Flea Market Finds #189: Fill A Bag

In regards to views and comments, Flea Market Finds are the bread and butter posts on this blog.  Unfortunately it's been nearly three months since I've written one of these posts.  A busy end of the school year schedule along with prioritizing care packages from fellow bloggers essentially pushed these posts the back burner.

Now these posts are starting to pile up in my draft folder, so it's time to start recapping some spring trips to the local flea market.

Today's post covers a trip to the Branham High School Flea Market back on Saturday, April 18th.

Although I took notes on purchases, I completely forgot to write anything down about the weather, the crowds, or the vendors.  Not sure if that's important to anyone, but I usually like to include that info to help keep my memory fresh.  Oh well.  Let's get to what I found...

Purchase #1:  Cheap Cards  $4

The first vendor on the first row is a regular I have purchased stuff from on multiple trips.  While I was flipping through his card boxes, he was telling me about his mom who is battling cancer.  Normally, I would have walked away without making a purchase.  However I wanted to leave the interaction on a positive note by purchasing something.  

2024 Heritage Baseball Flashbacks #BF-5

1992 Leaf Gold #57

The first two cards were 50¢ each, while the final three were dollar cards:

2020 Bowman Prospects #BP-108 (x2)

1994 Topps Black Gold Redemption Winner A #NNO

Expired redemption cards are one of those collections I don't really talk about... but I truly enjoy finding in the wild.

Purchase #2:  Start of a New Collection  $2

Maybe it's because there weren't a ton of vendors with cards.  Maybe it's because I have a sickness when it comes to stuff I treasured as a kid.  Whatever it was, I was drawn to this table of cassette tapes.  There were a few I owned when I was a kid, but something in my brain told me rebuilding this collection could be a slippery slope.

So I grabbed the one that stood out the most:

Go-Go's Beauty and the Beat (1981)

This was the Go-Go's debut album which was #1 for six straight weeks on the Billboard 200 in March and April of 1982.

Purchase #3:  Cards & Cassettes  $22

That slippery slope I just mentioned... just go real.  I owned a copy of this cassette tape as a kid:

The Police Synchronicity (1983)

Honestly there's a good chance my childhood copy is sitting in a box somewhere in my garage.  But after purchasing the Go-Go's tape, I figured I'd add this to my cassette tape collection rebuild.

The vendor also had a bunch of cards and other knickknacks scattered on a table.  That's where I found these two Junk Wax Era hall of famers:

1987 Fleer Update #U-68

1996-97 Collector's Choice A Cut Above: The Jordan Years #CA5

And this 22 card lot of vintage cowboy cards:

1951 Post Hopalong Cassidy

Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero that was popular in films in the 1930's and 40's.  There was also a television show based on him that ran on NBC from 1949 to 1952.

The Google app on my phone helped me identify this set on the spot.  These cards were inserted into boxes of Post cereal back in 1951.

He packaged them up with the two cards and cassette tape for $22, which seemed like a solid deal.

Purchase #4:  Bag of Stuff  $10

The couple with this set up had a two tables filled with a variety of items you'd find at someone's garage sale.  Their deal was fill a Target bag with as many items as you wanted for $10.

The two Topps factory sets immediately stood out:

1991 Topps Baseball Set

1992 Topps Baseball Set

Both of these sets had already been opened, but at this price I couldn't pass them up.  I also grabbed these five items and tossed them into the bag:

At the left are two souvenir photo books which I thought were interesting.  They remind me of going to San Francisco with my parents when I was little.  These are the kind of items I'd bug them to buy me when we'd stop into souvenir stores.

The black thing is a Nintendo Switch case that I ended up giving away to one of my 8th graders.  Under that is a Mickey's Steamboats souvenir baseball.  And the final item I tossed into the bag was a package of Christmas cards that I'll use for future care packages.

As for the two factory sets, they weren't complete.  Both sets were missing a handful of Giants.  But I did end up pulling out the A's and Padres team sets.  Also pulled out some key stars (in case I end up building more Topps base card runs) and a few rookies like these:

1991 Topps #333

1992 Topps #156

I'm going to use the base cards for an annual art project I do with my students where they create trading cards of their favorite civil rights leaders.

Well that wraps up my first Flea Market Finds post in nearly three months.  I still have a few more trips I need to recap as well as a yard sale yield and a card show haul.  With only four weeks left in my summer break, I need to start hammering these out hopefully at a rate of one per week.  We'll see how things play out.

Until then...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

TWiB: 70's Baseball, Red Refractors, and a 2020 BBA

February Break is just around the corner.  By next week at this time... I'll be kicking off a one week vacation and the timing couldn't be more perfect.

Yesterday my friend found out that her dog has cancer.  I'm not sure what your feelings are about pets... but around here she's definitely part of the family.  We're still waiting on the full diagnosis and it's one of those things that is weighing heavily on all of our minds.  

I'm fortunate to have this hobby and blog as an outlet, so let's take a look at This Week in Blogging...

#1:  The Golden Gate Bridge

2009 UD A Piece of History #174

Let's get things rolling with one of the most famous bridges in the world and a sight that usually takes me to my happy place. 

On Thursday Hackenbush showed off a very cool postcard dating back to the early 1900's that depicted the Golden Gate before the world famous bridge was built.  If you're into history or postcards, head over to his blog and check it out:  Can't Have Too Many Cards.

