Flea Market Finds #10

When: Sunday, June 26th

Where: Capitol Flea Market

What: LaserDiscs, some magazines, & a box of 1991/92 Pro Set Soccer cards

How Much: $7.50

I have three major flea markets in my area. There's the De Anza Flea Market, which is held on the first Saturday of every month. This is one of the nicer flea markets I've been too. Vendors have a lot of older stuff, but they're items that may be considered collectible by some. It's sort of like going to a garage sale in a middle class neighborhood.

Then you have the Berryessa Flea Market. This one has a lot of newer items. You can find everything from fake basketball jerseys to toothbrushes to furniture at this flea market. It's not my cup of tea, since if I want new stuff... I'll just head over to Target or Walmart. I might attend this flea market once every other year... usually for the exercise.

Finally... there's the Capitol Flea Market. If you're looking for stained stuffed animals, dirty old shoes, or somebody's old crap... then this is the place for you. It defies all logic, but I love going here.

I'll usually go 5 to 7 times a year. Most of the time, I come home with nothing. But every now and then... I'll find a hidden gem.

Today was not one of those days. In fact, I spent more on my lunch... then my total purchases combined. It's okay though... I was able to get some exercise and a few items from my college years.

Purchase #1: Star Wars Trilogy on LaserDisc $3

I remember my buddy Chris had one of these players when we were in elementary school. We were all envious of him, because he watched movies on these shiny, fancy discs... while the rest of us watched them on VHS and Betamax tapes. I've slowly built up a small collection of these over the years, even though I don't own a player. One of these days, I hope to frame a few of these and hang them up in my place.

Purchase #2: 4 issues of Baseball Cards Magazine & a Mike Tyson Sports Illustrated $1.50

There were a few vendors who had baseball cards today. The guy I purchased these from had a bunch of cards from the early 90's, but I didn't see anything of interest. But I did come across two boxes full of magazines. One was full of Sports Illustrated magazines and the other had about 10 copies of Baseball Cards, which was a price guide magazine from the early 90's.

He had a bunch of cool Sports Illustrated magazines from the 80's, some of which I considered picking up... but was too lazy to carry them around. But when I saw this Mike Tyson issue from 1986, I knew I had to have it. The box was labeled $1/each, but he gave it to me for fifty cents, because the cover had been sliced by a box cutter. It's his first SI cover appearance and looks sweet.

I used to watch Tyson dominate opponents in the late 80's and early 90's with one of my buddies who's a huge fan of Iron Mike. Since I have a few extra frames laying around, I decided to mount the cover and give it to him.

The guy at the flea market also had a box with about 10 issues of Baseball Cards. It's a magazine that is similar to Tuff Stuff. He wanted a quarter a piece, so I picked out the four covers I liked the most. I figure it's entertaining toilet bowl reading. Plus... it's a look back into the Junk Wax era.

Purchase #3: Wax Box of 1991-92 Pro Set Soccer $3

I came across this box on my way out. This guy had a bunch of random stuff and in the middle of it was this box of cards. It's funny, because he didn't have anything else relating to sports. In honor of the Gold Cup Final and the women's World Cup, I decided to inquire about the box. He wanted $3, which is less than 10 cents a pack (there's 48 packs per box) and the rest is history.

As soon as I got home, I busted the box. Pro Set products might have been overproduced, but I'm still a huge fan of their work. The box produced almost two complete sets (I'm missing 6 cards: 15, 103, 152, 192, 202, 207 for my 2nd set) and had amazing collation.

After busting 30 packs, I started sorting the cards to see if I had a set yet. I came up 9 cards short. I slowly busted the remaining packs hoping to complete the set with a few packs to spare, so I could give them away in this contest. Unfortunately, I pulled card #202 in the 48th pack of the box.

If I can find the last 6 cards for my 2nd set, I'll give it away in the contest. But don't get your hopes up. I'm not sure I'll be able to find too many people with singles of this product laying around.

So there you have it. I spent $7.50 (+ $1.75 admission) on stuff I don't necessarily need. Don't get the wrong idea though... I'm happy with my purchases.

Sunday's question of the day... is sort of a contest. In one of the magazines I purchased, there's a company that was selling a Muhammad Ali autographed boxing glove (not a pair).

How much do you think the advertised price was?

The first person to post the correct answer will earn 5 points.

If nobody guesses it correctly, then the person who's closest without going over wins. If by chance more than one person correctly picks the answer, the person who posted first will win the 3 points. Everyone else who guesses will receive the usual 1 point.

Well... I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. I'll be posting a contest update in the next hour or so. Sayonara!