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Flea Market Flops #1: The Inaugural Edition
It's a crapshoot every time I grab my backpack, water bottle, and pistachios and head out to the local flea market.
Sometimes I find new items for my collection. And other times I walk away empty handed. Either way, I usually only write about my flea market success stories. But that's about to change. I figure it's probably just as interesting to reflect on the stuff I didn't buy too.
So here's a look at some of the stuff I walked away from over the past month or so:
Binder Full of Los Angeles Dodgers $100
This was from a few weekends ago. I came across this awesome binder full of 70's and 80's Los Angeles Dodgers cards. Obviously... a few bloggers instantly came to mind, so I asked the guy about it. After a two to three minute conversation about how rare some of these cards are, he told me he wanted $150... but I could have it for $100.
I'm sure if you're a fan of Beckett values... it might be in the same ballpark. But I wasn't willing to pay over $20. Sorry Night Owl, Zakwin, Stealing Home, and GCRL.
Cards One: Bringing Back The Oldies 80's Packs $2 each or 3 for $5
How addicted am I to cardboard? I'm so addicted that I considered picking up these repacks from Cards One... which probably contain a bunch of 1988 Topps baseball. Anyways... I was willing to give the guy $2 for all three packs, but he kindly shot down my offer.
Rubber Band Wrapped Sports Cards $2
I flipped through these and didn't see anything I wanted. But I had figured the least I could do was entertain the lady and ask her about the cards. She told me that they were left behind in her classroom by a former student... which led to a conversation about teaching, schools, and of course "education" in general.
In the end, she told me I could have them for $2, since I was a teacher. I passed... even though I appreciated the $3 educator's discount.
Baseball Card Binder $50
I'm not going to lie. I really, really wanted this binder. It had a bunch of 70's stars in it, including Pete Rose, George Brett, Reggie Jackson, and Tom Seaver. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough in it to justify spending $50. I offered $20 (which I though was more than fair) and the guy laughed at me.
Ichiro Suzuki Bobble Head $7
Seven dollars isn't a terrible price for a hand painted bobble head, but it was just a little out of my price range. I wanted to pay $3... but was willing to go up to $5. The good thing is that I've seen this bobble on three different occasions. Maybe one of these times he'll drop his price.
2000 McFarlane Big League Challenge Mark McGwire $10
Do I really need a Mark McGwire logo-less figure? No. Do I really want a Mark McGwire logo-less figure? No.
But I had to ask about it... and the Jeff Garcia bobble sitting right next to it.
The guy wanted $10/each or $15 for the pair. As I walked away, he asked how much I wanted to spend. I told him a buck and he told me not to waste his time. Well... that's how much I wanted to spend. My parents told me to never ask a question, if I didn't want to hear the answer.
9-Pocket Pages w/Baseball Cards $10
This is probably one of the more intriguing things I walked away from, because within this packet of 10 to 12 9-Pocket pages, there were inserts and rookie cards. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a great look at them, because they had taped the pages together.
Ten dollars was kind of high for a mystery package that only guaranteed me a Russell Martin rookie card and a low end insert of Derek Jeter. I was willing to give the guy up to $3, but didn't say anything because I didn't want to offend the guy.
Dave Dravecky & Wally Joyner Autographed Balls $225
I had to save the best for last. In all honesty... this might be one of my all-time favorite flea market stories.
As a child of the 80's, I would love to add autographs of both of these guys to my collection... but seriously... there's no way anyone is giving the lady $225 for the pair.
But hold on... it actually gets better. She wanted $150 for each of them individually, but was willing to give me a package discount.
Wait... it gets better. When I picked up the Dravecky to see if it was certified... she YELLED at me. Not just a "loud" voice... it was a sharp, unsuspecting, ear piercing scream. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see what the drama was about.
The event definitely got the blood flowing... but I can't wait until the next time I see her. Because I'll definitely be fondling her balls again.
