Antique Shops

[Archive]

Posted By: ted

hey,
how many people have actually found cards at antique shops...i've looked and looked and looked and never once have i happened upon one....for that matter, i've never found one in what i would consider a non-traditional outlet.... anyone

BlackSoxFan

[Archive]

Posted By: pete

i did find some 60's and newer cards in an antique/collectors shop one time, when i asked if he had any tobacco cards and if i could see them he said, "yes they are in a safe downstairs and no one else is here for me to go get them, blah, blah, blah..." he sold mostly junk 60's and 70's team cards so i never bothered to go back.
pete-

[Archive]

Posted By: davidcycleback

No cards, but my mom once bought a genuine William Hogarth (famous 1700s British painter) print for $3 in a garage sale. She didn't know what it was, but recognized the image and figured the accompanying frame and glass was at least worth the money. She said if the price tag had been $5 she would have passed.

[Archive]

Posted By: leon

I always look but in Texas there aren't many shops with cards. I wish I lived in the NE sometimes but then I would be a Yankee

[Archive]

Posted By: Patrick McMenemy

It is still possible to find vintage baseball cards, and memorabilia in some of the larger antique shops here in New England. In VT, ME, and NH the odds are better than in MA and Southern New England.

Patrick

[Archive]

Posted By: Scott Forrest

but I did find an early Arthur Conan Doyle paper publication for 10 cents that I re-sold for over $300. I've been out of rare books for years, but still know just enough to lend support to my baseball memorabilia habit. If you are going to frequent antique malls, it's really good to have working knowledge of other collectibles; otherwise, it is frustrating to NEVER find anything related to vintage baseball. Closest I came was a Fatima tin I paid $25 for and re-sold for $12...damn

[Archive]

Posted By: Andy

I have found some good stuff in antique malls. I found a Ty Cobb photo that was taken in the late teens. The photo was about 3" x 4". I found a red Hindu T206 in an antique mall near Dallas. A few other odds and ends. East Coast is a better place to find stuff.

Andy

[Archive]

Posted By: Anonymous

It would be great if i could scower all the antique shops here in town, but obviously, having real responsibilities and such, i don't have the time.... would be great though to find one in a non-traditional setting...

[Archive]

Posted By: martin dalziel

As Scott can attest, there's a dearth of card shops or show in the Metro Atlanta area, so antique stores and flea markets are it.

I've been scouring local antique places for years and rarely find any vintage sports anything. Used to be that you could find gloves and bats and the such, but even that has dried up. Forget it when it comes to cards or photo's. The one thing i can remember finding were some 1909 Columbus Southern Association player photos that had been cut out of a large team display, but thats about it.

As much history as Georgia has with baseball i'm amazed at how littloe there is to be found.

[Archive]

Posted By: vetekbob

I agree with you Martin, I have looked and looked around Atlanta myself for several years and if I was collecting coca cola I would be in heaven but that is certainly not the case when it comes to vintage cards.. sigh

[Archive]

Posted By: Andrew Parks

I saw a T206 common during the first week in March in a shop in Hagerstown, MD. It had like a $40 price tag - I passed. I mostly find antique equipment and game programs. I saw two 1910's pictures of amateur teams posing too in the same shop, but passed.

[Archive]

Posted By: Texas Ted

I did find a really neat Babe Ruth Tapestry in an antique shop in Texas. I don't think it was all that old, but had the Babe batting with a diamond and Yankee Stadium in the background. I ended up swapping it with a bunch of other Yankee cards to a New York fan.

I also found a nice lot of 60s football cards in outstanding condition in a shop in Michigan. The dealer had just picked them up from an estate and I got the whole lot for a decent price.

Only two things after a whole lot of looking. Not sure the reward matched the effort, but the other stuff was fun to see I guess.

Ted
He who so shall, so shall he who!

[Archive]

Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

My wife likes to check out the Antique shops. And in a shop
in Frederick, MD I was surprised to find a corner with a wide
selection of sports cards. In another shop in Flemington, NJ
I was happy to find 6 - N162 Goodwins (no BB) and they were
unbelievably sharp. Two Jockeys and 4 Billiards players. Also,
two non-BB Kimballs (sharp fronts, glue stains on backs).

But, that's it after searching shops from Maine to Florida.

