Flea Market Finds #188: A Classic Set & A Fidrych Food Issue

Spring Break has come and gone.  I already wrote about my road trip.  Now it's time to recap my trip to the De Anza Flea Market that took place two days earlier.

The flea market itself was a little less crowded than usual.  I'm guessing some people were traveling or spending time with their families over Easter weekend.  Luckily there were still plenty of vendors with collectibles.

Here's my haul...

Purchase #1:  Bin of Star Wars  $30

1977 Topps Star Wars

I've documented the significance of this set to my hobby history on numerous occasions.  I've also mentioned that I own a complete set with stickers.  Normally I wouldn't waste my time grabbing a box of duplicates, but sentimentality trumped frugality.

Haven't had time to decide if I'll start a second set build, but even if I do... there are plenty of duplicates to help others who are trying to complete this set.

Purchase #2:  Piece of Art  $5

2008 Rittenhouse Batman Archives Sketch Card #NNO

Not sure if this is Catwoman or Batgirl, but for five bucks I don't care.

I found this card a few vendors down from the couple with the Star Wars cards.  A gentleman was selling two 3,500ct. boxes worth of cards.  He had some pretty cool stuff like Barry Bonds and Buster Posey rookie cards, but his prices seemed a little high.  On the other hand, his asking price for this piece of original art was more than fair.

Purchase #3:  Odball Birdie  $1

1977 Hostess #46

The vendor had a binder of 80's and Junk Wax Era singles that I flipped through quickly.

Towards the middle was this random Hostess card of Mark Fidrych.  I was very surprised to find this card staring back at me.  He said I could have the whole binder for $20, but I was really only interested in this card.  I think we both walked away happy with the dollar sale.

Purchase #4:  Dollar Box Magazine  $1

Mad Magazine March 1959

Found another new vendor.  This guy had a magazine box filled with dollar vintage magazines from the 50's, 60's, and 70's.  There were probably fifteen to twenty different Mad Magazine issues sitting in the box, but this was the only one that really caught my eye.  It's pretty beat up, but it's also sixty-seven years old.

Purchase #5a:  A Classic Board Game  $30

Before I show off my favorite purchase of the day, I want to explain some details behind the purchase.  Some of you might remember a lady who was selling off her deceased husband's collection.  Last summer she sold me a 1990 Leaf Series 1 set and some San Francisco 49er oddball issues.  I have also purchased some cheap sets and an unopened box of 1989 Bowman from her on separate occasions.

Anyways, she was back and she brought her sons.  There were a few items I was interested on their table, so I gathered them up and worked out a package deal (so ignore the price tags).

Here's the main thing I wanted:

1987 Classic Baseball Board Game

When these board games were originally released, I was too busy opening boxes of 1987 Topps Baseball purchased from Costco.  I could buy three of them for the price of one of these board games:

Unfortunately, I completely missed the boat on ever owning the iconic Bo Jackson card featuring him wearing his Auburn football gear while holding a baseball bat.  By the time I realized how cool and popular this card was, card shops were jacking up the prices for the single and toy stores had sold out of the actual board games.

Well after almost four decades, I'm happy to finally add this board game to my collection.  It's still sealed with the original Toys R Us price tag, so I'm not going to open it up.  That means I'll still be hunting down a set of these cards.

Purchase #5b:  An 80's Box Set  $8

1988 Score Rookie & Traded Set

Plenty of us collected during the Junk Wax Era, so we remember when this set was a pretty hot commodity.

It's cooled off over the years, but it still contains some cool rookie cards.

I already have graded copies of three of the key rookie cards, so I'll just keep this set housed in the factory box.

Purchase #5c:  A Stained Set  $2

1986 McDonald's All Star Team Set

I added this set to the stack for pure nostalgic reasons.  Back in 1986, I remember going to McDonalds with my friends and receiving an Oakland Raiders or San Francisco 49ers card with each purchase.  The idea that I could get a complete set of 30 cards for less than the price of a Happy Meal was too hard to pass up.

