Flea Market Finds #39: Clemente, Yaz, AP, & Rudy

When:  Sunday, June 15th
Where:  Capitol Flea Market
What:  Cards, a Movie, and more Cards
How Much?:  $58

It's been awhile since I've posted any flea market finds.  In short... I've been on a huge cold streak.  I have come across very little sports memorabilia the past few weekends.  In fact, I've considered taking a break from attending these weekly flea market journeys.

But before heading into flea market hibernation, I decided to give it one last shot.  And voila... I struck cardboard.

Purchase #1:  Baseball Cards $17

Last month, I purchased an autographed Joe Niekro baseball from this older lady who was selling off her husband's collection.  This time around, she had a small plastic bin filled with singles in top loaders.  

After pulling out some cards, we went back and forth on the price... she initially wanted $25 and I countered with $15.  Eventually she told me the best she could do was $17, so I accepted.

I'm pretty excited about adding the Clemente, Yastrzemski, and the Law to my vintage binder.  They're all pretty beat up... especially the Clemente... but for the price, I can't complain.

Purchase #2:  Rudy VHS Tape $1

I'm a huge fan of Rudy and already own the DVD... but this guy was selling a brand new VHS copy for a dollar... so I had to add it to my collection.


Purchase #3:  800ct Box of Cards $40

Every now and then, I'll run into a guy dumping his collection.  This was one of those times. 

He had a 4ft. table filled with mainly 49ers and Raiders memorabilia cards and autographs. In addition to those cards he had a closed 800 count box sitting at the back edge of the table.  He told me it was all of his low end stuff mixed in with recent Archives and Bowman pack breaks.

After sifting through it, I noticed several cards I was interested in... including a Brian Urlacher memorabilia card, a Fred Lynn autograph, and a cool Leonard Nimoy Americana memorabilia card.

In addition to those three cards, there were probably twenty-five more autographs and memorabilia cards in the box.

Plus close to one hundred inserts and parallels from this year and last year's products.  

When I asked him for a price, it was obvious that he hadn't thought about selling the box.  He turned to his buddy, who shrugged his shoulders as if to say... I have no idea.

Eventually, he came up with a $40 price tag.

Now, it was my turn to calculate the estimated value of the box... and while doing so, he slapped down the sweet Adrian Peterson patch... which ended up sealing the deal.

I spent over an hour sorting and sleeving the cards in that box.  The entertainment factor alone made it worth the investment.  Plus I was able to add several cards to my personal collection along the way.

As for taking a break from flea markets... we'll just have to see.  If it's cool and I'm bored, I'll probably go out.  If not... I might take a break for a few weeks.

Happy Monday and sayonara!