Man, it’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Basically, there just hasn’t been a lot of awesome stuff out in these streets. The thrift stores have dried up, while the yard sales have yielded little. So, I’ve been forced to resort to the final frontier of thrifting: the flea market. It’s not my first choice, but it sometimes gets the job done. Here’s some stuff that I’ve found on recent visits.
I’ve written about the Civitan Flea Market in the past, and while it hasn’t been as packed with goodies as it used to be, it still has a few conversation pieces. One of my current goals is to become the go-to American site for all Xuxa Google searches. This just helps me get one step closer to that goal. I got this baby for $1, but not without some resistance from the seller. He felt the need to tell me that it was odd seeing a man “buy a Barbie doll” and he wanted to know if it was for me. I corrected him that it was a Xuxa doll, but I told him it wasn’t for me. So I lied. I wasn’t getting shanked by some flea market bigot. Best to let him think it’s for my biracial daughter or some shit.
On another trip, I managed to get this LEGO Hawkeye for $5. That might seem a bit steep, but it’s a lot better than having to buy the entire building set for him. Now, my LEGO Avengers consist of him, Cap, Iron Man, and Thor – all without having to buy some huge $60+ building set.
The same vendor with Hawkeye also had these Marvel Universe Series III holograms. I don’t go into it much on the blog, mainly because they’re not as prevalent anymore, but I’m a sucker for some holograms. So, I had to have these.
I actually already own this, but it was only a couple of bucks and I figure I can flip it on Amazon or something.
Even though their rubsigns aren’t present, these Battle Beasts were a good acquisition for a couple of bucks. They probably would’ve cost more had the dealer known what they were. He waited until after I paid, and then asked, “What are those things called anyway?”
When it came to DC Universe Classics, I’d made a conscious effort to avoid the “Lantern Corps” figures. I thought it was a dumb idea, and I didn’t feel like paying retail for a bunch of repaints. That said, he was only $3 and he’s so BLUE. I HAD to have him!
I got these Joes at a booth where a woman was charging $0.50 each for them. This was a no-brainer, as that 25th anniversary Chuckles figure was only available in what has become a VERY expensive figure pack.
After Civitan dried up, Special Forces told me about a flea market in nearby West Virginia. So, one Saturday morning, we made the trek to Harpers Ferry to see what we could find. This wasn’t really a “collectibles” environment, unless you’re into NASCAR and Hot Wheels. I did, however, find this guy:
This Robin figure is from the Mego Corp, and he is PERFECT. And since his head is starting to turn blue, he even came with a better replacement head. I tried haggling with the dealer, but he wasn’t having it. Still, this was a pretty nice buy for $25. I found it odd that he wouldn’t give me the mailer box because it had his home address on it. Why didn’t he plan for that by scratching it off? Did he think I was gonna come rob him? Anyway, I ended up walking around, holding him for the rest of the morning, looking like a goober.
So, that’s what I’ve been up to. What have you guys found lately?
Nice. I like holograms too.
People are so screwed up when it comes to their addresses. You can pretty much look up any one’s address if they are listed in the phone book, but even if they’re not, what makes them feel like their address out of the millions of addresses is so ripe for the picking when JUNK MAIL people can easily get ahold of their address.
I’m going on about this, because when I worked at a used book store people would cut the corners off of magazines because it had their address on it. We had to tell them we couldn’t sell anything with clipped corners. They would act like we were crazy as if some crazed lunatic would see their address and go over to their house and murder them.
We said you can marker out your address and we can take them. It never occurred to most people that you can simple take a sharpie marker and cover up an address. Dumb.
You might thieve his identity and assume his awesome flea marketer life, dude.
Man, you drove all the way to Harpers Ferry for a Flea Market? That’s dedication!
Oh Xuxa … your children’s program was so very confusing to my private parts
Robots PJs – Yay, a fellow hologram fan!
Jenn – Yeah, his life seemed so wonderful and ripe for the picking. When I steal his identity, I hope he lets me keep the chewing tobacco!
Brian – I go where the action is! I went to a yard sale in Reston last Saturday just because the listing looked promising.
Jon – you and me both, brother!
Hey Nice Finds! Who dosen’t love a good Battle Beast!
The Joes (wet Suit and Chuckles) are from a shared internet inclusive (EE & BBTS) “Attack on Cobra Island”.It was 7 awesome figures!
And a Mego Robin! Well worth the trip…Well Done!
Scott – thanks for the info on those Joes! I knew they were from a box set, but couldn’t remember which one. I’m so scared to mess up the Mego Robin that he hasn’t left his plastic baggie!