Flea Market Finds #103: Mystery Bag of Cardboard and More

If you read Tuesday's post, then you know I've cut back on my flea market pickups.  So until things pick up and go back to the good old days... I think I'm going to combine my flea market finds into one monthly post.

Purchase #1:  2016 Topps Heritage Real One Autograph $25

This actually wasn't my first purchase, but it's my favorite so I figured I'd use it to get things rolling.  Last year, I started building a collection of Al Kaline autographs after reading a cool article that Baseball Digest featured him.

My buddy recently pulled this card out of his box of 2016 Heritage and was asking $35 for this beautiful hard signed card of Mr. Tiger.  It's a fair price, but I told him I won't spend more than $25 for his signatures.  It's a number I came up with last year and I've pretty much stuck to it with the exception of a few cards.

Long story short... he accepted my $25 offer and as an added bonus he threw in this Batista card I wanted.

Purchase #2:  Mystery Bag of Cardboard $5

Okay... there nothing too mysterious about this bag.  As soon as I saw it, I knew it was filled with a bunch of overproduced 90's non-sports trading cards.

Normally... I wouldn't bother with this heap of trash... but sitting on the bottom of the bag was a box of True Crime cards... along with a few small factory sets and packs.  After sorting through the junk... here's a look at the stuff I didn't toss:

Anyone else excited as me about finding a pack of In Living Color trading cards?


Purchase #3:  1991 BBM Japanese Baseball Cards $15

There's always a first time for everything... and this was the first time I've found BBM cards at the flea market.  This guy who had bought a storage unit was selling a bunch of early 90's factory sets and wax boxes, so checked out his inventory in hopes of finding boxes of 1990 Leaf or 1993 Upper Deck SP.

Instead, I found a complete factory set and some wax packs of 1991 BBM baseball cards.  For those who aren't familiar with this product, it features several early issue Hideo Nomo cards.  There was also a factory set of 1991 BBM All-Star cards... which I had never seen or heard of before that day.


Purchase #4:  Danbury Mint SBC Park $3

The Kaline might be my favorite purchase... but this is easily the best bargain.  For those who aren't familiar with Danbury Mint, they're a company known for their collectible plates, die cast vehicles, and sculptures.

They also create hand painted replicas of different stadiums from different sports.  I've actually looked into acquiring the Oakland Coliseum, Lambeau Field, and the Kingdome replicas in the past, but they tend to sell for more than I'm willing to spend.

I found this replica of SBC Park at the Capitol Flea Market last Sunday.  Capitol is known more for their garbage than their collectibles, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this sitting on some guy's tarp.

The guy was asking $5, but I countered with $3 because I thought this piece was damaged.  If you look closely past Levi's Landing (right field wall) you'll notice four pillars.  Originally I though they were part of a stadium billboard... but actually they're just pillars.

Well that pretty much sums up all of my flea market finds relating to sports and trading cards over the past few weeks.  I've actually picked up a few other things like DVD's and fruit too... but I'm pretty sure nobody is interested in hearing about the sweet mangoes I found a few weeks back.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Flea Market

I miss finding amazing deals at my local flea markets.  It wasn't that long ago... that I could count on those purchases to provide at least a couple of posts each month.  But things change.  No longer am I willing to buy anything and everything.  Plus... I'm a lot more meticulous about how I spend my money.

Nevertheless... there were still plenty of regular vendors set up at the De Anza Flea Market with sports memorabilia this past Saturday.  And today I'll give you an idea of what you can expect to find at my favorite once a month, middle class, community college flea market.

Vendor #1:  The Local

This guy targets the grandmother looking to buy something for her twelve year old grandchild who loves sports, because he/she made the honor roll again.  He carries everything from Golden State Warriors lanyards to San Francisco Giants bobbleheads to San Francisco 49ers team sets.  If you're a fan of a Bay Area sports team, then he probably has at least something for you.

In the past he's had a pretty cool dollar bin, but over the years it's been picked over and I haven't seen anything of interest in awhile.  The rest of his inventory is pretty pricey, but he balances that out with one heck of a selection.

Vendor #2:  The Used Car Salesman

If you've got time to kill... then this guy is pretty entertaining.  If you don't... it's annoying.

Every time I stop by his stand, I feel like I stepped into a used car dealership.