More...
Sometimes I find new items for my collection. And other times I walk away empty handed. Either way, I usually only write about my flea market success stories. But that's about to change. I figure it's probably just as interesting to reflect on the stuff I didn't buy too.
So here's a look at some of the stuff I walked away from over the past month or so:
Binder Full of Los Angeles Dodgers $100
This was from a few weekends ago. I came across this awesome binder full of 70's and 80's Los Angeles Dodgers cards. Obviously... a few bloggers instantly came to mind, so I asked the guy about it. After a two to three minute conversation about how rare some of these cards are, he told me he wanted $150... but I could have it for $100.
I'm sure if you're a fan of Beckett values... it might be in the same ballpark. But I wasn't willing to pay over $20. Sorry Night Owl, Zakwin, Stealing Home, and GCRL.
Cards One: Bringing Back The Oldies 80's Packs $2 each or 3 for $5
How addicted am I to cardboard? I'm so addicted that I considered picking up these repacks from Cards One... which probably contain a bunch of 1988 Topps baseball. Anyways... I was willing to give the guy $2 for all three packs, but he kindly shot down my offer.
Rubber Band Wrapped Sports Cards $2
I flipped through these and didn't see anything I wanted. But I had figured the least I could do was entertain the lady and ask her about the cards. She told me that they were left behind in her classroom by a former student... which led to a conversation about teaching, schools, and of course "education" in general.
In the end, she told me I could have them for $2, since I was a teacher. I passed... even though I appreciated the $3 educator's discount.
Baseball Card Binder $50
I'm not going to lie. I really, really wanted this binder. It had a bunch of 70's stars in it, including Pete Rose, George Brett, Reggie Jackson, and Tom Seaver. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough in it to justify spending $50. I offered $20 (which I though was more than fair) and the guy laughed at me.
Ichiro Suzuki Bobble Head $7
Seven dollars isn't a terrible price for a hand painted bobble head, but it was just a little out of my price range. I wanted to pay $3... but was willing to go up to $5. The good thing is that I've seen this bobble on three different occasions. Maybe one of these times he'll drop his price.
2000 McFarlane Big League Challenge Mark McGwire $10
Do I really need a Mark McGwire logo-less figure? No. Do I really want a Mark McGwire logo-less figure? No.
But I had to ask about it... and the Jeff Garcia bobble sitting right next to it.
The guy wanted $10/each or $15 for the pair. As I walked away, he asked how much I wanted to spend. I told him a buck and he told me not to waste his time. Well... that's how much I wanted to spend. My parents told me to never ask a question, if I didn't want to hear the answer.
9-Pocket Pages w/Baseball Cards $10
This is probably one of the more intriguing things I walked away from, because within this packet of 10 to 12 9-Pocket pages, there were inserts and rookie cards. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a great look at them, because they had taped the pages together.
Ten dollars was kind of high for a mystery package that only guaranteed me a Russell Martin rookie card and a low end insert of Derek Jeter. I was willing to give the guy up to $3, but didn't say anything because I didn't want to offend the guy.
Dave Dravecky & Wally Joyner Autographed Balls $225
I had to save the best for last. In all honesty... this might be one of my all-time favorite flea market stories.
As a child of the 80's, I would love to add autographs of both of these guys to my collection... but seriously... there's no way anyone is giving the lady $225 for the pair.
But hold on... it actually gets better. She wanted $150 for each of them individually, but was willing to give me a package discount.
Wait... it gets better. When I picked up the Dravecky to see if it was certified... she YELLED at me. Not just a "loud" voice... it was a sharp, unsuspecting, ear piercing scream. Everyone stopped what they were doing to see what the drama was about.
It was awesome!
As she yelled at me, I immediately began thinking to myself... how should I react? Well... I took the high road... put the ball down... took out my phone and snapped this picture... then walked away with a huge smile on my face.Happy Friday and sayonara!
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