#2:  The Sensational Seventies

1976 Topps #564

Another thing that normally brings a smile to my face are 70's baseball cards.  Last Saturday gcrl over at cards as i see them showed his 70's sampler set where he chose one card to represent each year from the decade.  I really like his idea and plan on building one myself... but for now I'll just share a contender for the 1976 slot.

#3:  Seeing Red

The Cincinnati Reds owned the 70's.  They went to the playoffs six times, the World Series four times, and walked away as champions twice.

1968 Atlantic Oil Play Ball Contest #3

On Monday, Bill over at Bill's Baseball Card Blog wrote about the Big Red Machine and the jersey numbers the Reds have retired.  He asked his readers who would be next.  Chris over at The 1993 mentioned Vada Pinson.  Can't argue with his pick.

2008 Topps Chrome Refractor #196

Joey Votto was the first guy that popped into my head.  Whether or not he'll end up getting the call from Cooperstown, he's truly one of the most entertaining players in the game.

#4:  Seeing More Red

Collecting Cutch is king when it comes to bloggers collecting Andrew McCutchen.  He also does a great job of spreading awareness for breast cancer each year with his popular "pink" posts and contest.  Yesterday he informed his readers that the first Friday in February is Wear Red and Give Day.  It's a day to raise awareness for women's heart health.

2008 Bowman Chrome Prospects Red Refractor #BCP282 (#'d 2/5)

He showed off some red parallels of Cutch.  I don't have any myself... but his post reminded me of this red refractor I pulled from a pack a few years ago.

#5:  Blast from the Past

Last year one of the more popular BBA's involved people listing things they didn't like that others did.  Some bloggers even flipped the script and wrote about things they liked that other didn't.  I had a lot of fun putting together my own lists and of course reading all of yours.

Last week Jay over at Card Hemorrhage revisited the idea by listing items he liked and things he doesn't like within the hobby.  It was nice to see the similarities and differences between a fellow Bay Area collector and blogger.

I'm gonna go ahead and close out this post.  I realize it's shorter than usual, but my mind is on other things right now.  Before I do, I want to acknowledge a few other posts I read this week that I originally planned on highlighting in more detail:

#6: The Tube Sox Set 

1989 Topps #183

A closer look at the 1989 Topps football set by Gregory at Nine Pockets.

#7:  Early 90's Art 

1991 Fleer Pro-Vision #4

A closer look at the Fleer Pro-Vision cards by Daniel at It's like having my very own Card Shop.

#8:  Waiting for the Bubble to Pop 

1963 Post #12

The Commish over at The Five Tool Collector talks about his vintage set builds and how he's willing to wait to finish them if he has to.

#9:  Best of the Bucs 

2000 Fleer Tradition Autographics #NNO

Trevor P over at Bump and Run Football Card Blog shows off nine of the best players in the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two days before they try to win their second Lombardi Trophy.

#10:  A New Super Bowl Contest 

Elliptical Man is running a contest on his blog for regulars and past trade partners, but you better hurry up.  Time is running out.

Now for a few questions for you to ponder...

When you think of 70's baseball cards, what is the first card that pops into your head?

Do you think when Votto hangs up his cleats, he will have done enough to get inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame?

Are there any set builds you've had to put on hold for now due to rising prices from the recent hobby boom?

Who's going to win the Super Bowl?

Well that wraps up another week of This Week in Blogging.  Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on this post.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Heel to Hero

Nostalgia will always be a large part of why I collect trading cards.  It also explains my love for almost everything related to that galaxy far, far away.

That's why when I woke up on Tuesday morning and saw a text message from my buddy Mike that David Prowse passed away... I was totally bummed.  With Star Wars being a huge part of my childhood, I needed to write a post about him.

This led me down a path involving his character, Darth Vader, who goes from being a bad guy into somewhat of a hero.  I started thinking about baseball players who might have done something similar.  It didn't take long for me to realize I was in over my head.

1962 Post #6

The closest thing I could come up with was Roger Maris during the 1961 season when he was chasing Babe Ruth's single season home run record.

1962 Topps #53

Okay.  Maris didn't slaughter Jedi younglings and probably wasn't exactly a "heel" in New York.  However if I remember correctly... the media and many fans were rooting against him, while supporting his teammate.  Eventually... things changed and he became a hero to baseball fans.

Yeah, I know it's a stretch...

If you have a better example of a baseball player going from "heel" to "hero", please leave their name in the comment section below.

Getting back to Mr. Prowse... 

1977 Topps Star Wars #254

There's a pretty good chance that the first pack I ever opened was not of the baseball variety, but was 1977 Topps Star Wars.  Even if that isn't true... they're the first cards I remember collecting and asking my parents to buy.

And like millions of other kids in 1977, this five year old was hoping Santa Claus would deliver Star Wars toys to him on Christmas.  Forty-three years later, I still enjoy picking up a new Star Wars toy every now and then.  Usually it involves a Lego set, but recently I purchased this six inch Black Series figure of Darth Vader:

If you've never seen these Black Series figures, the level of detail that goes into them is pretty insane.  Plus the design of the packaging took me back to my youth.

Mr. Prowse... thank you for being a huge part of my childhood and helping me stay young at heart.  Rest in peace and may the force be with you.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!