He lures you to his area with some pretty cool stuff like vintage baseball cards, old comic books, and a solid selection of autographed sports memorabilia.  And as soon as you walk up, he goes in for the kill with the stereotypical salesperson routine.  Question.  Up sale.  Repeat.

I've actually been interested in a few of his items, but to be honest his personality and prices rub me the wrong way.

Vendor #3:  The Figure Guy

If you're looking for McFarlanes or mini helmets, then this is your one stop shop.  I'm not sure what the deal was this month, but he typically has a lot bigger selection.  He's a nice guy and his prices are definitely competitive.

I've purchased a few items from him in the past like a Rickey Henderson McFarlane and a Crazy George bobblehead and there's a good chance that I'll buy something from him again in the future.

Vendor #4:  Mr. Outdated Prices and Son

This father and son partnership has been around for a couple of years now.  Back in 2014, I picked up a Troy Tulowitzki autograph from them for $10.  Sadly... I've never bought anything from them again.

They have a ton of Hot Wheels, a few Junk Wax Era wax boxes, and a variety of sports singles.  Unfortunately their stuff is way overpriced.  Interested in that box of 1990 Fleer baseball?  Probably not.  But if you were, you'd have to hand over $18.  How about that 1985 Topps Roger Clemens rookie card for $15?  It would be interesting to find out how much money they earn each month off of sports card sales, because I'd be surprised if they made a single sale.

On a positive note... they offer great customer service.  They're sort of like the Nordstrom of sports card dealers.

Vendor #5:  The Supply Guy

Back in February... I wrote a post about the passing of a guy I called Flea Market Joe.  If you ever shopped at De Anza or the Branham Flea Market and purchased card supplies, then it was probably from him.

Well his good buddy Pete has inherited the business.  In addition to supplies, he also sells a variety of sports memorabilia and collectibles ranging from Wizard of Oz dolls to Lego sets.

His prices are hit or miss.  He's the guy who sold me two 1989 Donruss Baseball's Best factory sets for $5 back in January... which is a pretty fair price.  But he's also the same guy who tried to sell me a Kurt Suzuki autographed bobblehead for $50.


Vendor #6:  The Toy Guy

Honestly... there are probably ten to twelve toy vendors who set up each month at De Anza.  I chose this guy, because I have actually purchased from him a few times over the years.

The first time I met him, he sold me ten The Road Warrior figures for $20.  Since then, I have purchased a bunch of Star Wars, McFarlanes, and SLU's from this guy.  The photo above captured one of the few times his booth isn't swamped with kids and parents digging through his stuff.

Although I haven't bought anything from him lately... I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I make my next purchase.


Vendor #7:  Dime Box Dude

Meet Tony.  Tony is one chill dude.  If you're ever at De Anza, make sure to stop by and dig though his cheap bins.

Technically he doesn't advertise any dime boxes, but he has several quarter bins and if you spend enough... he'll lower his price down to a dime a piece.  I have spent a lot of money at his booth.  He's the guy who sells me his highly discounted blaster box leftovers.

I can't remember his buddy's name, but he's cool too and has a vast knowledge of non-sports issues.  My normal routine is to walk around the whole flea market and end up at their booth, where I'll kick back and hang with them until it's time for me to head out.


Vendor #8:  The Artist

This isn't really sports related, but I know some of you appreciate art.  Last Saturday, I met a retired gentleman named Jorge who enjoys drawing in his spare time.  We hit it off and he shared a few stories from his childhood in Argentina.

I was surprised at how affordable his drawings were.  He was only charging $10 for any of the drawings on the ground.  Not bad for a one of a kind piece of artwork.

Well that's all for now.  On Thursday, I'll share the handful of flea market finds I acquired over the past few trips to the flea market.  Until then...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Negative Super Traders Rating

It's a good thing the Super Traders group doesn't have a feedback system in place.  Wait.  We don't, right?

Because if we did... it wouldn't be pretty for me.  It's not because I rip people off.  I'm like a Lannister... I always pay my debts.  It's the fact that I'm slower than molasses when it comes to making it down to the post office and shipping things out.

Sometimes it's pure laziness.  Other times... I don't have the inventory and need to pick things up on COMC.  But the biggest reason is time... or lack thereof.

