If you're a fan of variety, then this post is right up your alley. If you're only interested in sports cards... just scroll down to the 3rd purchase.
The De Anza Flea Market is held on the first Saturday of every month. This is now the third month since it has reopened and they are still struggling to fill up with vendors and visitors. I think part of the issue this month was the flea market took place on a holiday weekend, so hopefully next month will be better.
The good news is there were a bunch of new vendors who I wasn't familiar with. five of my six purchases were made from people I've never seen before.
Purchase #1: 70's Map of Mariott's Great America $3
I'm sure nobody else cares about this map, but this was easily my favorite purchase of the day. The week leading up to the flea market, Bay Area residents were informed that Great America will be closing its doors sometime in the next eleven years.
This was the theme park I grew up at. This is the theme park a lot of locals grew up going to. In a nutshell... this was pretty sad news for a lot of people.
That's why I was super excited to see this folded up map sitting on this guy's table just waiting for me to buy it. Without seeming too giddy, I asked him how much he wanted. I couldn't hand over the three bucks fast enough.
The first thing I noticed is that The Demon (one of my favorite rides) wasn't on it, so I knew it was pretty old. After some research, I discovered that the ride was originally called Turn of the Century, but it was modified and renamed in 1980... which means this map is from 1979 or earlier.
Sorry I blabbed so much about a map nobody cares about. I'll try and keep the rest of the flea market finds brief and straight to the point.
Purchase #2: The Famous Baseball Card Book $2
The Great American Baseball Card Flipping,
Trading and Bubble Gum Book (1st Edition)
I already own two copies of this book (paperback & hardcover), but this copy's dust jacket is a nice upgrade. Even if it wasn't, I still would have bought it for the price.
Purchase #3: Pack of Predators $1
2003 Top Trumps Predators Pack
No idea what this game is, but it's a pack of cards and the price was right. Don't worry, here come the sports cards...
Purchase #4: Bag of Cards $10
This bag was sitting on a tarp partially covered by a paper fan among a bunch of oriental style home furnishings and fishing reels. Luckily I took a few extra seconds to browse this vendor's stuff, because I never would have spotted the bag if I weren't standing right over it.
After pulling out a small stack of cards, it seemed to contain a mixture of new and old baseball and football cards. The guy said I could have the bag for $10, which I thought was fair. When I got to the end of the row, I sat down and pulled everything out to organize the purchase. That's when I found this card:
1991 Topps #333 (2016 Topps 65th Anniversary Buyback)
I love me some rookie cards... especially when they are stamped as a buyback and depict a first ballot hall of famer.
I would have paid $10 for this card alone... even though it's far from being mint.
Honestly... I could have dedicated an entire post to the contents of this bag, but this post is dragging on long enough. I'll trim the fat and share five other cards that caught my eye:
1975 Topps #400
There was a small stack of vintage football cards that were in top loaders consisting of three players: Fran Tarkenton, Franco Harris, and Bob Griese.
2016 Topps Gypsy Queen MVP Mini #MVPM-FT
2012 Topps A&G World's Greatest Military Leaders #ML-8
2019 Topps #100
2001 Pacific Paramount Sample #NNO
Rounding out the scans are two memorabilia cards...
In an age where condition is valued by everyone from flippers to grading card companies... it is hard to imagine someone tossing stacks of cards into a bag and dumping them at the flea market for $10. But I'm sure glad they did.
Purchase #5: MJ Rookie Card $6
Although I didn't know the guy who sold me this card, he was set up with some of my buddies. He had a few dollar boxes, but there wasn't really anything that stood out.
1994 Collector's Choice Silver Signature #661
I found this Jordan in his display case. It was a little more than I would typically spend. But I wanted to buy something to support him and this fits my collection.
Purchase #6: Heritage Error Cards $5
After tossing the MJ into the backpack, I walked over to my buddy's booth.
He showed me a stack of 2021 Heritage that contained a few wrong back error cards. I like this kind of stuff and wanted to support him, so I picked out six of them. He originally wanted $2 per card, but he settled for a crisp five dollar bill.
If you're trying to wrap your brain around who is paired with who, here's a breakdown:
A. Guerrero (front) / Hader (back)
B. Riley (front) / Eflin (back)
C. Arenado (front) / Yelich (back)
D. Hader (front) / Guerrero (back)
E. Eflin (front) / Riley (back)
F. Turner (front) / Sanchez & Kilome (back)
First off... these aren't rare. There are plenty of listings on eBay at very affordable prices. But they are a little mysterious. Typically Topps changes the code at the bottom for variations. Yet all of these have the same code as the regular base cards. If anyone knows the story behind these, feel free to comment on them down below.
Well that wraps up another trip to the flea market. Sorry it took so long to get this post published. I'm still playing catch up after a very busy start to the summer. I'm hitting up another flea market on Saturday, so hopefully I'll have some more finds to write about next week.
