Comic Book Friday: Big Flea Finds

There wasn't a lot of good comic picking at the last Big Flea.  A couple of the usual dealers weren't there, and several that were did not bring their cheaper stock.  Oh well.  At least the comic shop will start having sales again soon.

I did find a couple of things, but not too much.

You all know I love me some old romance comics.  Typically, though, I stick with the DC comics, as they are both the cheesiest and the best quality.  This one is from Charlton, which was kind of a bargain basement comics company overall.  I got it because I liked the cover, which has an interesting and uncommon art style with all the shading. Charlton wasn't generally known for doing unique stuff like this.  The cover itself reads like this could be the comic version of the "Me Too" movement, except that you just know in the story she's going to fall in love with the creepy boss. 

I already have this one in several versions, so it's going to the booth. Also known by the title Barefoot Gen, this is one of the most powerful manga I have ever read.  The cartoonist lived through the atomic bomb blast in Hiroshima, and the comic tells that story.  It's graphic, intense, and not for the faint of heart.  It's also incredibly timely right now, as we have leaders bandying the prospect of nuclear war about like it's no big thing.  I highly recommend this book.

Thirteen Going on Eighteen  is a teen humor series by John Stanley, who wrote and drew the classic Little Lulu comics.  His work has a style and flair to it that I have always loved.  

More romance comics, this time from DC.  This was the second-to-last issue of Young Romance, which ceased publication in 1975.  The romance genre in comics did not survive the 70's, sadly.  I got this book and the one below from a dealer who is always at the Big Flea.  I usually buy manga and Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew books from him.  He's had these comics forever, but wanted ten bucks each for them.  Not from this romance comic geek. He'd marked them way, way, way down to a much more reasonable price, so I picked them both up.

And that's the comic book update for this week  I'm going to work really hard to make this the regular thing I intended for it to be this year.

I'm off to an estate sale today that is supposed to have not only old comics, but one of my other comic obsessions.  At least, according to the pictures.  The person running the sale has caused some problems for me in the past, so I generally give her sales a wide berth, but I can't pass this up. Wish me luck!

2018 Finds So Far!

Before we get started, a word from the producers:

Once more, for those of you who happen to be reading this blog while lying down:

I've got one more 2017 finds post, and I'm contemplating making a post of some even older finds that I photographed but never shared.  I normally wouldn't bother with something older like that, but these things are kind of cool.

However, for today, I wanted to show some things that have crossed my path since the beginning of the year.  I really want to stay on top of sharing stuff this year, so these need to go up before too much more time passes.  Everything in this blog came from the New Year's Big Flea (including the Welcome sign above), first week of January shopping at the thrifts, and some trash picking.

In case you didn't know, early January is a good time to go thrifting.  Most non-profit thrifts get hit with a huge lot of last minute donations at the end of the year from people trying to eke out a last minute tax deduction.  One of the Goodwills here in town keeps their donation drop off open until midnight on New Year's Eve to accommodate people.  This large influx of stuff means a smorgasbord of new stock hitting the sales floor during the first week of January.  At one store I went to, four carts crammed with new stuff came out in the hour I was there.

I picked up an instant vintage clock radio collection at the Big Flea.  I saw them early in the day, but didn't buy any at that time.  I wanted to go back after I'd seen the whole show and pick up a couple at that time.  When I went back the dealer was in "Let's Make a Deal" mode, and I ended up walking off with the whole lot for a super, super price.  That's why I go on the last day.

The one on top is an Emerson.  It's also my favorite.  It's got some damage on the back, but still displays well.  The one on the bottom of the stack on the table has a real wood outer shell, which is just crying for an inventive DIY-er to make it over.  By the way, the table came out of my storage stash.  I've been on a small furniture roll since the week before Christmas.  I can't keep it in stock.

Speaking of small furniture, the pics don't do the pattern on this vintage kitchen chair justice.  It's amazing in person.  Goodwill find.

I'm normally not one for these cheesy, faux-primitive signs, but they were really cheap.  I thought they'd be good for Valentine's.  Big Flea.

This cute Kitten with Mittens looks kind of like Tucker, except that his eyes are amber-colored.  Also, his mittens are sparkly purple. Goodwill.

