Flea Market Finds #169: Cheap Wax, Dime Cards, and A Piece of the Past

Not sure about you, but Mother Nature has been messing with us here in the Bay Area the past week or so.  One week it's freezing.  The next week it's hot.  Yesterday it rained.  Whatever she decides... I just hope it stays cool for another three or four months.  

Temperatures rose into the low 80's last week.  Luckily it cooled off in time for the weekend and the De Anza Flea Market.  When I arrived there on Saturday at around 7:15am... there were already people parked and walking around.  People are catching on to the "early bird catches the worm" philosophy.  The only downside is that half of the vendors aren't completely set up, so you either miss out on some stuff or you have to go back and see what you missed.

All of my purchases took place within the first hour... which is normal.  That being said, one of my best deals was found on the last row of the day.  But let's check out the other stuff first...

Purchase #1:  Japanese Postcards Book  $2

There's a longtime vendor on the first row that sells used books for great prices.  Back when I taught fifth and sixth grade, I filled out my classroom library with their books.  In recent years, I've purchased a Wayne Gretzky signed autobiography and Michael Jordan's first Sport Illustrated cover from them.

This time around... I found this cool book of postcards.  There are twenty-our perforated postcards inside.  Here's my favorite:

Here's a look at the back:

No way I could pass up twenty-four postcards for two bucks.

Purchase #2:  Handful of Matchbooks  $1

A few booths down was a guy who brought a bin filled with matchbooks.  The San Francisco Giants one caught my eye, so I asked him how much he wanted.  He told me I could pick twenty-five for $5.  After I told him, I really only wanted the two Giants matchbooks, he told me I could have them for a buck and I could grab a handful as a bonus (no cherry picking).

I lucked out, because there are a few that are from places I've been to in the past:  Coco's, the Crow's Nest, Alpha Beta, and Harrah's (South Shore Lake Tahoe).

Purchase #3:  Pair of 1990 SI for Kids Magazines  $20

Whenever I hit up De Anza, I always make time to hang out with some of my friends who set up on a regular basis.  I've been waiting to see Tony, because he opens up a lot of blasters and I was hoping he'd sell me an Update Skenes rookie for my set build.  Unfortunately he didn't have one.

But he did have two copies of Sports Illustrated for Kids (October 1990) that he thought I might be interested in.

Here's the 9-card sheet in that month's issue:

Most of you know how much I enjoy collecting SI for Kids cards, but this sheet was actually only the appetizer.  The main thing I wanted from this issue was this four card panel of McDonald's Michael Jordans:

You might notice that the numbering is a little weird.  That's because the other four cards in the set were on another panel.  I had hoped to find it in the other issue, but they were duplicates.

Honestly... I wasn't too disappointed.  I kept one of the magazines intact and I cut the cards out of the other one.

Purchase #4:  1989 Pro Set Football Series 2 Wax Box $22

A few vendors down from my friends was a guy with a bunch of toys, magazines, and movies laid out on a table.  Underneath a stack of comics, I noticed this box.  The guy was asking $25 which I was willing to pay.  However I didn't have a five dollar bill, so I gave him a twenty and a ten.  He didn't have change and I only had 2 one dollar bills, so he took $22 instead.

This product is loaded with some hall of fame rookie cards like Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Thurman Thomas, and Deion Sanders.  But I'm equally excited at trying to build the announcer set.

Purchase #5:  Auto Relic of a Hall of Famer  $10

2012 Topps Triple Threads #TTAR-206 (#'d 10/18)

I struck out on the next three rows, but as I turned the corner on the final row, I found this shiny card sitting on a table in a penny sleeve next to the box it was pulled from.  I'm no longer actively chasing sticker-graphs, but when they pop up at a flea market for the right price, I'll pick them up.  Not gonna lie... in this era where most vendors think every card they own is worth stupid money... I was pretty shocked to hear him say he only wanted ten bucks.

I pulled out that ten dollar bill I had originally given to the 1989 Pro Set guy immediately before he could change his mind.

Purchase #6:  Dime Cards  $2

A lady who was selling some crafts had given her teenage son part of a table and he put out a few boxes of cards with a sign "10 for a dollar".  I picked out twenty... highlighted by the nine cards above and this card of my favorite football player in the 90's:

2022 Panini Legacy Decade of Dominance #DD-7

That's wraps up another trip to the flea market.  The next one is two Saturdays from now and I'm planning on being out there... as long as Mother Nature cooperates.

Until then...

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Unopened Box Bepop

Unopened boxes.  I'm sure after publishing this post, I'll receive a few comments from readers not understanding why I have accumulated so many unopened boxes over the years.  Everyone knows that boxes and packs are meant to be opened, right?

Well... that might be the popular vote.  But I enjoy collecting unopened boxes.  And I'm not alone.  Ryan (aka SumoMenkoMan) does too.

A few weeks ago, we were exchanging texts and he mentioned he had over 100 unopened boxes ranging from the 1950's to the present.  My mind was blown.  I suggested that he write a Top 10 post and by the end of our conversation, I had agreed to write one myself.

My unopened box collection is much, much smaller than his.  But I have set aside some boxes over the years for that rainy day when I'm retired and bored. 

There wasn't a specific formula to creating this list.  It's pretty much ranked by how much I want to keep them... which could be based on nostalgic value, monetary value, card design, or all of the above.  In fact... if I rewrote this post next month or next year, I guarantee it'd be different.