Unfortunately this set seems to have been sitting in a box with some french fries, because they feature some staining.  Phil Simms took the brunt of the oil, but if you look closely to at the backs of the Montana and Payton, you can see some discoloration along the bottom edge:

I had offered the sons $35 for the three sets, but they countered with $40.  That seemed fair.

As I was about to leave, I was looking at some knick-knacks on one of the brother's tables.  It started a conversation that eventually led to one more purchase.

Purchase #6:  Atari Stickers  $5

1982 Atari Lenticular Discs

The gentleman who sold these to me had no idea what these are or where they came from, but that didn't matter to me.

I grew up playing Pac-Man and Defender on my Atari 2600 and was immediately interested in them.


Purchase #7:  Another Damaged Set?  $20

1998 Champions of Golf The Masters Collection Factory Set

Much like the 1988 Score Rookies & Traded set, there was a time when this set was pretty popular.  I have always wanted one of the Tiger Woods cards found in this factory set.  Unfortunately this set has a history of bricking and sliding around in the box, so I'm not sure if I'll be opening it up anytime soon.

Well that wraps up another trip to the flea market.  There's another one coming up this Saturday.  Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates and I'll have the opportunity to walk around, get some fresh air, and walk away with a few new finds for the collection.

Until then...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Flea Market Finds #172: Singles, Sets, Boxes, & Figures

Kicked off my spring break with a trip to the Branham Flea Market on Saturday.  Found a few vendors with sports related stuff and made more purchases than normal, so let's get right into it...

Purchase #1a:  Bay Area SLU's  $5

One of the regular vendors ended up selling the bulk of his inventory last month to one guy, so he dug out a bunch of new stuff which included a table full of Kenner Starting Lineups and McFarlane sports figurines.

He was asking $3 each for the SLU's, but said I could have two of them for $5.  I picked these two:

1989 Kenner SLU #NNO

1989 Kenner SLU #NNO

I wasn't sure if I had either of these cards in my binder, so I picked them over all of the 1988 baseball figures he had out.  When I got home I discovered that I have copies of both.  However for the price, I'll just keep them intact.

Purchase #1b: A Little League Sponsored Game $2

1989 Baseball Wit Set

The guy with the figures also had some new cards.  I already own a sealed copy of this set, but for two bucks I'm going to open this one up since there are a few guys on the checklist that I collect.

Purchase #2a:  A Bag of Bonds  $10

The figurine guy was sharing a space with another guy who only had cards.  He had this team bag filled with Bonds Home Run History cards for ten bucks.  This is a set that I'm trying to build even though I doubt I'll ever complete it.

Anyways, here are the contents of the team bag:

That's the first Chrome version for my collection.  One down.  Twenty-seven to go.

Purchase #2b:  An Overpriced MJ  $3

1995 UD Minor League Top Prospect #45

The Bonds guy had a bunch of singles.  Most of them were newer basketball, football, and soccer.  I found this 90's Jordan card that I don't think I hav.

Was hoping to pick it up for a buck or two, but he wouldn't go lower than three.  Obviously I gave in. 

Purchase #3:  A Questionable Purchase  $10

2003 Princess of Japan Barbie

This is ten dollars I wish I could have back.  What can I say... the lady selling this was good.  She noticed me looking at it (I was intrigued by the kimono) and kept lowering the price until I felt like I was getting a bargain.

Not exactly sure what I'll do with this thing.  I'd consider giving it to my friend's daughter, but the packaging isn't in great condition.  Maybe I'll open it up and display it on a shelf in my classroom.

Purchase #4a:  Another Jordan Inspired Purchase  $10

1989-90 Fleer Basketball Set w/Stickers

There was a lady selling her husband and son's collection of cards.  I saw this set for $10 and figured the two off-centered Jordans were worth the asking price alone.

I kept digging through the lady's boxes and found two more items I was interested in.  That's when I realized that I should have held back, created a stack, and made a lump offer. 

