30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Flea Market Finds #92: End of Summer Shopping Spree

The drought is over!  Wait let me clarify.  California still needs a lot of water, but on a positive note... I finally found some quality cardboard and a few other items at the flea market this past weekend.

Now I didn't find any 1952 Topps hall of famers or tobacco cards that will allow me to retire earlier.  However I certainly hit the jackpot when it comes to my flea market standards in the sense that I purchased a variety of vintage cards, 90's inserts, autographs, and memorabilia cards for what I consider to be very reasonable prices.


There were so many cards that it actually filled up the 660ct. box I bring with me to the flea market each weekend.  Unfortunately... it's going to take me a few days to scan and crop photos, so I'm going to hold off on sharing these goodies for now.  Sorry to be such a tease.

In the meantime, here's a look at the rest of the stuff I picked up at the Capitol and Branham High School Flea Markets last weekend...

Purchase #1:  1989 Upper Deck Baseball Factory Set $10


Last year, I picked up this iconic set for $15 and thought it was a steal. That's why I just couldn't pass up this set when the guy offered it to me for $10.


Purchase #2:  Willie Mays Autographed Ball $8


I know what you're thinking... haven't you been writing about autographed memorabilia and the issues that surround their authenticity?  But my buddy who is familiar with Willie's signature said it looked good to him and essentially... the eight dollar asking price was worth the risk.


Purchase #3:  2015 Topps Archives Blaster Box $3


My buddy busted open another box of Archives and cherry picked all of the inserts, but I was able to grab the leftovers for less than the price of a hobby pack.  This purchase allowed me to cross off six cards on my wantlist and brings me down to needing only thirteen cards for my set:



Purchase #4:  Arnold and Clayton Bobble Heads $5


If you were to journey into my office, you might notice that one of my bookshelves is reserved for a smorgasbord of bobbles.  It's my version of Island of Misfit Bobble Heads.  As you can see... Arnold is more than happy to become the newest resident.



Purchase #5:  Autographed Football $10

Among all of the controversy involving Tristar and their authenticating process at card shows, I found a unique autographed item that was simply too cool to pass up.


It's a ball featuring players and coaches from the 1977 East-West Shrine Game.  At first glance, I only noticed two names:  Eddie Robinson and Tony Dungy:



At the time, Dungy was a quarterback for the Minnesota Golden Gophers... and Robinson was the head coach at Grambling State.

After scouring the internet, I also discovered that the ball also contained the signature of Jack Christiansen, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame:


Back in 1972, Football Digest ranked him among the Top 25 players to ever play the game.  He's also a member of the All-Decade Team of the 1950's.  Unfortunately Mr. Christiansen passed away at the age of 56 back in the mid 80's after battling brain cancer.

Well that's it for now.  As soon as I'm finished scanning the highlights from my  sports cards purchase, I'll write up a summary of my nice cardboard haul.  Until then...

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

11 comments:

Dennis said...

Wow, nice find on the UD set! And I can't believe you found a Clayton Richard bobblehead, that's so cool!

Matt said...

Dude that's a steal on those sets! I paid $50 for it sealed back in the day. Wished I still had it!

Daniel Wilson said...

Great deals Fuji!

Zippy Zappy said...

A $3 blaster box. Gotta get to a swap meet/flea market one of these days.

Mark said...

That football is an amazing find. Great pickups!

Nick said...

I wish my flea market had those "cherry picked" blasters of new product. Who needs inserts, anyways?

Kyle D said...

Nice pickups Fuji. I've had a few of my own and always look forward to stumbling upon the next one.

Tony L. said...

Great finds, Fuji. I love that football!

BobWalkthePlank said...

Amazing deals! What a steal on the 89 UD.

Man said...

Drove by yet Flea market the other day while working and thought of you, great findsf

Fuji said...

Dennis - Thanks. It's the first Padres bobble I've purchased at a local flea market.

Sports Card Collectors & Matthew - I think the Cardboard Gods are rewarding my patience. In the 90's, I wanted that set so bad... but could never afford it.

Daniel - Thanks!

Zippy - Well... it wasn't a sealed blaster. My buddy opened the packs and cherry picked the singles he wanted. But I need the base for the set I'm building.

Mark & Tony - Yeah... I figured for the price, it was a cool find. Unfortunately it no longer inflates.

Nick - I love inserts! But yeah... I have no problem picking up this guy's sloppy seconds.

Kyle - Yeah... I had been on a pretty epic cold streak, but if you hit the flea market often enough... you're bound to find some hidden treasures.

Legal Puffs - Screw You SPAM! Consider yourself... DELETED!

B Man - Hit me up the next time you're in the area and I'll give you the personal tour.