Before we get to my favorites, let's start off with some boxes that didn't quite make the list this time around...

1994-95 Skybox Emotion Basketball

1995-96 Skybox Emotion Hockey

1991 The Rap Pack

1993 Flair Baseball

1981 Topps Real Movie Giant Pin-Up

1978 Donruss Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band

1983 Topps Foldouts

1990 Swell Baseball Greats

1984 Topps Baseball Photo Rub-Downs

1981 Fleer Baseball Star Stickers

Okay... now for a few honorary mentions...


Honorary Mention #1:  2005 Yu-Gi-Oh! Elemental Energy

I'm not a Yu-Gi-Oh! guy, but I'm pretty sure this box is worth something.  1st Edition boxes sell for hundreds.  Unfortunately I couldn't find any completed or active listings for an unlimited box.


Honorary Mention #2:  1992 Upper Deck Minor League

This box offers you an opportunity to pull one of Derek Jeter's first licensed cards and due to overproduction, they're very affordable.


Honorary Mention #3:  1997 Skybox EX-2000 Football

Right before I decided to dump my collection, I purchased three hobby boxes at a card shop that was closing their doors.  I don't remember what I paid, but they were cheap and the three best boxes I could get my hands on.  This was one of them.  The other two made the Top 10.  Unfortunately, the rookies on this checklist didn't pan out, which is why it's only an honorary mention.

So without further ado, here are my Top 10 favorite boxes sitting and gathering dust in my collection...


#10 - 1995 Select Certified Baseball

This was one of my favorite product lines back in the 90's... and it all had to do with the shiny mirror gold parallels.  I guess certain mid 90's wax boxes are heating up, because the last two boxes of this stuff that sold on eBay fetched over $100.  I figured this was a $20 to $30 box these days.


#9 - 1992 Skybox Marvel Masterpieces I

If you're a Marvel comic book fan, then there's a good chance you'd appreciate this box.  The artwork on these cards is amazing and well worth the $15 I paid for this box.


#8 - 1993 Bowman Baseball

This is the 2nd box in the three box purchase (mentioned above).  I've thought about busting this box open a few times in hopes of pulling a Jeter rookie, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.  Part of me is worried the cards will be stuck together or something.  I also have three unopened boxes of 1993 Score that possibly contain Jeters, but I find this box more appealing.


#7 - 1996 Topps Finest Star Wars

Finest was sitting on top of the world back in the mid 90's.  When you combine that fact with the fact that Star Wars was a huge piece of my childhood... then that explains why this box is so high on this list.


#6 - 1982 Topps Baseball

I picked up this box at a Southern California card show back in 2013 for $48.  That should definitely send up a red flag.  But I took the risk, because the gentleman seemed sincere when he told me this box has been in his collection since the 80's... and overall the packs seem to look okay.  Then again... I'm not an expert.  I guess the only way we'll discover the truth is to bust this box open.  Crossing my fingers that there's a Ripken rookie card inside.


#5 - 1998-99 Topps Chrome Basketball

This was the key box in the three box purchase mentioned earlier.  While the 1997 EX-2000 football rookie card class is practically worthless... there are several key rookie cards (Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, and Dirk Nowitzki) in this product.  I was blown away when I saw how much this box closes for on eBay.  Any guesses?  If you're interested, click here.  But that's not the only reason this box is ranked so high on this list.  1998-99 was the peak of my basketball card collecting interest.  I barely touched baseball, football, or hockey cards that year.


#4 - 1978 Topps Three's Company

Three's Company is one of my favorite shows from my childhood and probably the only box in this post that I would take a loss on if I chose to sell it.  I purchased this box in the late 90's for a lot of money.  If I had to guess, I'd say $100.  I was surprised that they only sell in the $50 range.  I'm not sure if I'll ever open this up.  I'll probably just go out and buy a complete set on eBay.


#3 - 2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970's Baseball

This is one of my favorite products from the 2000's.  Over the years I've bought four boxes of this stuff paying as low as $18 and as high as $34.  I opened two and built myself a set with some outside help... and kept two boxes sealed.


#2 - 1983 Fleer Baseball Cello

When I returned to the hobby a little over a decade ago, I went on a mission to build two sets from my childhood:  1981 Fleer and 1983 Fleer baseball.  The goal was to build them the old fashion way... by busting packs.  I bought four boxes of 1981 Fleer, two boxes of 1983 Fleer, and two cello boxes of 1983 Fleer and eventually built a 1981 hand collated set.  I kept the four 1983 Fleer boxes intact.  I'm crossing my fingers that I'll pull at least a few Tony Gwynn rookie cards from these boxes.


#1 - 2000 Upper Deck Ovation Japan Baseball

Out of all of the boxes, this is currently my favorite.  I've always wanted to pull a Japanese Ichiro card out of a pack and there should be at least one sitting inside of this box.  There are also other notable MLB players like Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kenji Johjima, and Hideki Matsui waiting to be pulled.

Okay... that's enough writing from me...

Do you have any unopened boxes you're saving to open up on a rainy day?  If so, do you have a favorite?

I'd like to thank Ryan for motivating me to write this post.  We agreed to publish our posts simultaneously, so if you're interested in checking out his impressive collection, click here.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post.  Happy Saturday and sayonara!