There are things in our world that simply defy logic. The Capitol Flea Market on Thursdays is one of those things. I just don't understand how they can attract so many vendors and customers during the middle of the week.
Aren't people suppose to be at work?
This past Thursday I went and spent ten minutes looking for parking and ended up at the furthest end of the parking lot. Inside... the place was packed. There were more people walking around than your typical Saturday and just about on par with Sundays. Best of all... there were only a handful of empty spots, so the reduced price of admission gave you more bang for your buck.
And since there were more vendors, that meant there were more opportunities to find hidden treasures. Right? Wrong.
There were a few guys with sports memorabilia, but nothing spectacular. In fact, I only made one purchase.
When: Thursday, February 20th
Where: Capitol Flea Market
What: Two Packs of Baseball Cards
How Much?: $1
Purchase #1: 1983 Fleer Wax Packs $1
A guy had a box with a bunch of wax packs from the 80's and 90's. Buried under mounds of 1988 Topps and 1991 Fleer were a pair of 1983 Fleer packs. I asked him how much he wanted for the packs and he said a dollar each. Considering the fact that any of the key rookie cards in this set can be purchased these days for a few bucks, I set them back down in the box.
As I began to walk away, he asked me... how much you want to pay?
I offered him a dollar for the pair and he accepted. Each pack contains 15 baseball cards and one team sticker.
Here's a look at what I pulled:
Pack #1
Two Bobs, two Jeffs, two Mikes, two Johns, and one hall of famer.
Pack #2
Two Braves, two Cubs, two Jays, and the All-Time Hit King.
Outside of adding the Eddie Murray and Pete Rose to my binders, there wasn't anything too special in either of the packs. However the experience of busting thirty year old wax was well worth the money.
Happy Sunday and sayonara!
13 comments:
Must have been fun ripping open 30 year old packs. I would have done the deal also. Wow I think I was a sophomore in college then.
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for those 1983 Fleer cards. Fleer figured out how to put out a baseball card set that year -- good photography (generally) with a simple but not boring card face with the team logo rather than the team name. Nice find.
I guess I'm not a haggler. I would have bought them for a buck each without hesitation. That's not 1991 Donruss there.
If you find you have one card too many to store, I can find a place for that Glen Hubbard.
I was either in the fourth or fifth grade... towards the start of my baseball card collecting years.
I know there are a handful of collectors who don't like the 83F design, but I've always appreciated it's simplicity and really enjoyed their two card puzzle subsets, like Black & Blue.
It's funny that you bring that up. I've actually purchased boxes of 1983 Fleer and paid way more than $1/pack... probably close to $2/pack. But that was from a reputable dealer and these packs were at the flea market. So the combination of purchasing these from a stranger and feeling the need to bargain came into play.
If you don't mind a PWE, email me your address and I'll ship it out.
Crap. I need to get there I wonder if I can call out sick on a Thursday.
Brady
http://yadiermolinabaseballcards.blogspot.com
It is nice to open a product where you are not worried if you get a good auto or relic card to pay for the box. A much simpler time
The Murray was worth the price of admission. I love that card!!
Matthew Scott summed it up perfectly. Glad you enjoyed it. Who works these days ?
1983 Fleer is beautiful. Don't you love those haircuts, those beards, those glasses..
Post a Comment