Recent Flea Market Finds

[xpress34]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

GREAT THREAD!!!

I have been blessed on a few occasions to be in the right spot at the right time...

Back around 1993/94 when I was at Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs, they use to have a Flea Market every weekend just outside the base gates on Hwy 24.

One weekend, I found an old Kren's Special with FRISC in block letters on the barrel. The bat was in bad shape and I talked the guy down fro $5 to $3 and took it home. About a month later, I came across a book - Frankie Frisch; The Fordham Flash - which had a GREAT pic of Frisch in his batting pose... you could clearly see the Kren's Logo and the Block lettering in the pic. During my divorce from the 1st wife, I sold the bat for about $3,000 to a local collector. He says if I had ANY provenance of GU, he would have paid 10x as much... still, not a bad profit on a $3 investment!

Since then, I have found a few... at Tanque Verde Swap Meet in Tucson, AZ - the weekend my father passed - my mother had made us all go out to do something to get our minds off it... in one shop I found this for $2:





1927 Official American League Ball - Ban Johnson's name in BLUE on Panel (all the others I've seen have his name in RED) - and partial sigs that wore away with the shellack. I've watched 4 others in this shape or worse SELL on eBay for over $600 each... YES, it's still in the collection...

It got topped 2 years ago at the 'Super Duper' Garage Sale in Longmont, CO where I had set up a both to move some things... I was perusing the other sellers when I spotted 2 baseballs - both marked $8. I asked the seller and she said the price marked was the price... one was Bobby Brown OAL signed y Nolan Ryan (I gifted it to a friend), but the other was the REAL Coup... :





It's an 1890's Spalding 'Seamless' or 'Inside Out Stitched' ball. I had only seen drawings from catalogs before of these etremely rare specimens... in fact, I have seen tons of 'Lemon Peel' balls compared to this. Estimated value is around $2,000 and up... still in the collection as well...

And finally - yes, this WAS an eBay grab - a piece that research uncovered for me...:



Clark Griffith AU Ball (HOFer)... not on Official Ball, but still beautiful in it's own right... listed as Secretarial Sig for $12.99 opening bid + $12.00 S/H... I checked every Griffith sig I could find - ALL on 3x5 s and postcards and none of the sigs matched the ball (they were ALL PSA/DNA Certified), then I found another PSA/DNA certified piece I KNEW Griffith had to be there to sign - a Player Contract. Sig matches the ball!

I bid and won it - DLVD for around $25.00. Depending on the guide you use, a Griffith AU Ball is valued between $2,000 and $3,800.

- Chris

[intheminors]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

It's not a recent find but when I lived in Colorado, I wrote a story for the Flagler News about Don Matson, who used to own a semi-pro baseball team called the Arvada Dons. The article was really a last ditch attempt to get him into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

He took me out to his garage and showed me some of his artifacts.

After the story came out, he called me back up to his house and told me I could have any of the stuff I wanted. I was not a collector at the time so I took a few jerseys. He had a trunk full of stuff though and I wish I'd grabbed it all.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

Any recent finds?

[Lokee]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

I still have the pics on my CPU somewhere but it was 9.99 at a Value Village. I will keep looking for the pics and up them when found.

[cjw]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

"I have found a couple items living in the seattle area. We used to have a swap meat called MIDWAY unfortunately the propert was bought and Lowes moved in HOWEVER....I managed to find a game used Dave Cochrane that I sold on ebay and it found it's way into the hands of MEARS (http://www.mearsonline.com/forsale/item/?id=2640) I think I got about 125.00 for it."

Interesting that you found the Cochrane, Mariners (one game style) jersey at the swap meet and Mears claims it has an "A7.5 grade based on documentable team purchase sourcing". I would like to see what they call team purchase sourcing?

[Kong's Landing]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

Garage Sale

The best thing I ever found was a Dave Kingman T-Shirt from his August 1980
"Dave Kingman Day" at Wrigley field. 15,000 kids were issued T-shirts, but I was just ecstatic to find one even if it had stains on it. Even though I have new ones since then, at the time it was awesome and for a whopping 50 cents you can's go wrong with that.
I just wonder how many exist today?????

Erik Bakalar

[cjw]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

Second hand clothing stores are where I get neatrly 90% of my stuff, and I have had some nice finds over the years...nothing earth-shattering, but have found a Norm Bulaich, Colts, '70's durene; a Byron Scott, game used, Tiernan-made, Lakers warm up jacket; a bunch of 1970's Oakland A's spring training jerseys and perhaps the one item I might label as the one that got a way - a possible game used Staubach Cowboys jersey, that was screen printed and tagged an XL. I found it in my early hobby days and assumed it was a replica, listed it on Ebay without proper research and took a $500 offer, after it had closed at $20 with no bids. Oh wel..I have learned, and will keep looking.

Great thread!

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

Feel free to "not" mention the location, because I know true "pickers" don't want to spoil hotspots!

[richpick]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

I attend a flea market near my house and in a pile of stuff thrown out on the ground was a 1982 Keith Hernandez Game Worn Jersey. I bought it for $10. I do not believe I will ever find something like this again but I keep looking.

Richpick

[tigerdale]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

Yes, I would love to see photos of that card...thanks

here ya go.....sorry if its a little blurry....I haven't mastered a camera yet!!

[harpt]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

I found in an old box of publications, a few lineup cards, which cought my eye, since that is one of my items I collect. The dealer told me he lived by an old umpire & used to get items from him. I got the game 7 st. louis cardinals lineup card that the home plate umpire held when they won the 1982 world series....still hard for me to believe it to this day...for a couple dollars!!!He had no idea what games or temas he had in that box. I can post a photo if anyone wishes.

Yes, I would love to see photos of that card...thanks

[SkubeBats]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

I live in Wisconsin and go to several flea market shows a year. I have found several nice game used bats at these flea markets. I found game used bats of Llyod Waner, George L. Kelly, Yogi Berra, Ernie Banks, Ed Mathews, and Mickey Mantle. The most I spent on any of these bats was $25.00 and the least I spent was $1.50 so you never know what you might find when you go to a show like this. You wont find them if you don't get out and look for them. GOOD LUCK!!
Thanks,
Jamie Schultz
jlschultz180@wi.rr.com

P.S. I'm always looking for game used bats of the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers.

[kj33706]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

fyi this was a great thread to start i am enjoying reading these thanks

[tigerdale]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

I found in an old box of publications, a few lineup cards, which cought my eye, since that is one of my items I collect. The dealer told me he lived by an old umpire & used to get items from him. I got the game 7 st. louis cardinals lineup card that the home plate umpire held when they won the 1982 world series....still hard for me to believe it to this day...for a couple dollars!!!He had no idea what games or temas he had in that box. I can post a photo if anyone wishes.

[GSUTim47]

Re: What's the best piece of sports memorabilia you got at a flea market, thrift store or yard sale?

I found the following autographs at an antique store in Georgia a few years back; the store owner purchased many items in an estate sale from a man who lived in Cooperstown, NY as a young boy....and these autographs came from the 1939 HOF induction ceremony!?