I love it when I find things with an OUTRAGEOUS original retail price tag in thrifts.  This one is on the bottom of this:

Which just blows my mind, since it looks like an ordinary bathroom trash can.  It's made out of a hard plastic, kind of like Melamine, but thicker.  I have a feeling it would shatter if dropped hard enough.

Cute, handmade blue step-stool.  Goodwill.

These cute, Day of the Dead-style skeletons are hanging out on a clear Pyrex bowl.  I didn't know Pyrex still made things with designs on them.  Goodwill.

Since I do go to the Big Flea on the last day, I usually run into lots of dollar deals.  These were even better:  two for a dollar deals!  I love the designs on these pieces.  The figure in front is a cute pig.  The eggs in the middle are salt and pepper shakers.  There is also a bird figure that I couldn't find for the pic.

An odder couple I cannot imagine. Big Flea.

Mini oil lamp collection. Big Flea.

Does anyone know anything about this character.  I've drawn a blank in my searches. The only thing I found was an expired trademark application taken out by the Weekly Reader people.  (Remember them?)

Cute vintage metal tray perfect for Valentine's.  Goodwill.

Sweet original painting.  Peddlers Mall find.

I love educational comics of all kinds.  These are for my collection.  Big Flea.

Couch Potatoes.  Goodwill.

The second-hand store down the street from our house cleaned off its shelves over the weekend, so I cleaned out their trash shortly thereafter.  Picked up a lot of stuff that will be great for the booth, but the only blog-worthy bit was this 1980 Smurf wind-up toy. The little knob is missing from the winder, but it's still awesome.

Speaking of trash-picking, we are now only three weeks from the next junk set out.  Not that I'm counting or anything.

More 2017 Recap (Further Sights Unseen)

Continuing from yesterday, here are some more of the finds from last year that got photographed, but never blogged.  Unless noted otherwise, everything here is a trash find.

I always grab discarded lawn ornaments, regardless of the shape they're in.  This one wouldn't even stand up on its own any more.  I thought it could be painted and make a cool door stop or something.  It actually sat on our stoop for a while, until Keith told me it was creeping him out.

One of our across the street neighbors is also a garbage picker.  He used to do a yard sale every so often.  Now he just sets his old finds out during set out.  I've gotten some good stuff from his curb over the years.  These wheels came from there.  I grab stuff like this and toss it in my salvage booth as spare parts.  Someone must need them, because they do sell.  I'd rather see it go to a new person than be tossed out.

Rusty metal plant shelf.

My price tag on this one says:  "Make your own 10 Commandments!"  That was my thought when I first saw it.  I also added another tag that says:  "Thou shalt shop Booth 62!" That's an order!  

I found a huge bucket of these canning jars.  They're not at all old, but the rusted lids lend them that feeling.  They are waiting in the shed to be filled with odds and ends.  I sell lots of stuff in jars--spools, buttons, clothes pins, beads, etc.  My best seller is actually just jars of miscellaneous junk, which is what I use these larger jars for.  I keep one by my desk and just toss random stuff in it until it's full.  Usually, it's the leftovers from a bag or box of junk I bought that are too small or uninteresting to sell by themselves.

MCM wall hangings, which I thought were cool.  It's amazing what people will toss out.  Even the broken one sold.

Big Flea find.  I am kind of obsessed with wooden boxes, particularly homemade ones like this one.  They're a top seller for me, so I jump on everyone I can find.

More Big Flea finds.  

Remember the awesome cast iron vent I found a while back?  I went back to that house for the last set out, and all I found was Mr. Bubble.  That's kind of a metaphor for this whole business, I think.

Speaking of that vent, I sold it to a downtown antique dealer Who was a new customer to my booth.  I was working my spaces that day, and we talked for a long time.  I saw him again right before Christmas, and he told me that he had taken it to a big antique fair in New York and someone bought it from him right as he was setting it out.  I made a real nice deal off of it, and so did he.  I also got a regular customer out of it.

I found two bags of old paper in an alley, and brought them home to sort out.  Oddly enough, a lot of it was papers and  stuff from a tiny town in far western Kentucky where my great-grandfather lived when he was a boy.  There was also this poster.  Take a closer look at the bottom.

Interesting world, ain't it?

Big Flea find.  Also, guilty pleasure TV.  I don't actually watch the show itself.  I view clips of the big meltdowns on YouTube.  I look at it kind of like I do all those Real Housewives shows.  I can watch a little bit of it, turn it off and say to myself:  "Maybe I'm not rich, but I'm also sure as hell not CRAZY!!!"