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie

on Oxford Street--he really DOES have baseball cards in the basement- he used to sell them full time. Now modern prints and paintings. The trouble is, he's not always there--he has someone else managing the art part of the shop, so it's sort of hit or miss. he last set up, that I know of, at one of Dennis Purdey's Bay Area Vintage shows (no longer happening--in the Bay Area), and sold me a N28 Clarkson, which I still have.

[Archive]

Posted By: jay behrens

As Scott mentioned, if youa re going to hit antique stores, it really helps to have a working knowledge of other collectibles. I've been able to find plenty of sports memorabilia over the years, including many Hartland statues, but never any cards. I've found a few Victorian scrapbooks, but never any with baseball cards in them. My broad knowledge of other collectibles makes going to antique stores and estate sales bearable since I can usually find something to flip quick for a few buck. Most recently a neat die-cut store display for Winchster rifles that I got for $100 and sold for $350 on ebay.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

[Archive]

Posted By: joe

Have not found many cards at shops, but found the Cobb postcard that I posted earlier at a shop. I also found 2 complete Chicago Cubs 1932 picture pack set of 35 and Chicago cubs 1932 Team issue cards. From the same dealer I bought the Ty Cobb Baseball game with the instruction booklet. This is listed and pictured in Mark Coopers book on baaseball games. No luck finding any scrapbooks full of Old Judges though.

Joe

[Archive]

Posted By: willstk

2 decent finds that keep me searching:
Babe Ruth tobacco tin - paid 90, sold 700
Roger Maris mini bobbinhead - paid 20, sold 400
other assorted Life/Post magazines with Mantle, Williams, etc
most cards found are at full book, none of which have been worth it

[Archive]

Posted By: Derek

Yes, I found about 10 T206's among a group of mostly 60's and 70's cards here in the L.A. area last year. A little overpriced, but then the case was running a 15% off sale for that weekend, and then I had a coupon for an additional 10% off - so I did not too shabby. They came back as 40's from SGC. I am kicking myself, though, cause I passed on a Bresnahan batting with Cycle Back that would have cost $70 after discounts - I went back next weekend and it was gone.

[Archive]

Posted By: leon

IS that Dr.King actually Dennis King? I hear he had just about the first baseball card shop ever and it was in Berkeley. I got my favorite T217 from him. He said he sold almost all of his collection to Mark but kept the one I bought and it was one of the nicest. It came back an 80.....It was the very first time I met JC too and he loaned me 3k to buy it ( I didn't have any money on me )....thanks again JC.....later


edited for spelling

[Archive]

Posted By: Ted

As for atlanta, i have spent many an hours looking and come up with nothing....oh well.......

I haven't even found anything in other parts of the country that i've visited..but that's not too surprising.

BlackSoxFan

[Archive]

Posted By: brian p

In the mid 90's I found around 100 1925-1929 Zeenuts in an antique store, in above average Zeenut condition, for two bucks a card. Otherwise over the years I have seen a smattering of cards, usually T206, which were overpriced for their condition.

Brian

[Archive]

Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

LEON

Pardon me for responding to your inquiry to Julie.

But yes, we have to be talking about Dennis King. Mark Macrae
and I were at a show in Hayward, CA in '94. I met Dennis there
and after the show we went to his shop in Berkeley. He is cer-
tainly one of the more interesting characters in our hobby.
Like you, I had to borrow $$ to buy all the "goodies" that I
was interested in that were in his shop. From Pennants, old
BB books, WirePhotos, to old (1948 - 1960) Japanese BB cards.

[Archive]

Posted By: anonymousdave

Lo and behold!
looks like another complete T206 set.....coming soon

http://dking-gallery.com

[Archive]

Posted By: jay behrens

I can't believe I had totally forgotten who Dennis King is. I lived in Berkeley for awhile 1984-85 on Dwight Way right next to Barrington Hall (for those that know the area). I used to hang out in his shop all the time and helped with the cards since the guys running the store pretty much only knew about the comics, concert posters and movie one-sheets. I was always fascinated by the mvie one-sheets and concert posters. I had never seen a Warfield poster until then.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

[Archive]

