Any luck at antique shops/flea markets anyone??
 

I have a ton of antique shops around my area and was thinking maybe i could pop in and see if there may be post cards or something hidden inside. I am actually going to head over this afternoon. Anyway looking to see or hear some stories of some cool finds at well flea markets or antique stores.

nope, just tons of 89 Donruss sets. LOL!

I was with someone when he purchased a beautiful and valuable 1930s football jersey in beautiful condition at a local antiques store. It was being sold as a 'fencing uniform' and priced accordingingly! My friend and I agreed it obviously was a football jersey and no fencing uniform. It had one of those button crotch pieces that both vintage football jerseys and fencing uniforms have, which I assume is what fooled the antiques store.

I've otherwise seen some interesting and respectable old sports items here and there at local antique shops. Nothing blockbuster, but items worth buying when the price is right. I've seen some 19th century baseball trade cards, collectible 1950s iron baseball toy figures and large 1960s football advertising statues, for examples. Realize, those are the highlights. I've also seen 1990 Score and Donruss football cards.

Just leaving fav antique mall in STL. Tons of over priced Cardinals n Musial.

Love flea markets.

yea just got back and got nothing saw really nothing at all.

People got smarter, not as good as it was in the 70's to mid 90' s got a lot of
good deals on baseball cards at Jersey & Pennsy flea markets

Any luck at antique shops/flea markets anyone??
 

Mostly fraudulent cards when found. The worst of the worst, etc. Overpriced. But once in a great while you might get lucky. Found a Johnny Bench rookie card yesterday that was in two pieces. But put together by glue or something. Be careful.

If you are only looking for cards, it is tough. However, memorabilia is still prevalent at antique shops, shows, and flea markets and sometimes items are even priced cheaply! This morning I purchased a 1902-03 team basketball photo (earliest one in my collection) for 40.00 and a sheet of Japanese instructional strip type cards for 20 dollars (I might have overpaid on that one). I also found a few cool baseball trade cards. All of this was at an antique show. If you put in the time, nice items can be found.

Antique shop wise, yesterday I found some late 1960s team issued Red Sox photos with Yaz for 5.00 (10 total) and two weeks ago I found 300+ mid 1960s baseball cards including a Mantle and many hall of famers all in pretty nice shape for 125.00 (including a beautiful group of 1963s).

Most of my collection is derived from antique shop/flea market finds as I do not bid on Ebay or participate in auctions.

Alan

Found '82 Topps traded set with the Ripken for $30, pretty good deal. Lots of '80's garbage there too.

I've found a ton of great baseball and sports memorabilia at flea markets and antique stores...way too much stuff to list, but some highlights are Dogs Head cigarette box, Victor Sporting Goods 19th Century Bat, Cameo Pepsin baseball pin lot, 1920s Team Signed Western League baseball (Lincoln) with the original box, 12 count box of 1930s team signed baseballs (Dodgers minor league teams and one Brooklyn)...tons of baseball photos, cabinets, snapshots. Don't get discouraged...keep at it and you're bound to find stuff...I have dry spells all the time, but then for whatever reason when it rains it pours.

186 1966 batman cards for $30 at a flea market,
2 limited edition Gretzky prints in a box of junk cards for $5 at an auction.( I wanted an uncut sheet of cards in that lot I didn't search the box)

I found a scrapbook with baseball newspaper clippings
 

from the 1910 era in an antique shop in MD. It was in a college yearbook. This Cobb portrait was its most striking image. My wife tipped me off about it in her search for autograph books. Though I usually strike out finding baseball related items in antique shops. My MO is to stay in the car while my wife goes in and lets me know if there's anything she thinks might interest me.

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Alan, can you show a picture?
 

Alan, can you show a picture of the 1902 Basketball photo?
Thanks, Andy Sandler

I travel a lot for work and I do look for antique shops and and card shops in my travels. The best antique shop find for me was in Nebraska were I found a couple of early 60's Al Kaline cards for a good price.
For the most part I have found things over priced and/or in not so good condition. I will continue to stop at the shops because I know there has to be more good deals out there.

Totally agree with Dan, it's easy to get discouraged during lengthy dry spells. Which is why I will mix it up with garage sales and thrift shops as well. But it's worth it for me as I've found some of the top items in my collection at antique malls and flea markets. I went out for a while today and found a foam football signed by Franco Harris for $3. The booth owner had no clue who signed the ball.