Hiding in my front bush is a shy little squirrel blow mold I found in the alley that was  strewn with stuff.  He's by Don Featherstone, the guy who designed the pink lawn flamingo.

Finally, a happy find.  I got this at the Peddlers Mall.  The vendor had a bag of them and had misidentified them as Happy Meal toys.  It's actually a vintage Wilton cake decoration.  I htink it dates back to the days of the TV show.

It even look a little like Adam West.

Still more to come.  Tune in tomorrow.  Same Bat Blog.  Same Bat Channel.

Big Flea Finds!

Eddie-tor's Note:  I had this post written last night and was getting ready to add the pics, when Blogger decided it was hungry and ate the post. (Burp!)  This is attempt number two, which probably won't be as good as the ine you'll never see.  Stupid Blogger.

Let's start with that box of comics from yesterday's post.

I always check all the vendors with comic books, even though there are some that I really don't like.  One vendor in particular always has this guy with him that pesters every customer with the same questions over and over again:  "Do you have any old comics you want to sell?"  "Any old toys?" "Games?" "Magazines?"  No.  I'm looking to BUY thank you very much.  It's pretty annoying.

So, I see this vendor, and thankfully the Interrogator is not with him.  Plus, he has a box of dollar comics--just my price range.  I pulled a nice stack out of the box, some for me, but mostly to sell.  There were a lot of older Disney and Looney Tunes comics in the box in pretty good shape.  I have a couple of regular customers who are looking for that kind of stuff, so I'm confident I can sell them.

There was a lot more in the box that I could have gotten, but it was only like the second or third stop, and I didn't really want to spend all my cash just yet.  When I went to pay, the seller uttered the magic words that everyone longs to hear:

"Would you like to buy the rest 

of them for 25 cents each?"

Why, yes.  Yes, I would.  Thank you.

And just like that, SCORE!

There are a few comics without covers in the box.  Some of these I'll keep to use as placeholders in my own collection, until I can find a better copy.  The rest I can sell.  Coverless comics are really not worth that much, but I bundle them up and sell them in batches.  If nothing else crafters might want them.

And, just like that, the theme of the day was set:

Buy something.  Get something 

else for free or cheap.

Buy three boxes of vintage ornaments.

Get the loose ones free.

Buy a bunch of 2 dollar comics (all for me).

Get the one dollar book free.

Buy a bunch of 4/$1 items.

Tonka Trucks Galore!

Instant Ancestors!

Get a flat (much lower) price when the vendor gets tired of counting.

Yes, this is your bargaining tip of the day:

Wear them down!

Buy some comics.

Yes, that Isis.  She used to have a comic.

Get a bunch more of a quarter each.

I just grabbed a bunch of X-men, Spider-Man, and Batman titles.  Sometimes it pays to stick with the sure sellers.  I'll have to bag all of these, so the 25 cent price makes for a better margin for me.

Walk by a bunch of books.

Get them for free!

It seriously was that kind of day.

I also got a Brooke Shields doll.  (No, I didn't squeal and dance over this one.)

A couple of DVD's for me.

Yes, that says "Ninja Cheerleaders."

And a bunch of random bits and bobs of awesomeness.

Representative Sample

If I ever get cool enough to have my own posse, I'm going to call it the "Random Bits and Bobs of Awesomeness."  Take that, Taylor Swift!

There is one picture you're not seeing:  the vintage, three piece child-sized kitchen playset--stove, sink, and fridge--in excellent shape that was only $10.

The reason you're not seeing it?

I DIDN'T BUY IT!!!!!!

Oh, I dithered and dathered over it.  I dillied and I dallied.  But I just kept thinking over and over again:

"I don't want to make that 

many trips to the van."

It wasn't until the close of the day when I realized that:  a) the Fairgrounds has carts you can use and b) we could pull the van up to the front of the hall.

But, of course, by that time the set was GONE!

Yes, I am an idiot.

And that is why I will never have a posse.

People don't want to be in a posse with idiots.

Unless the idiots are young, rich, and pretty.

And I am none of these.

Well, I am kind of pretty.

But am I posse pretty?

The world will never know.

It would be cool to roll into a thrift store with a posse, though.