Not sure about you, but Mother Nature has been messing with us here in the Bay Area the past week or so. One week it's freezing. The next week it's hot. Yesterday it rained. Whatever she decides... I just hope it stays cool for another three or four months.
Temperatures rose into the low 80's last week. Luckily it cooled off in time for the weekend and the De Anza Flea Market. When I arrived there on Saturday at around 7:15am... there were already people parked and walking around. People are catching on to the "early bird catches the worm" philosophy. The only downside is that half of the vendors aren't completely set up, so you either miss out on some stuff or you have to go back and see what you missed.
All of my purchases took place within the first hour... which is normal. That being said, one of my best deals was found on the last row of the day. But let's check out the other stuff first...
Purchase #1: Japanese Postcards Book $2
There's a longtime vendor on the first row that sells used books for great prices. Back when I taught fifth and sixth grade, I filled out my classroom library with their books. In recent years, I've purchased a Wayne Gretzky signed autobiography and Michael Jordan's first Sport Illustrated cover from them.
This time around... I found this cool book of postcards. There are twenty-our perforated postcards inside. Here's my favorite:
Here's a look at the back:
No way I could pass up twenty-four postcards for two bucks.
Purchase #2: Handful of Matchbooks $1
A few booths down was a guy who brought a bin filled with matchbooks. The San Francisco Giants one caught my eye, so I asked him how much he wanted. He told me I could pick twenty-five for $5. After I told him, I really only wanted the two Giants matchbooks, he told me I could have them for a buck and I could grab a handful as a bonus (no cherry picking).
I lucked out, because there are a few that are from places I've been to in the past: Coco's, the Crow's Nest, Alpha Beta, and Harrah's (South Shore Lake Tahoe).
Purchase #3: Pair of 1990 SI for Kids Magazines $20
Whenever I hit up De Anza, I always make time to hang out with some of my friends who set up on a regular basis. I've been waiting to see Tony, because he opens up a lot of blasters and I was hoping he'd sell me an Update Skenes rookie for my set build. Unfortunately he didn't have one. But he did have two copies of Sports Illustrated for Kids (October 1990) that he thought I might be interested in.
Here's the 9-card sheet in that month's issue:
Most of you know how much I enjoy collecting SI for Kids cards, but this sheet was actually only the appetizer. The main thing I wanted from this issue was this four card panel of McDonald's Michael Jordans:
You might notice that the numbering is a little weird. That's because the other four cards in the set were on another panel. I had hoped to find it in the other issue, but they were duplicates.
Honestly... I wasn't too disappointed. I kept one of the magazines intact and I cut the cards out of the other one.
Purchase #4: 1989 Pro Set Football Series 2 Wax Box $22
A few vendors down from my friends was a guy with a bunch of toys, magazines, and movies laid out on a table. Underneath a stack of comics, I noticed this box. The guy was asking $25 which I was willing to pay. However I didn't have a five dollar bill, so I gave him a twenty and a ten. He didn't have change and I only had 2 one dollar bills, so he took $22 instead.
This product is loaded with some hall of fame rookie cards like Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, and Deion Sanders. But I'm equally excited at trying to build the announcer set.
Purchase #5: Auto Relic of a Hall of Famer $10
2012 Topps Triple Threads #TTAR-206 (#'d 10/18)
I struck out on the next three rows, but as I turned the corner on the final row, I found this shiny card sitting on a table in a penny sleeve next to the box it was pulled from. I'm no longer actively chasing sticker-graphs, but when they pop up at a flea market for the right price, I'll pick them up. Not gonna lie... in this era where most vendors think every card they own is worth stupid money... I was pretty shocked to hear him say he only wanted ten bucks.
I pulled out that ten dollar bill I had originally given to the 1989 Pro Set guy immediately before he could change his mind.
Purchase #6: Dime Cards $2
A lady who was selling some crafts had given her teenage son part of a table and he put out a few boxes of cards with a sign "10 for a dollar". I picked out twenty... highlighted by the nine cards above and this card of my favorite football player in the 90's:
2022 Panini Legacy Decade of Dominance #DD-7
That's wraps up another trip to the flea market. The next one is two Saturdays from now and I'm planning on being out there... as long as Mother Nature cooperates.
Until then...
Happy Thursday and sayonara!