I don't collect tobacco advertising, but in an Antique store about an hour out in a small town there is a Piedmont Sign. It is about market price. I took a picture of it once, but don't know if I still have the picture. Since I don't collect and wouldn't want to ship it. I have left it there for someone else to find.

wow we have some interesting stories. I came across this today though it was kinda cool but didn't pick it up. Local High school football team from the early 1900's. Thought it was cool just not $30 cool haha

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Sorry couldn't get a bigger photo to post

Here are the items I found this morning.

Sorry for the scan sizing.

Alan

Forgot the Japanese strip.

My mother in law owned an antique store. Nobody ever brought in any t206.

i figured there wouldn't be any real baseball cards but i figured post cards or cool ads would be found. I may pop in here and there keep my eyes peeled.

From the swap meet at the high school in Hollywood, CA:

Sincerely, Clayton

I picked this one up on Sunday at a Flea Market outside of Scranton, PA. I think it is pretty neat. It is a 1929 Kashin of Fred Schulte with a stamp from the Anthracite Bakery in Shenandoah, PA on the front. Drew
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Flea markets:

Flea market:

What flea market in Pittsburgh is this??

Antique Shops
 

Mostly 80s/90s junk, Strasburg base cards with $400 price tags, fake autos and reprints.

I did come across an unopened Piedmont pack once while in Florida.

Antique shops:

Brendan,

The cards I picked up and Fritzi Zivic were at Trader Jack's.

Thank you,

Brian Van Horn

Almost forgot on flea markets:

Picked up an 1880's scrapps baseball card of a St Louis player at an antique shop for $3 bucks a couple of years ago. They had a bunch of Victorian stuff in a pile. What a gem! Another seller has the middle of a t202 triple folder for $80. Go figure

In antique stores around here there is usually about 1 T206 that is totally beat up for around $100.....Then there will be some gloves that are from the 40s-60s and stuff like that, but I can't recall ever buying anything for my collection at one. I am probably looking in the wrong places. :confused:

my batting avg is very low at junk stores, but I still look.
 

The best thing I have seen is a booklet from the teens with Walter Johnson on the cover. But it was at least twice as much as I was willing to pay for it. My friend found a Lajoie t206 and he is going to make an offer on it for me, if it is still there.

I usually completely strike out, but have had a few successes. I bought a nice Fine Pen Lefty Gomez and a 1908 Cubs post card from a local shop that sells paper antiques, and picked up a 1962 Topps Maris in a PSA 5 holder (seriously) at a garage sale for $20.

Columbus Market NJ Mid 1990's $5.00 per coin

If you don't expect to find a treasure each time you enter an antique shop you will usually do okay. I find that antique co-ops are usually the best place to find items. Yes, the dealers with space will usually get first crack as the other dealers will approach them with new items. However, if you are persistent you will find great items every now and then. Along the way you will have fun exploring. Some good places to search out are Route 30 between Gettyburg, PA and Chambersburg, PA. I recall there being one area that had 5 or 6 co-ops. Route 95 and Route 85 in North Carolina, lots of large antique co-ops just of the highways and large billboards advertising them.

My best flea market/antique shop finds:

Late 1920's NFL program, possibly Frankford vs Pittsburgh. Found in a drawer among other papers. Sturbridge, MA antique co-op - $5.

John J. Evers signed 1939 Baseball first day cover - $10 Brimfield Flea Market

Lot of items from a track athlete who attended the University of Kansas in the 1920's. Photos of him in WWI and later and two letterman certificates and a letter all originally signed by Forrest "Phog' Allen, baskeball hall of famer - $100 or less DC Big Flea Chantilly, VA.

My Civil War autograph finds have been much greater, but that is not for this forum.

Persistence pays off...I hit the antique stores in my area weekly, but rarely find anything, but I make at least one big score per year. It also helps to have your brother looking for you as well, he found this for me a year or so back.

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Les Nunamaker on there!

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Beautiful Reach baseball. Nunamaker and Cecil Eash played on the 1930 Lincoln, Neb. team. That would certainly help date the ball.

Yep, it's the 1930 Lincoln team...a centerpiece of my collection. :)

My find
 

I've mentioned it a couple times before on this board but I think it is worth a repeat. My only antique store find was back in the late 1990's in Northern California. A co-op type antique store had plastic sheets of what was described as 'black and white' cards in a display case. I checked them out, and decided to make an offer on them. The person at the front counter called the owner, and I was able to get the price down from $3.00 a card to $2.00 a card.

They were mid-1920 Zeenut cards, about 100, and overall in above normal Zeenut condition, with the position of the player written on their backs. It kickstarted me into collecting Zeenuts, starting with the 1925 year, and I haven't looked back (or given up) since.

Brian