Flea Market Finds

Featured Items: 1971 Arco Phillies (no #), Don Money; Philadelphia Daily News Phillies 1980 World Champions Team Photo

I spent the past weekend with my wife and my step-children over at her parents’ house. While there, we visited a flea market — the first time I had done so since my teens, which means far more years than I am willing to admit here. However, we were out in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley, which may as well be the middle of nowhere as far as I am concerned. So, although I wasn’t really expecting much from the excursion, I liked the idea as it seemed like a nice little diversion for part of the weekend. Besides, even in the middle of nowhere, you don’t know what you might find at such a market.

Even so, I have to admit utter surprise at what I did find: two 1971 Arco Phillies photos (Don Money and Rick Wise) and a Philadelphia Daily News Phillies 1980 World Champions Team Team Photo. Let me repeat something I’ve already stated: we were in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley — approximately 210 miles away from Philadelphia. I would expect to find them at a flea market or yard sale somewhere in the greater Philadelphia metro area, but not in a podunk located in the western fringe of Virginia. The fact that I didn’t already own any of the items I found made their discovery just that much better. Even better still: they were all in EX+ condition and I walked away having paid only $5 for the lot of them. Admittedly, I made a minor negotiating faux pas when I made my offer without even asking what the person at the table was asking for them. Although $5 was less than I was willing to pay, the incredible quickness with which my offer was accepted strongly suggests I probably could have gotten them even cheaper.

I don’t know how long it will be before I mind myself at a flea market again, but my first one in [length of time redacted] certainly turned out quite nicely.