That's why today I figured I'd share my thoughts on trading and let you decided whether or not I'm a suitable trading partner for you.


#1:  I very rarely send first.  It has nothing to do with a lack of trust.  It's that I'm always playing catch up with other blogger packages and never actually get ahead of the pack.

For example... The Junior Junkie recently sent me a package that included some Oakland A's cards for my collection:

This was sort of a "tag... you're it" package, because now I owe him cards.  By the way... TJ... that custom card is awesome!


#2:  99% of my trades are partially blind trades.

Once upon a time, I traded heavily on the forums.  Both parties would agree on specific cards to send, then ship around the same time.  These days... I rarely complete these kinds of trades, because my tradelists are very outdated and I don't foresee me updating them in the near future.

What's a blind trade?  Well... it's when two collectors send random cards to each other blindly.  However... since I'm rarely the guy who ships first... I end up seeing what the person sent first.

Isn't that cheating?  Well... kind of.  But the good news is I'll never, ever send less value than what they sent.

Two weeks ago, PATP sent me a generous PWE filled with some goodies:

And in return... I shipped out some Texas Rangers for him and made sure the trade was balanced at the very least.

Why can't you just send at the same time?  Well... that leads us to #3.


#3:  I typically make it down to the post office about four to five times a year, which means that my turnaround time is terrible.

Wow.  After rereading #'s 1 through 3... I pretty much sound like the worst trader around... hence the negative Super Traders rating.

Normally this alone would be incentive for me to make a chance.  However... continuously building packages and taking trips to the post office... while managing the blog, being a teacher, and trying to maintain somewhat of a personal life only adds stress to my life.  And that's when collecting becomes more of a job than a source of entertainment.  Not sure if I'm prepared to take on another job.

I completely understand that this post could hinder future trading with many of you... but I've gotten to know quite a few of you over the years and the least I could do is keep it real.

With that being said... I was on Spring Break this past week and was able to build a bunch of packages for fellow bloggers and collectors:  Mr. Hoyle, Cardboard Clubhouse, Woody, Infield Fly Rule, Oddball Card Collector, Baseball Card Breakdown, JBF, Junior Junkie, Night Owl, Off Hiatus, Too Many Verlanders, Cooperstown Exit 3:16, Play at the Plate, GCRL, and Highly Subjective & Completely Arbitrary.

I apologize that I kept a few of you waiting a few months and thank you for your patience.

JediJeff... I have a PWE that I'll ship out sometime this week.

Well... that's it.  Tomorrow I'm back in the classroom... which means that if you decide to send me any packages... chances are you'll have to wait until June or July before I can return the favor.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

This Ain't No Joke

Do you know what Paul Molitor, Goose Gossage, Dennis Eckersley, Andre Dawson, Jim Palmer, Orlando Cepeda, Rollie Fingers, Whitey Hertzog, Gaylord Perry, Bruce Sutter, Jim Rice, Tony Perez, and Tony La Russa all have in common?

They're all enshrined in Cooperstown and if you head over to COMC, you can pick up any of their autographs for $10 or less.  On the other hand, you can be like me and spend ten of your hard earned dollars on an autograph of a career .215 hitter:

Now before you start calling me the "April Fool", give me a chance to defend myself.  I've been a fan of baseball longer than just about everything else in my life.  In fact... off the top of my head... I can only think of three things (outside of people) that I've liked longer than baseball: food, music, and television.

With that fanfare comes my passion for collecting baseball cards.  I spend most of my "hobby" budget on my player and team collections, but every now and then I will focus on other things.  This time it was owning a piece of baseball history.

A few weeks ago, a caller on the radio mentioned the Mendoza Line, which made me wonder if Mario Mendoza has a certified autograph.  As luck would have it... he does.  In 2003, Topps included him in their Archives Fan Favorites autograph set and there happened to be a couple listed on eBay.  A few bids later, ten dollars poorer, and I was the proud owner of an on-card autograph of the Mendoza Line namesake.

And I have absolutely no regrets either.  Kinda makes you wonder why I'll spend so much money for the signature of a below average hitter... while refusing to pay less than a buck to complete a set (my 1984 Donruss Mickey Mantle puzzle) that I've been building for the past few years.  Honestly... sometimes I don't even understand myself.

Happy April Fools' Day and sayonara!