2014 Urban Safari Hunting Hauls (Garage Sale, Thrift Stores, Craigs, Rummage...)

[Earth 2 Chris]

It's weird, but I rarely see knockoff figures in my neck of the woods. I wouldn't mind running across some weird Superman bootlegs.

I rarely find these either. This place was about 3 hours away from home. They did have a JL/Avengers mash-up package of cheap figures, with a hideous Superman. A few years back, the novelty would have made me pick it up, but I'm simply out of room.

You heavy yard salers should check out this podcast, Garage Sale Gloat:

http://twotruefreaks.com/shows.php?show=29

Host Chris Honeywell is one of the Two True Freaks, and also participates in their general comic and geek podcasts. But this show is him traveling around his area looking for cool stuff to flip on ebay. It's kind of like an audio "American Pickers"...with salty language.

Chris

[BENDY]

billy 001.jpg nice billy blastoff set.

[dee T.]

"With the evil intent of making this into the perfect too-big-to-be-good wrapped gift for our family's Christmas "Yankee Swap" tradition, I bid on a large velvet painting of a Doberman pinscher. I am unsure whether I am happy or sad that I dropped out of the bidding... but my family members can breathe a sigh of relief. Or perhaps not, as now I have a goal..." [Quote]


Get them something nicer, go for the velvet Elvis next time, That's the one everybody wants.

[SentientApe]

Get them something nicer, go for the velvet Elvis next time, That's the one everybody wants.

Last week there were 5 different dogs playing cards prints up for bid. I was unaware that there was more than one version. Still searching...

[SentientApe]

Our next antiquing venture was specifically to kill time in a distant town before a concert. I really don't have an awful lot to report this time... We scored (yet another!) free pair of concert tickets -- but it was a two-and-a-half hour drive to the Peoria IL concert venue. Our solution was to identify a couple antique malls in the area to break up the drive.

One place we hit was "Step Back in Time" Antique Mall in Washington, IL...



I didn't purchase anything in the shop, but I was motivated to capture this relatively creepy photo of one of the display cases --



...and I was so very tempted to pick up this Peter Potamus bubble bath --




Our second stop was "El Paso Antique Mall" in nearby El Paso, IL. I may never forget this place, because the five-year-old daughter of the cashier set the electric organ to play the same rhythm over and over and over and over and over and over and over.... for the entire hour we were there. According to the receipt, my wife picked up a Mini (Wicker) Basket, a Mannequin and a Teapot.

My own purchases were few. I did pick up some more Breyer horses --



And another issue of Classics Illustrated --



However, in our rush to leave for the day, I had forgotten to grab my binoculars. I had decided if I found a good pair for less than $20, I would pick them up for the concert. So when I found a pair priced at $8, it was a no-brainer --



After that, we headed over to the concert. It was actually a "Music Festival" that had been running for hours, but we got there in time for opening acts Charlie Worsham, Randy Houser and Leah Turner. There were serious problems with the sound system, but those all got sorted out before headliner Brad Paisley hit the stage.

A photo of the stage from our "lawn seats" vantage point should establish WHY I wanted binoculars --



Before moving on to our next adventure, I'll share quick shot of my lovely wife, fellow antique enthusiast and concert-going companion --



...and the Obligatory County Music Concert Photo of our cowboy boots...

[dee T.]

Here is my last weekend finds and buys.


A Famous covers Doctor doom. Purchased at a convention.
fcdoctordoom.jpg

A All resin Starlord action figure. I got the one that comes with accessories to it. (Soon to be a future custom project)
starlord.jpg

And last, A AHI ape, that I picked up at a independent toy store
AHIape.jpg

[boss]

The El Paso antique mall used to have great stuff.

[SentientApe]

My 2014 narrative brings me next to the fourth Saturday in July, when we attended an estate auction by one of our favorite auctioneers, Kyle Reed. These are always fun, and we try to attend whenever possible. This auction was held on/in the home of an elderly man who has passed away. He had been a railway worker, and his late wife had worked for Elgin watch company; as lifelong collectors, their estate included some very interesting items.

Among the items I picked up was a random lot of office supplies -- including a bunch of S&H Green Stamps, a dozen or so promotional wristwatches, still in their mailers, and more than a lifetime supply(!) of thermometers --



My wife added a few alarm clocks to her collection --



A friend of mine has a 1930s Soviet AA truck, for which he has been seeking an antique fire extinguisher, so I picked up one for his needs --



I got a loose batch of Jacks, which will also serve as caltrops if I am pursued by any barefoot thugs ...



... and a box of random dice. If you analyze this photo, you notice see some partial (4, not 5) sets of dice, but these will help complete several partial sets I already own. SCORE!



I also acquired a few lots of vending machine toys and other small trinkets...





...Included in these lots of trinkets were a bunch of bird pins. Another participant in the auction was intrigued by them, so I pulled out a couple of my favorites (shown in the photo), and sold the rest to her for a couple of dollars --



I picked up a large wood toy chest, which should prove useful in storing some of this junk --

-- [ PHOTO TO BE POSTED ] --

My wife was ruthless in beating down all other bidders in her intent to own this ice cream parlor-type table and chairs, which now adorns our breakfast nook --



And, of course, she insisted on adding this HUGE wooden Santa to our collection of holiday decor --

-- [ PHOTO TO BE POSTED ] --

One of my proudest score of the day was this complete and entirely functional violin. The resin and pitch pipe and extra strings alone were probably worth more than my winning bid --



But... my proudest acquisition was this 1936 Radio Orphan Annie Secret Society decoder badge, a "Holy Grail" item I have been seeking for a long while. These are neither rare nor difficulty to obtain, but this baby was less than half the cost I have ever seen before... and thus my decoder badge collection begins...

[johnnystorm]

Let me be the first to say it....




"DRINK YOUR OVALTINE".

A crummy commercial.....

[drquest]

Let me be the first to say it....




"DRINK YOUR OVALTINE".

A crummy commercial.....

"Be sure to drink your Ovaltine"

[SentientApe]

This may be of interest...

In the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story," little Ralphie finally received his long-awaited Orphan Annie decoder pin in the mail. When he rushed into the bathroom to decode the day's secret message, he was disgusted to find out that it said, "Be Sure To Drink Your Ovaltine." It was funny, to be sure. But it wasn't accurate.

Contrary to popular myth, those secret messages at the end of the Orphan Annie radio shows never did promote Ovaltine. Oh, the rest of the show certainly did. There was an Ovaltine commercial before the start of the program, and another one at the end. The virtues of Ovaltine were extolled by announcer Pierre Andre twice in each quarter-hour episode. But Annie's secret messages, which appeared several times each week, were brief previews of what would happen in tomorrow's exciting adventure.

[ZombieJimC]

I like the little picture of Gabby Hayes.

[jwyblejr]

Went to Limestone Flea Market Saturday,which is just outside of Huntsville. Was surprised to see Eagle Force figures there.

[justzeg18]

Yesterdays Goodwill finds.

One of the best single hauls I've had in a while.

Pile of Micronauts vehicles, figures, and boxes/cards.


Very surprised by this one:

Boxed Madelman Helicopter.




The helicopter might be hitting the marketplace.

(Click pics for full size photos)

[ScottA]

Went to Limestone Flea Market Saturday,which is just outside of Huntsville. Was surprised to see Eagle Force figures there.

I haven't been there in forever. I would have passed out seeing those figures.