I went hunting for pop culture collectibles at the D.C. Big Flea this weekend. This show comes around a few times a year and is filled with antique furniture, jewelry, and glassware, but there are usually a few good booths of toys and memorabilia.
My favorite booths are easy to spot. They’re bright and colorful, and filled with vintage toys with great packaging. Yesterday’s Toys, of Taneytown, Maryland had one of the best booths to browse with plenty of pop culture on display. The picture above shows a set of eight Flash Gordon figures on their original cards ($325.00) and here is a set of CHiPS figures ($75.00). They’re all there, Ponch, Jon, and Sarge — and who could forget Jimmy Squeaks and Wheels Willy? If you’d like to purchase either of these or some other great toys, you can find them at Yesterday’s Toys’ web site (assuming they didn’t sell at the show!).
Whenever I go to the Big Flea, I limit myself to 20-30 bucks because I know I can usually get the big ticket items for less online. There is one vendor who is always at the show with a massive collection of vintage toys that always gets me revved up, but his prices are ridiculous. And the guy never bargains, which is a big turn off for me since I have never paid full price for anything.
I usually buy a few small items like pinbacks or trading cards — things that I can add to my collections without busting open the kid’s piggy bank. Check out my haul this time:
Not a bad haul for $25.00! My favorite item is that old Japanese bootleg Superman glider.I know nothing about it, but it’s pretty cool. I also love that Blanka figure from Street Fighter II. Anyone want to help me identify those other figures in the top picture?
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Hey Brian, love your website. Love the “secret wars” dude, “i can’t recall the name” i had quite a few of those. And the Street Fighter guys too! Good finds!