Ya know I keep promising every year to make a new banner for my flea market posts but at this point, I love this too much.
Finally! The first flea market of the new season. Thank goodness, because just the week before, we were still getting snow and even an ice storm, so the hopes for an enjoyable spring were at an all-time low. People around Rochester have been fed up with the crappy cold and in a hurry to enjoy all the delights of the warmer seasons. So what better way to enjoy than hitting the first flea market of the season?
I was excited for this first market, but don't get me wrong, I had to keep it at a minimum. Last year was pretty lame and a gigantic letdown with finds, I feel like more and more people are getting wise as to what they have. I mean, why sell a complete Greyskull at the flea market for $5 when you can get it for a lot more on eBay? I get it, but the treasure hunter in me was sad when I'd walk away with nothing. So when I hit the flea market this past Sunday, as excited as I was, I was trying to stay realistic.
Some familiar vendors and familiar items were on display. The usual suspects if you will. The same vendors in their favorite spots with items that they couldn't get rid of last time. Some with higher prices, some with lower. Some with new stuff, some with the same stuff they've had for years. Either way, it was good to see some of my favorites and catch up.
My old friend Alf! It seems like every time I hit the market, I always find something Alf-related on my first trip. I don't know if it's a good thing and that I should take it as a sign of things to come, but I always look forward to finding something that involves my favorite sarcastic, smart-ass Melmac resident. While I have the Rockin' Alf doll already, I always love seeing these with their tags with those old Burger King logos. Don't see them as often and it's a very welcome sight.
VHS is a constant at these flea markets and
sometimes there's gold in the stacks but not always. More times than most, if you're looking for a copy of Three On A Meathook, you probably won't find it. You'll be more likely to find a copy of Ghoulies 2 or some other fun 80s cheese than you will something so rare you can retire by selling it. But hey, it's a fun way to find old trash and childhood favorite!
Ok, enough riff-raff, I hit as many tables as I could before I got sweaty and tired. Let's dig in to the goods!
COMIC BOOKS:
Some good comics here. I'm a huge Dazzler fan, so anytime I can find some comics featuring her, I'll pick them up. Rom? Never truly got into him but I love the idea of Rom. Plus his name is fun to say. Rom. Rom Rom Rom Rom Rom. See? It's fun.
Rounding out the crew were Fallen Angels, the infamously bad Kickers Inc and a Madballs comic that there was no way I wasn't walking away with! That Marvel Age may be my favorite of the bunch. Look at those authentic 1993 attitudes and clothing of the Romita boys. It's like a cover of a made for HBO about a family of vending machine thieves on the lam. Or the cover of a new alternative band. You pick.
VHS:
As I said, VHS are always at your local flea markets, and while I didn't see a lot I wanted, I decided if I was gonna pick up anything, it would be two releases of my all time favorite show, Tales From The Crypt. I've already got the entire series on DVD and all, but there's something that looks so nice about these VHS covers. The different designs and colors certainly are eye catching too. Some good episodes on both tapes and will come in handy when I wanna watch random episodes and not put in
80 discs in one afternoon.
HE-MAN TOYS:
I guess I don't need to tell you that this was the fave of the days finds. A 2002 Panthor, the original He-Man and a Spikor all in one swoop. Well, if I'm gonna buy anything that gives me hope for a great season, it's these. Good condition, clean and look great on display. Now, of course, MOTUMonth 2018 is right around the corner, so I won't go too in depth on these, but as you can imagine, I felt like a big kid taking these home with me.
Ok, now you'd think I wouldn't push my luck any further, go home and call it a day, but no. I decided to hop on over to the nearby thrift store and see if I could get lucky there too. I've had a bit of a thrifting dryspell as of late, but I was just a few miles away, so what's the harm?
DRYSPELL: OVER.
Yup. After months and months, my luck has finally changed. I was able to find a few extra items to consider my day extra fruitful...
MINI FIGURES:
MUSCLE figures, Monster In My Pocket, California Raisins, and some random Starburst candy looking monsters. I'm a fan of MIMP and The Raisins, but I never got into the MUSCLE figures. Alien professional wrestlers are right up my alley but I lost mini figures way too often though. But the designs were pretty cool and a lot of people still love the heck outta these guys so I can appreciate them.
RICKY BOBBY LOT:
Talladega Nights was Will Ferrel's movie about a ridiculous NASCAR driver and his adventures. It wasn't the greatest movie in the world, but it was ridiculous enough for me to buy a ticket for it and the dvd when it was released. It was a fun time in my life for multiple reasons and there's a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in this movie, so I figured what the heck do I have to lose in buying these. I'm guessing those air freshener's don't smell as great as they once did though.
RAMBO NOMAD WITH WRONG ARMS:
Nomad, a villain from the Rambo cartoon, caught my eye in a bag of random toys and I was in a big hurry to buy him. Unfortunately I didn't notice he had a weirdo, second left arm until I got home and I was photographing him. So what I thought would be a nice piece of eBay fodder turns out to be a hilarious paperweight on my desk. I always liked the Rambo line so even if it's not what I had hoped, it's a fun, unique item to put on display.
I don't ever expect to start my flea marketing adventures off on a huge not but when I find some real quality stuff, I get super excited. Here's hoping for a fun rest of the season filled with rare treasures and stacks of cool vhs!
-Chad
