quite a few “That’s Bo” sets, and I didn’t even know they were Bo Derek!
Also, I learned there’s no greater feeling than teaching a seller about something they’re selling. Someone was trying to sell 4 Real Ghostbusters figures for $20. Not only was that price absurd, considering who was being offered, but one of the figures was actually a Police Academy Mahoney. Hey, I take my successes where I can find them!
Hey Will, I’m glad you made the trek out to Chantilly this time. It’s certainly not a pop culture mecca, but I’ll take whatever we get around here. We don’t have the luxury of an SDCC-like event here in DC.
Glad to hear that you actually bought something from the big toy booth, so he can come back next time. 😉 A lot of the prices are certainly high, but when you come across the dealers who know what they have and what it’s worth, you can usually haggle for a good deal. Just like in most antique shops, if the dealer doesn’t know what it is, they will usually price an item high just to prevent getting screwed.
fantastic stuff! great deal on the nutty mad. And BO DEREK, first tickle in my pants came from sneaking downstairs turning on hbo at 3 in the morning to watch her in tarzan the ape man.
fantastic stuff. seriously.
Hahaha! Who can forget those early days of cable TV. Kids these days have no idea. 😉
That place sounds awesome. I wish there was something like that here. The closest I get is a HUGE yearly used book sale that happens out at the fairgrounds.
BTW, that Monstor thing was used on a candy display. I found a photo of it here. I also found a pic of that face plate used, just as you suggested, on a computer display. It was at the Universal Monster Army forums.
That display is 10 times better with the candy added to it.
FYI…the Monstor monitor display comes from this guy’s collection. And what an awesome collection it is. There is SO MUCH stuff I don’t know if I’ll have time to see everything in my lifetime.
Oh man, that collection is INSANE! I have serious collection envy now. I could spend weeks looking over that basement. Thanks for the info and links, Paxton!
you gotta keep your calendar open in november for the greater york toy extravaganza in york PA. totally worth the trek. it’s all toys and hundreds of tables. it takes hours to look at every table. some of the vendors are insane with their prices, but most are decent.
I’ve heard good things about that show. I’m not sure my wallet could handle it but I might just have to give it a shot. Thanks!
All your GI Joe’s are from 1982 with the exception of Spirit (The Native.)
The figures in the back row starting from the left are Clutch, Stalker, Spirit.
The middle row are Breaker and Short Fuze. The guy in front is Grunt. Check to make sure they are all straight arm versions because they were re-released in 1983 with the swivel arm and that does impact value. Pretty hard to argue with the whole set for $10. Those are lawn sale prices you paid.
Oops I left out Flash. He’s the one with the orange chest armor.
Wow, I could spend days in there! I see you got yourself a nice A Nightmare On Elm Street poster. Looks like an original? I hate how they always end up folded like that.
Yeah, it’s the original studio released poster. Most of the older posters were originally folded. I’m not sure if there even is an unfolded version of this one out there.
Man i would just love this place Brian! I might have to send you a short lest of toys am looking for and you could see if they had them for sale there(If you would mind doing something like that). : )
Awesome pick-ups you got to buddy(Space 1999 i love it!).
Send on your list! The pickings at this show are actually pretty small toywise, but I tend to travel far and wide, so you never know what I might stumble across.
I shall do just that Brian later tonight and thanks buddy. : )
I’m the owner of the poster booth: Zombies of the Stratsophere, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc. Brian is a class act, and I enjoy visiting with him at every show. It’s nice to deal with a real collector.
At the risk of a shameless plug, I’ll be listing several zombie/horror/sci-fi/B-movie posters on E-Bay tonight (Sunday 7/31) at low minimums. Seller name is henryk301
Henry, Back In the Day Collectibles
Henry, thanks for letting us know about your auctions, I’m headed to eBay now!
I’m looking for any toy vendors who wants an exclusive for my event’s its a wrestling event and will be traveling im in north Georgia area my name is Gary Murphy contact me by email or directly at 770-500-0147