Until then...
Did you have a favorite amusement park when you were a kid?
Do you have multiple copies of the same book sitting on your bookshelf?
Happy Tuesday and sayonara!
24 comments:
Having not heard of the park before, the map and it's backstory were the most interesting thing to me. A whole post on just that would've been more than welcome :)
Favorite amusement park as a kid was Skyline Park.
I do not have book duplicates save for one Dodgers book that someone sent me that I have already. Don't have the heart to get rid of it.
The Tarkenton card makes this entire post.
The story behind the Heritage wrong backs is that it wasn't an intentional error. Some of the cards were printed by printers in France who were not experienced in printing cards, and messed them up. That's what I've read.
No. Though I went to Great America two or three times and Disneyland once.
No. I owned different copies of On the Road, but not at the same time.
With the '70s football stars, Trout, and Chipper, that seems like a good deal on the bag.
That Tarkenton card would sell for $10 alone around here. Nice finds!
No favorite park, but I went to plenty. That bag of cards was great. I found this on PSA regarding the Maddux sample https://www.psacard.com/pop/baseball-cards/2001/pacific-paramount-sample/98169
Absolutely love the Chipper buyback. I'd be interested in both of those cards should ever want to part with them.
No dupe baseball books.
I've accidentally bought a few books twice, but I don't really feel the need to have more than one of any title. Much like baseball cards, book doubles don't do anything for me.
Okay that Great America map is super cool. While I'm a Bay Area native I actually never went there that much (and *never* had a season pass). But I knew it. Of course I knew it. And it's wild to see a map with nothing recognizable on it except for the two-story carousel. I'm no going to miss the park but I will miss that ride.
Regarding books I have multiple copies of. That would be the Lord of the Rings for me. I have favorite covers (the ones with his art on the front) and will grab those when I come across them.
Never went to an amusement park as a kid, I don't have more than one copy of any book, and I need to find the bubble gum trading & flipping book.
Good Job! 👍
Disneyland and no.Sorry to hear about Great America .That and Marine world were the 2 big bay area amusement parks when I was a kid.
I have two copies of Always Remembered when I wanted the newer Expos book..
There were no amusement parks close to me
I still want to go to a flea market with you one day. I've always loved that MJ.
Favorite park growing up was Six Flags in NJ. I love thrill rides, big coasters, etc.
I don't think I have duplicate books. If I do, it's not intentional.
Nice finds. Best guess on the Maddux is that a Paramount product was planned for 2001 before Pacific decided to turn it in on baseball. Flagship that year was their final baseball release. based on PSA data, at least 4 different players exist.
Favorite amusement park is called Darien Lake. Pretty sure I have a couple versions of "The Hobbit" lying around. That Chipper rookie was an excellent find - congrats!
Never heard of the park but that vintage map is awesome. That bag of cards was great too!
Love that book, and have never seen that jacket before.
I didn't get into riding coasters until I was out of high school or so. First one was Space Mountain at Disneyworld. I like the ones that snake around like you're in an aircraft, but don't really like the ones that bounce over hills. Went to HersheyPark a few times. I remember this place called the Enchanted Forest as a kid, but it isn't there any more.
While I'm here ~ work has blocked blog comments now, so mine may diminish. I read more there than at home. Gotta love that school system security.
i am surprised that the person who sold you that bag only wanted $10. it seems like it was curated by someone who knew a bit about cards.
we went to disneyland more often, but magic mountain was my preferred park. the rides were better. you may know magic mountain as the site of wally world from the vacation movie. no moose out front in real life though. i believe the park no longer exists.
i have two copies of "to kill a mockingbird" - one hardcover and one paperback. i also have two copies (signed) of "ball four". i gave one to my dad and he returned it to me after reading it thinking it was my only copy.
There was a Six Flags outside of St. Louis, but I think I only went to the park once or twice in my life. I have been to Busch Gardens in Virginia a few times. Overall, I am not a huge amusement park person.
Yes, I have duplicate books. Many of them are popular baseball books that my students or parents give to me as gifts, but I have already purchased them. I think there might be two or three copies of Moneyball floating around my bookshelf.
jon - if i ever stumble across more great america memorabilia, i'll dedicate an entire post to it. i do have a few stories i can share.
night owl - are you a tarkenton fan? or do you just enjoy that particular card b/c it's from 1975? i ask b/c i think i might have a duplicate from another year laying around.
gtt - thanks for the information on the error cards. i wonder what percentage of the print run they make up.
elliptical man - i'm pretty excited about the chipper. i know it's one of those niche cards, but i'm definitely the market topps targets for those
crocodile - wow. didn't realize he had such a following. there were at least three other cards of his in the bag. i chose the 75t because it looked the coolest and was in the best condition
johnnys trading spot - i actually thought of you while writing this post. they're both pc cards, but i do feel like there will be a time when i clean out my collection. when i begin parting it out, you're my braves guy. p.s. thanks for the heads up on the pop report.