Purchase #4b:  36 Packs of Oversized Baseball  $10

1989 Bowman Baseball Wax Box

I was pretty excited to see this unopened wax box.  Most collectors seem to stay away from these oversized cards, but I have a soft spot for 1989 Bowman.  Seeing this takes me back to my days working at Thrifty's.

The problem is I didn't want to pay the $20 price tag, so I paired it up with a small factory basketball set and made her an offer...

Purchase #4d:  The Final Jordan Inspired Purchase  $10

1989-90 Hoops Super Stars Factory Set

This had a ten dollar price tag, so I asked her if she would take $20 for this and the Bowman box.  She gladly accepted.

We started talking about her stuff.  She asked me if I was a dealer and if I would be interested in purchasing everything.  I told her that I was just a collector and didn't have the room to store all of the stuff she had.  I also explained that I normally just pick up a few cards here and there.

She pulled out a small box of singles she was selling for a buck each...

Purchase #4d:  The B&W Bo  $1

1990 Score #697

There were a ton of 1991 Upper Deck basketball and football holograms, but the Bo Jackson was the only card I was really interested in.  I will buy this card for a buck every day of the week.  I think this is my 4th copy.  Maybe one day I'll fill a nine-pocket page.

Purchase #5:  Cheap Autographs  $2

Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg Programs

A lady a few spots down from the card lady had two signed programs from the 2009 Strikeforce fight between Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg.  This was the first major mma fight to headline two women and it took place at the San Jose Arena.

I didn't attend the event, but I remember people talking about it.  Unfortunately both programs are pretty beat up.  But each of the covers were signed by Cyborg.  She also signed each of the biography pages inside each program.

Plus there was a bonus 8.5" by 11" signed photo inside one of them:

Not exactly something I collect, but I couldn't pass up five signatures for two bucks.

Purchase #6a:  Oversized Baseball Set  $15

Remember the guy with the Sears football posters from last month?  Well he was back and I picked up two really cool sets from him.

First up was this 70's oddball issue: 

1976 Lauglin Diamond Jubilee Set

I have been looking for two singles from this set for quite some time.  However before we take a closer look at them, here's the set in its entirety:

I first discovered this set looking for this card:

1976 Laughlin Diamond Jubilee #16

Back in 2020, I learned about an interesting piece of baseball history involving Stan Musial and Nate Colbert.  That's also when I started targeting this card.

I've been also trying to track down this card:

1976 Laughlin Diamond Jubilee #26

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up the pair plus the other thirty cards in the set for fifteen bucks.  I honestly would have paid twice his asking price.

Purchase #6b:  Big Baller Set  $70

The other set I purchased is possibly the most I've spent at the flea market on a single purchase in years:

1984-85 Star Court Kings 5x7 Set

While I was there, I quickly looked up the checklist and completed listings for this set and discovered this was too good of a deal to pass up.

I was originally going to open it up and take out the Magic and Kareem for my Lakers PC, but after seeing sealed copies of this set sell on eBay for $400 to $600... I won't be opening it.

Purchase #7:  Football Food Issues  $6

I've written about how my interest in 7-11 Slurpee discs dates back to my childhood, but I don't remember ever seeing football versions.

Found a guy with about ten different ones, I grabbed these two:

1984 7-11 Slurpee Discs (West) #VII

1984 7-11 Slurpee Discs (West) #II

I asked if he'd take two for $5, but he wouldn't budge.  Figured I had dropped over $100 already that morning.  One extra dollar wasn't going to stop me from adding these to my collection.

Purchase #8:  More Starting Lineups  $5

This flea market is pretty small, so I always go back to the beginning and walk around one more time.  The guy with the baseball SLU's also had these two Gretzkys:

1997 Kenner SLU #NNO

1998 Kenner SLU #NNO

Originally he didn't want to sell these two at the 2 for $5 price, but when I went back he said they were all mine.  I already own the 1997 card, but I don't have the 1998... which means I'll likely open it up.

Well that's it for now.  I spent way more money than usual and some of these purchases are head scratchers.  But overall, I'm very happy with this week's flea market finds.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!