Bill Nevin’s Flea Market Part One 2017 we have a report from Bill on what he recently found at his flea market.
Bill Nevin’s Flea Market Part One 2017 Introduction
The market has been pretty good these last few weeks. I’ve found a steady stream of plastic. Nothing great, but a lot of small lots that were interesting.
So, I arrived at the place today at just after 5 AM. The first vendor I ran into said to me “Stevie’s looking for you.” It pays to get to know the vendors.
Steve is a guy who deals in old toys. I’ve bought things from him in the past
and the deal has always been great.
So, I started heading right for his spot, when two other dealers stopped me and told me that Steve was looking for me.
Now, I knew something was up.
Bill Nevin’s Flea Market Part One 2017 Cut to the Chase
Cut to the chase. This is why he was looking for me:
Fort Apache 3612 boxed
RTT Fort Apache 3680 boxed
Early Western Ranch Set boxed
HappiTime Farm set Barn & Silo animals and figures no box
Tom Corbett Space Academy no box 95% complete
Zorro Hacienda tin Sgt Garcia and Zorro’s father Cream
Alamo Tin including Chapel, figures, accs
Auburn Large Farm set Plastic Barn w/ silo animals, wagon, tractor, figures
Marx Red and Yellow Football Team with the football?
6 inch figures.
300-400 loose figures. Pat Brady, Dagwood, Robin Hood Characters in 60mm and 54 mm in cream and silver. A ton of 60 mm rubber Cowboys, Ranch Hands, Indians and Pioneers.
Fences and Gates for 2 ranch sets. About 60 pieces of fence in white, brown and a darker brown.
50 plus indoor- outdoor Marx accs. including Western Town furniture
Bill Nevin’s Flea Market Part One 2017 the Price
We settled on a price and packed everything into my van.
All I’ll say was that the deal was fantastic!!!
He was “I won’t take less than $$$”
I had to keep a straight face when I countered (bluffing all the way, I would have paid twice what he was asking, right there.)
After dancing around a bit, we settled on a price and packed everything into my van.
As he’s walking away he asked me if I was going to be here next week?
I said “Why?”
He said that he had a boxed Military Academy and a coupe of other sets but he couldn’t recall what they were. Maybe a Training center. Or Battleground he thought.
I told him to hold them for me. I’ll take them all.
Bill Nevin’s Flea Market Part One 2017 Tom Corbett Playset
Here are the pictures of the Tom Corbett set.
I can’t believe my luck in finding this. I only recently got into space theme sets.
When I was a kid, I was all about history, not space or science fiction.
I had the ACW, Knights, WW 2 and so on. I was never into Cape Canaveral or any other space toys.
But now that I’m older, I’ve come to appreciate the charm of these old toys.
I’m going to keep this and build a display base for it. I like it that much.
This market season has been amazing. Last week I came home empty handed.
You just never know what you’ll run into on any Sunday.
I still love the thrill I get when I hit a big find. It’s what make the hobby fun for me……Bill
These are the types of things that happen to me all the time — in my dreams.
There are many of us who live vicariously through your adventures Bill.
I’ve gotten some good items over the years at bargain basement prices, but nothing like that , especially not on a routine basis either. Back around 2000 I used to get all sorts of good items on e-bay for next to nothing, but that has dried up.
I admit that it’s not easy to find good stuff anymore. Paul and I were discussing how Pennsylvania had pretty much dried up.
Back in the heyday, PA was Marx central for flea markets, auctions and yard sales.
My wife loves Lancaster and that was a perfect branching out point to go Marx hunting. Before the kids came along we would go on long weekend trips there, hitting the markets for me and the malls for her. And then Good and Plenty or one of the other family style restaurants. Mmmm!!!
There was on place that I cannot recall the name of. It was Neshaminic Station or something like that. Admin may know.
Anyway, I remember that a woman had a 55 gallon drum full of all different 50’s and 60’s figures. She wanted 10 cents each, no matter what size HO, 54 mm or bigger. I sorted through the entire drum
using a wheel barrow to do it in. I spent more than 100 bucks there
and that was my first really big find.
I commiserate with you guys out there in the dried up areas.
But you just never know.
Sometimes you have to think outside the box and work at it.
Nice hunting, I’m out here in PA now for about 15 years and found a few deals here and there. I also ran into someone with a drum, lol. I was at a flea market between Allentown and Reading years ago and this guy was selling some toys out of a cardboard drum. It was filled with different toys, GI Joe, Transformers, about 50 Marx Army soldiers and some other toys. The guy wanted .25 cents a piece for the soldiers, after I started digging through he said he would take $5.00 for the whole thing. That was about 15 years ago too, after that not many deals. I saw a Battleground set that other day for $200, that’s what I find these days. But I still hunt : )
Sweet ! Proves there are still “finds” out there !!!!
Ha ha. I went to tons of flea markets back in the day, I never found a single figure, nope not even one.
You know what, Ed – I used to go for years here in Connecticut and neither did I EVER find any playset figures or accessories I wanted. Saw an occasional beat up overpriced piece, but nothing I had any interest in. I did buy a MIB old Marx tin train in Stormville, NY once for about $60, but I have literally NOTHING else from all the flea markets I walked at 6am looking for a $2.00 Johnny Ringo figure. I’ll bet I walked enough flea market miles to get me to the top of Mt. Everest! Maybe there are playsets hidden on Everest????
The last flea market I did I spent only two dollars. I did not feel it was a total loss as I got to walk outside get some exercise. also I had mention buy some food to take hoome.
I have no time,but few I had been I had found few things,see others in very bad condition and overpriced.It depend area.
Some areas by now are being over searched and nothing left,others have few dealers intersting getting our items.
Many have change to sale on line .Others are on call house cleanings get the items before got to the vendors in flea markets.
Near me is a very large one and the vendors always claim few hunters offer an extra token just for search all before put to sale with wanted toys of course.
These hunters are resealers doing their business and they got the best or only stuff …
my thoughts..
Maybe it’s because Long Island was a Boom Town in the late 50’s and 60’s. The Island exploded with affordable homes in places like Levittown and the population reflected it.
Like Paul, I’ve been hunting at the markets since the ’70’s. Most of my collection came from there. I just could not afford to pay dealer prices for the toys that I wanted, so that was my only hope.
Besides, it’s so much fun!
Virtually all of my current collection came from eBay, other internet sources or dealers I met via PFPC or Playset Magazine. Not one piece from a flea market. I cut Playset Mag off years ago because the ads were getting to be a waste of time. Most of what I wanted was sold by the time the new issue got to CT. I’d call the same day & got “sorry sold” often enough that I said “sorry, cancel”…….
Most of my collection comes from flea markets or shows. Very little comes from internet. I would reccomend Bill Lango’s show in October in Hackensack NJ as it will be loaded with plastic in all different price ranges.