Clear skies and fresh air have a way of drawing people out of their homes. That's why the De Anza Flea Market was packed two weekends ago. Not exactly a fan of large crowds but if it motivates more vendors to set up in the future... it's something I can live with.
Made a total of eight purchases... which is more than usual. So let's get to it.
Purchase #1: 2019 Topps Clear Travel Packs $Free
I'll be teaching summer school again for the first time in four years, so I was looking for some cheap packs for a math lesson involving statistics. I found a vendor with a bunch of these packs which would totally work.
The purchase involved a storage tub filled with over 200 of these, but I ended up selling the bulk to a friend to help cover the cost of the thirty-six packs I kept.
I kind of regret selling the, because when I got home I discovered these weren't your ordinary 2019 Topps cards. They're an oddball issue that was distributed at ballparks and airports. I plan on writing another post about this nice surprise in the near future.
Purchase #2: New VHS Movies $1
Stumbled upon a lady with a box filled with brand new VHS tapes. Believe it or not... I still watch movies on my VHS player. But I won't be opening these. Pretty much purchased these for nostalgic purposes and because the price was too good to pass up.
Purchase #3: 1992 Impel Star Trek TNG Master Set $5
The husband of the lady with the VHS tapes had a bunch of non-sports sets. My cardboard addiction was drawn to the shiny holograms. Back in the 90's, I was one of those collectors drawn to holograms... especially if they were inserts.
Included in the purchase was also the base set, some promo cards, and a foreign language insert set.
Purchase #4: 1989 World Series Program $5
I wasn't sure if I had a copy of this program or not... so I picked it up. With the news of the A's leaving for Sacramento next year... I guess I was feeling extra nostalgic.
Tucked between two pages was a white envelope containing a nice surprise:
You're looking at a 1989 phantom World Series ticket. The Oakland A's swept the San Francisco Giants that year... so there wasn't a need for a Game 5.
Purchase #5: Early 90's Rap Packs $16
Discovered this set during the hobby boom... when people were grading anything and everything. I'm a fan of late 80's and early 90's rap... so the idea of pulling cards of NWA, Naughty by Nature, and Too Short appeals to me.
The vendor had twenty packs left in this box for a buck each. I bought one to see if they were "bricked" and they weren't. So I offered up $15 for the remaining 19 packs and he accepted.
Purchase #6: NSYNC Dolls $15
Not all of my flea market finds are for me. My friend is a huge fan of Justin Timberlake, so I asked her if she wanted it and she did. Made a special trip to the car to drop this off, because I didn't want to be seen carrying it around the remainder of my time there.
Purchase #7: Steve Carlton Bat Relic $3
2003 SP Legendary Cuts Historic Lumber #B-SC (#'d 005/350)
Ran into a guy who had some monster boxes sitting on his table containing mostly football and basketball cards. He was one of those guys who looks up singles on eBay and gives you a price. He couldn't find any listings for this card, so he told me he'd sell it for $10. I politely passed, so he asked what I was willing to pay. Three dollars later, the card was in my pocket.
Purchase #8: Another Toyota Supra $6.50
2024 Hot Wheels Gran Turismo
It's from the Gran Turismo series that was released about a month ago. I'm pretty sure these are only a couple of bucks in the store, but like blasters... I never see these at my local Target.
Well that wraps ups another trip to the De Anza Flea Market. I was pretty happy with the haul. I'll be heading out to the Branham High School Flea Market on Saturday. Looks like the weather will be nice again, so hopefully I'll find a few more nice surprises this weekend.
Happy Thursday and sayonara!
That World Series ticket is awesome! Good finds, as usual!
ReplyDeleteI got some Clear cards at a Yankee game in 2019.
ReplyDeleteBat relic of a lifetime .201 hitter!
some nice gets there.
ReplyDeleteThose clear packs of 2019 Topps are interesting. can't wait to read about the related 'surprise'.
ReplyDeleteThree classic movies for a buck apiece is a great deal in any format. Only a collector would nod in support of your decision to keep them sealed :)
$5 for a World Series program of any year is a good deal, especially one in that condition. Throw in the unused/phantom ticket and you got a steal!
Congrats on some great purchases and the nice surprises. Hope you find more at the upcoming flea market.
ReplyDeleteThe Carlton bat relic wins it.
ReplyDeleteVery nice with the WS program and ticket. And I love the STTNG holograms too.
ReplyDeleteStill a life goal to attend a flea market with you!
ReplyDeleteUgh, it's bad enough when the dealers pull out the Beckett book. I guess it's an improvement to compare eBay prices, but only if there's a generous selection so you don't get the one outlier guy trying to get several times the value.
ReplyDeletematt - thanks. now i've got game 1, 3, 4, and 5 tickets. just need to add game 2, 6, and 7 tickets for the complete run.
ReplyDeletebo - higher than some hitters today :D
johnnys trading spot - my largest flea market haul in quite some time
chris - looking forward to writing that post too. i have grease on dvd if i ever want to watch it. doubt i'd be interested in watching either of the other movies again.
bbcardz - went to the flea market again on saturday. it wasn't nearly as good. but i did find a few items
elliptical man - not often i add lefty relics to the collection, so that was a nice addition
nick vossbrink - me too. didn't think anyone else would appreciate them.
the lost collector - i'd love the company. if you plan a trip to california, just remember to reserve either the first or third saturday of the month :D
gca - if it's a card i really want, i don't mind pay around ebay. but i try to remind the vendor he is saving on ebay fees and possibly shipping.
Oh wow, this was fun to read. What an adventure! I wish I was there with you to shop. Those Travel packs are awesome and the VHS tapes are legit!!
ReplyDeletesumomenkoman - hopefully one of these days we can hit up a flea market.
ReplyDeleteI get that the Star Trek set probably isn't all that desirable at this point, but it's still hard to believe that a master set could be had for five bucks. Seems like the holograms alone would be worth more than that.
ReplyDeletesumomenkoman - still need to write up a post on those travel packs. hope one of these days we'll be able to hit up a card show and flea market in the same day. wonder if there are any flea markets in japan
ReplyDeletejon - the holograms were the main thing i wanted. after some research, i have since discovered that this isn't actually a master set. there are some hologram variations i'm missing. i did end up purchasing a few of them, but still need one.