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Rodney · 12-23-2005, 08:41 PM

Hard to match that last one. Here are a few of mine:

* Picked up a 60s-era Singer Featherweight sewing machine in mint condition at a rummage sale for $75. You say, what bargain? Yeah, I know, except that one in that condition goes for $300 from the dealers, and my wife had been looking for one for years. A dealer offered us $150 for it, but no way. It even had the original receipt and warranty material with it. My wife loves it.

*For a dollare once, at the flea market, I got a menu from a team dinner for the Cleveland Indians in 1935, signed by the entire team. Gave it to a sports collector friend, but it was still a cool find.

* For 25 cents, got the 1939 Time Magazine proclaiming Adolph Hitler the Man of the year. I may still have that around somewhere.

* Picked up a bunch of old horror movie/1960s Beach Party movie posters once. The horror movie posters aren't ultra valuable, but they're fun -- old Hammer films, things like that. The Beach Party posters I flogged to some retro-crazy acquaintances with too much money for a big profit.

* When I was just starting out on my own, I needed to buy _everything_ for my kitchen. I went to the flea market and there was a guy sittin behind an _enormous pile_ of name brand cooking utensils, high quality knives, etc. etc. All new in the wrapper, all for 25-50 cents each. He was a cookware salesman, and he was liquidating his samples. I think I equipped my entire kitchen (bachelor kitchen, it must be admitted) with new stuff for five or six bucks. That was many years ago, and I still use some of those knives daily. Really high quality stuf.

My funniest story is this. I used to hunt down collectible books and magazines and sell them through my own catalog. One book I got at a flea market was in decent condition, a 40-year-old scifi-hardback, except for a big signature across the first two pages, "Property of Fergus O'Breen." So in the catalog writeup for condition, I said, "VG except for autograph by the incomparable Fergus O'Breen." I was being a little silly because I thought the name was strange. So I finish the catalog and send it out to my mailing list, and a few weeks later, I get a phone call from somebody who says, "I hear you've got my book." "Who is this?" "Fergus O'Breen." It was really was him. He had originally owned and sold the book up in Oregon, 20 years before. But at this point, he was only living about five miles from me. I finally asked him why he called, and he answers, "Well, you said 'incomparable.'"

12-23-2005, 08:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
Rodney Observant Ruminant Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town	Hard to match that last one. Here are a few of mine: * Picked up a 60s-era Singer Featherweight sewing machine in mint condition at a rummage sale for $75. You say, what bargain? Yeah, I know, except that one in that condition goes for $300 from the dealers, and my wife had been looking for one for years. A dealer offered us $150 for it, but no way. It even had the original receipt and warranty material with it. My wife loves it. For a dollare once, at the flea market, I got a menu from a team dinner for the Cleveland Indians in 1935, signed by the entire team. Gave it to a sports collector friend, but it was still a cool find. For 25 cents, got the 1939 Time Magazine proclaiming Adolph Hitler the Man of the year. I may still have that around somewhere. * Picked up a bunch of old horror movie/1960s Beach Party movie posters once. The horror movie posters aren't ultra valuable, but they're fun -- old Hammer films, things like that. The Beach Party posters I flogged to some retro-crazy acquaintances with too much money for a big profit. * When I was just starting out on my own, I needed to buy _everything_ for my kitchen. I went to the flea market and there was a guy sittin behind an _enormous pile_ of name brand cooking utensils, high quality knives, etc. etc. All new in the wrapper, all for 25-50 cents each. He was a cookware salesman, and he was liquidating his samples. I think I equipped my entire kitchen (bachelor kitchen, it must be admitted) with new stuff for five or six bucks. That was many years ago, and I still use some of those knives daily. Really high quality stuf. My funniest story is this. I used to hunt down collectible books and magazines and sell them through my own catalog. One book I got at a flea market was in decent condition, a 40-year-old scifi-hardback, except for a big signature across the first two pages, "Property of Fergus O'Breen." So in the catalog writeup for condition, I said, "VG except for autograph by the incomparable Fergus O'Breen." I was being a little silly because I thought the name was strange. So I finish the catalog and send it out to my mailing list, and a few weeks later, I get a phone call from somebody who says, "I hear you've got my book." "Who is this?" "Fergus O'Breen." It was really was him. He had originally owned and sold the book up in Oregon, 20 years before. But at this point, he was only living about five miles from me. I finally asked him why he called, and he answers, "Well, you said 'incomparable.'" Last edited by Rodney; 12-23-2005 at 08:50 PM..