I spent last night in a tent and maybe managed 12 solid minutes of sleep, so mustering the energy for the Big Flea this morning was a challenge. I persevered however, because I am a professional (ha!).
I saw some really amazing things today and would love to show you pictures of them but I can’t. You see, I make it a point to never take a photo without asking the vendor for their permission. I tell them that the photo is for my blog, and usually hand them my business card so they can check it out. Today, I had three vendors deny my request to take a photo, and after that, I basically lost all interest. I’m not even sure if I’ll continue with writeups about the Flea, and might just write a quick post about the items I buy (but that might just be my tired mind talking).
Luckily, before getting snubbed, I visited Mitch M.’s booth and found this 1966 Batman lamp, which has been on my “watch list” for a while…
This booth is always filled with incredible vintage toys, and today one of the treasures was this Sherwood Forest playset from Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves…
If the Sherwood Forest playset looks familiar to you, that’s probably because it is the Star Wars Ewok Village, but with a shiny new package design.
When I was a kid, I used to love crushing Star Wars figures in the trash compactor in this Death Star Space Station…
This Death Star playset was in amazing condition, and I was sorely tempted by everything on these shelves. I had every intention of returning to this booth after seeing the rest of the show, but I was so tired, I totally forgot until I got home and downloaded the photos. (Sorry, Mitch!)
As is typical for my visits to the Flea, I managed to scrounge up the cheapest items I could find tucked away in the dark corners of random booths…
The most expensive item I bought was $3 for that Popular Science magazine. That Star Wars glass was marked down 75% from $6. The seller didn’t have any change, so she let me have it for a buck! She actually cheered when she sold it, because she was happy to not have to carefully pack it anymore for every show–which happens to be the exact reason why I don’t usually buy into collector glasses!
I am going to fill a gumball machine with those Battle Beasts and M.U.S.C.L.E.s figures. Currently, it holds some dinosaurs, but I think these guys will look much better. The added bonus of this display idea is that I won’t have to worry about them falling over like dominos every time I bump the shelf.
It was a busy weekend with all the yard sales, and Free Comic Book Day yesterday, and the Big Flea was a great way to bring the weekend to a close. Now I am going to get some sleep. Wake me in June, when the Flea returns!
Battle Beasts and M.U.S.C.L.E.s figures, neat!
Oh man I have a gumball machine and a box of battle beasts… Mind if I copy your idea?
Please do, but I want to see a picture of it. 😉
I filled it with candy when I first picked it up at a thrift store, but I forgot I am not a big candy fan. The stuff had gone all stale and nasty before it was even a quarter gone.
This will be a much cooler use. I will post some pics this weekend after finals week.
being a stay at home dad and full time student isnt going to leave me much time to set things up until then!
preaching to the choir, brutha. 😉
Love those Batman cards, and what is the RGB item?
Those are two spitballs, kind of like miniature Madballs. I thought the card was pretty cool, and the price was right (cheap).
Awesome finds! And too bad about the photos i always love seeing what those flea markets have.
Me too! I just don’t understand why people wouldn’t want to promote their own business and the Big Flea. Seems counterproductive to me.
Oh man, I can never find great finds like that. I am always scrounging for battle beasts, those are some FANTASTIC finds there. Really cool!
Thanks, Ashley. i was lucky to find all those minifigures since they were stashed in a ziploc bag under a pile of other items. You gotta dig!
The Ghostbusters spit balls are awesome. I have a pack of those featuring Friday the 13th, which has a Jason spit ball and a generic victim spit ball. I love the generic victim. Also I’m jealous of those MUSCLES and Battle Beasts. A gumball machine is a great idea to display them. They display well in small confined spaces. This is how I have mine:
http://tspizza.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/img_5830.jpg
Excellent display! Though my kids would knock down every one of those figures. in .04 second. 😉
Awesome finds Brian! If the magazine was only $3, I’d hate to ask how much the Battle Beasts and M.U.S.C.L.E.S. went for! You have a good eye sir!
I also found an outdoor flea market, not too far from where I live, and made my first trip yesterday. I got there a little after 1:00(late for us bargain hunters!), and found some good stuff at great prices. I’m thinking about posting my findings tonight.
P.S.- Cory and I have been e-mailing back and forth, and are looking to set something up after talking this weekend.
I did some fuzzy math-haggling for all the M.U.S.C.L.E.s and Battle beasts to where each figure ended up in the dollar range, which is typical of what they sell for.
I’m glad to hear that you and Cory connected. I hope it works out–keep me posted!
Great finds!I was lucky enough to find some M.U.S.C.L.E. figs on Ebay at a decent price.I even got that Wooly Mammoth…too cool!BTW-Those playsets were killer!
We took the kids for a trip to the flea market over the holiday weekend. We haven’t been since last year , it was my husband’s birthday, and we’re weird, so looking for cool old stuff is entertaining to us. It was definitely a little warm and humid in the mid-morning San Antonio sun, but the kids had a great time looking around at everything and we even brought a few things home.
How much was the 1966 Batman lamp selling for?I have one just like it.
Those lamps typically sell for around $40-60 from what I’ve seen. I can’t remember how much this one was selling for.