With my parents in town and us looking for something adventurous to do together, my family headed out to an extremely large flea market that happens once a month during the summer here in Central Illinois. I didn't have a lot of money to spend or any specific needs I was looking to fill, but I was excited to see what sports items I could find to share with you here on Scorum.
A flea market is where people gather to sell their secondhand items, usually including antiques and collectibles. This market had hundreds of vendors and thousands of people, all looking to make good deals and stay cool on a very hot day. Here's what I saw and what I bought at the 3rd Sunday Market in Bloomington, IL on 9/16/2018.
What I Saw
The first booth I stopped at gave me the idea for this post. With a collection of unopened baseball cards, figurines, and more, I knew I would find a lot of sports items, but I had no clue how many and the quality of items I would stumble on.
The first items to really blow me away were two original Indianapolis 500 programs from 1938 and 1939. In my years buying and selling sports ticket stubs and programs, I had yet to come across programs from mid-30's Indy 500's. They were both in great shape for being 80-years-old. However, I wasn't interested in paying $300 for the pair.
There were not many soccer-related items at the market, but I did find this Deutschland (Germany) scarf. I did not ask the price but based on the other items I imagine it would've been around $5.
Next, I saw some strap-on metal roller skates, which were popular in the 1950's and 1960's. They look very uncomfortable and unsafe, but we're spoiled today with innovation and nicer equipment in sports these days so maybe these seemed like a good idea to kids back then.
As a child I remember struggling to stay on these mini-longboard skateboards, called "cruisers." I still think they look really cool although I would probably get injured trying to ride one down the street.
I was surprised and excited to see cricket represented at the flea market with two paddles for $25 each. I was surprised with the weight and durability of them. I imagine these are older paddles that would not be used anymore, but you tell me cricket experts of Scorum.
Spotted from a building away, I was very interested in seeing why this racing suit was being hung up among other items that were simply draped over a table or set on the ground. I touched the suit to see how it felt, which was stiff and tough, meaning it's probably a few years old, and it also felt of high quality.
I came around to the front of the suit to check out the tag to see what it said. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor once I saw the price. This used racing suit is being sold for an incredible $1,000!
So what makes it so valuable?
According to the tag, the suit was worn in a NASCAR race by one of the most popular drivers of all-time, Dale Earnhardt Jr. One concern with any collectible among collectors is the prominence, which answers the question "How do we know this is the real thing and how did it get here." The tag partially answers that question.
The tag states that the suit came from Bill Simpson, a NASCAR legend who helped improve safety in the sport. There's still no way to determine for sure if it's authentic and was worn by Dale Jr. in a race, but I'd say it's likely.
At family reunions as a child, I used to love playing croquet. It's a sport where players use mallets to hit hard balls through metal or wood wickets and into a peg. It looks boring, but I loved playing it (learn more about croquet here). This was a nice antique set being sold for $50.
Have you heard of the Soap Box Derby? It's a racing program for kids using "soapbox" cars, which are custom-created cars without motors. They rely on using gravity to move. These two helmets, I believe priced at $30 each, were used in the 1965 and 1966 Soap Box Derby finals, which are held in Ohio.
Possibly my favorite find of the entire day. I couldn't help but stare at this 1947 MLB All Star Game pennant. The game was held at Wrigley Field in Chicago and featured an incredible lineup including Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and others. The American League won 2-1. There weren't many of these pennants that survived, making this a very rare item. $275 still seems a bit high for me from my experience buying and selling pennants, but it is the first I've seen in-person.
Yet another unique item from another sport. I found this antique lacrosse stick, which was being sold for $85. It would make for a nice showpiece in a sports bar.
I also ran into this funny stand-up advertisement for spark plugs featuring Joe Gibbs, a Super Bowl winning coach and successful NASCAR owner.
What I Bought
For a total of $3.50, I was able to purchase two cars and two packs of cards. I negotiated a little to lower the price down from $4.50. I'm a Jeff Gordon fan, so the truck was a nice find and I plan to give the micro machine to my kids. I thought the cards would be fun to open for you here on my blog, and I was really hoping to get a Barry Bonds rookie card in the pack of 1987 Fleer baseball cards.
Unwrapping to See What I Got!
Some great players were revealed in this pack, but no valuable cards, which are mainly rookie cards. It was fun to remember some of the greats including Raines, Sandberg, Mike Schmidt, Puckett and Hershiser, all worthy of being in the Hall of Fame.
The pack featured this fancy stand-up card as well with former Reds outfielder Eric Davis.
Unfortunately, the '87 Fleer pack was full of duds with nothing of value. I did land a Detroit Tiger in Jim Slaton, but his career was far from successful.
I did get a good laugh out of this card featuring the stylish Pete Ladd.
What do you think of my flea market finds? Would you have bought any of the items shown above? Thanks for viewing and please comment below!
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