Posted By: Mark Macrae

Jay,The fact that you "LIVED" in Berkeley during the 80's partially explains why you forgot about Dennis King's store in Berkeley... Dennis opened the Bay Area's first Baseball card ONLY store in Berkeley back in '76. It was in a converted broom / janitor's closet located in a small business courtyard near the campus (literally less than 100 square feet) with a dutch door. There was only room for one person (Him) inside it. Customers could sort through boxes of cards outside in the courtyard of the business court...It was a very heavy student foot traffic area of Berkeley. A few years later he moved to bigger digs (maybe 200 square feet) across the courtyard...In the 80's he moved to Center Street. His location was mid-way between Berkeley Bart & the campus . The current location doesn't get as many people walking by & isn't open too often (I still go to Berkeley once a week).. Like most other places, it has been pretty well 'picked' over the years for sports, but THE place for Fillmore / Avalon memorabilia....... Back on topic...Antique shows, stores, garage & estate sales are still worth hitting as there are numerous items out there. Everyone these days has access to price guides & most have access to computers & think they know what an item is worth... Sharp buyers can still do very well...

[Archive]

Posted By: Dan Bretta

I do fairly well in my area. I have only come across prewar cards in an antique mall once and I bought the case out. I picked up an E98 Harry Davis, 3 E121 commons, 2 T209 Contentneas, 2 T210 Old Mills and a Tharps Ice Cream Ray Schalk all for less than $10 each. I keep thinking the dealer will put more in his case but so far nothing, and it's been about two years now. My mom found a scrapbook last year at a goodwill in Omaha that contained a Scrapps Charles Comiskey. She paid $25 for the whole book. She gave me the page with the Comiskey and sold the book on ebay for about $50. As far as finding memorabilia I do find that quite often. Just this past week I picked up a Victor Sporting Goods No. 97 bat for a whole $5 at a flea market. This morning before I came to work I found a small metal(brass?) baseball figure for $2, and I bought a vintage unopened can of Dixie Brand Pinetar that will look great in one of my displays in my baseball room.

[Archive]

Posted By: Adam J. Baxter

I moved to Cape Cod in 2000 and since then I've made one so-called find: A pair of Extremely poor condition (1/4 to 1/2 eaten by rodents) common player M101-2's for $80.00 with NO negotiating. The biggest problem with Antique shops is overpricing. When a card does come up for sale, let's say a t206 common in Fair to Good condition, the price is usually ridiculous--think $75.00 to $100 or more. Over the last few years I've scoured most of the shops in my area and come up empty handed. In the past I came across the occasional pre-war baseball magazine, postcard, or equipment, but lately even those are getting scarce. It probably doesn't help that 1 in every 5 people living down here are antique dealers .

Patrick's right in that you have a better chance of making a find in VT, NH and ME then in MA and Southern NE. Central and Northern MA are also possibilities as well. Your best bet would be the Large Flea Markets (There used to be a couple of good ones in Hubbardston and Taunton, MA, But I'm not sure if they are still around), Estate Sales, and Yard Sales. Large Flea Markets situated near or in rural areas seem to be pretty good for old stuff.

**I know it sounds evil, but basically your looking for a seller or dealer who doesn't know or doesn't care about what they have.** What also improves your chances is not just material availability, but an experienced eye. Knowing what to look for will give you an edge over casual buyers and even many antique dealers.

With the exception of coming across an Estate sale that has vintage material (which is pretty unlikely), the most likely place in my opinion for future finds in the Northeast will be scrapbooks and photos. I always look through scrapbooks and especially Cabinet/tintype photo lots when I'm out hunting, as many people aren't familar with 19th century uniforms. Big finds are rare as hen's teeth, but I believe that small finds are still possible. Time and patience are the keys to scoring some good stuff.

[Archive]

Posted By: Zach

I just got back from a new local antique mall. There were a few people with 50's and 60's...I picked up a 53 bowman hofer up for 5 bucks in good condition and a Goudey premium Al Simmons for ten bucks. Also one seller had a 1939 Churchmans complete set...39 bucks...is this a good deal....potential resale value ?

[Archive]

Posted By: warshawlaw

I had some huge hits at antique stores 20 years ago. The most I hit in recent years were some movie memorabilia items.

[Archive]

Posted By: ted

I've started looking .. haven't found anything yet, but if i do i'll let you guys know.... (only about things i don't want of course...hehe)

BlackSoxFan

[Archive]

Posted By: eric p.

one of my last great bargain finds was at an antique shop, even though it wasn't vintage, i picked up a unopened box of 89 score football for $15, i can sell it to a dealer for about $200, that was about 2 years ago.