nick - consider yourself lucky. being a hoarder is a curse
nick vossbrink - i never had a season pass either. but some of my friends did. i've been on the carousel a few times, but i'm more of a flight deck/demon kind of guy. one of my students bought me the lord of the rings trilogy years ago. i've never read it, but maybe one day.
john sharp - email me your address and i'll send you my old copy.
sg488 - i loved marine world when i was a kid. was kinda bummed when it moved to vallejo
mike matson - a book dedicated to the expos? might have to track it down (even though i have a stack of sports books waiting to be read).
the lost collector - if you're ever in the bay area, i'll definitely meet up and hang out at the flea market with you. we can even hit up some card shops too
jimetal7212 - that makes sense. found an ivan rodriguez on comc so there's at least 5 players
matt - not familiar with darien lake. is it a water park? very happy to add the chipper to my collection. i love rookie cards from my youth. the buyback factor makes it even cooler
bo - was hoping to frame it up. went to michaels earlier in the week, but it's way too expensive.
gca - that one is the first edition hard cover. not sure if they made different versions though, but it's the same as i had before but in cleaner condition. if i didn't tell john he could have it, i'd send it to you. i loved space mountain. that and the matterhorn were my favorite rides at disneyland when i was a kid. glad your comment went through. i know blogger marks my comments on some blogs as spam
gcrl - i know... especially since it contained new stuff. the person definitely wasn't a collector though, bc they had the chipper just floating around in the bag without even a penny sleeve. that wooden roller coaster freaked me out when i was a kid. it was so much fun, but i've always been a little scared of wooden coasters. to kill a mockingbird is a great book.
the snorting bull - i'm not a big fan of amusement parks either, but i loved them growing up. these days... the crowds are a little overwhelming. you're lucky. i used to receive a lot of books years ago from students when we'd do the scholastic book club. but it's been several years since i've managed that.
Sorry for the late post...I too was more than interested in the Great America map...because the layout is basically the same as Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL (between Chicago and Milwaukee). Turns out Marriott owned them both and then sold them off to different companies in the 80's. 11 Yeats to shut down seems real odd, but sorry it'll be closing eventually. I would suspect many of the old rides you enjoyed are or were at the Gurnee site (Demon is still running strong); Six Flags is associated with Warner Bros so many rides have a DC theme to it.
But yes, Great America is the Park I associate with my childhood, yet ironically I'm not a roller coaster guy, so I have yet to take on The Demon. Oh, and nice $10 card bag!
We had lots of amusement parks near us. I liked Playland (Lagrange, IL maybe) and Enchanted Forest (IN). Both were probably far from safe. One had 10-cent rides in the 70s and the other had wrist bands for unlimited rides.
The most unique one in the 70s was Old Chicago, an indoor park. Almost every time I was there a kid would enter the cold building and throw up. Also almost every time my friend would throw up on the rotor ride.
Had the market been crowded, your haul would have been far less fantastic. That Chipper is Spectacular in any condition sporting the Sweet 65th Anniversary Buyback Stamp. I collect select stamped buybacks and consider that Chipper quite the find!
Similarly envious of MJ silver sig.
Six Flags is the park I frequented in my teens and my shelf currently sports 2 copies of Preacher #1 by Garthe Ennis.
jafronius - yeah, while researching the map i discovered the other six flag great america. found some maps from that one on ebay as well. not sure the deal behind the 11 years, but i'm glad they are giving the public enough time to get in their thrills. bummer that you're not a roller coaster guy, because the demon is a classic. i think kids prefer some of the newer rides, but if i ever go back, the demon is the first ride i'll hit up.
runforekelloggs - 10 cent rides sound awesome. i've only gotten sick on one ride. it was at the county fair. not sure the name, but it's the one where you go inside a ufo shaped room with a dj in the middle. you line up on the wall... and it starts spinning. the floor slowly drops and you're stuck to the wall. it was so hot and loud in that room. it's a good thing that i didn't throw up while in the ride, because it would have made a mess all over me (and others around me). i'll never go on that ride again.
xavier higgins - yeah... that chipper is one of my all-time favorite flea market finds. i just wish the person had put it in a penny sleeve before tossing it into the bag. the mj might be a duplicate. if it is, i'll send it your way. are you a big fan of preacher? i just inherited a huge comic book collection and i feel like i saw some preacher stuff.
Preacher, Daredevil, Deadpool & Squirrel Girl are a handful of comics I collect. Would be honored to receive any cards from you 🙏 especially a card of the 🐐 shooting hoops in a baseball uniform. Also interested in the Kim T206 if it's a variation, would love the Zito T206 as well Though I'm sure you'll be holding onto that gem.
If you'd consider a trade for that Chipper I'd make a generous offer, if not I understand completely. Thanks for the consideration. Have another parcel headed your way shortly...
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