Hobby Outposts From the North: Summer Pickings – While the hot summer is attractive for venturing to lakes and cabins for some R&R, it’s also a tremendous time to be a collector, thanks in large part to the increasing presence and popularity of farmers markets.
Dating back as far as 1730 in Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the farmers market is most often a get-together of different vendors who sell their grown goods – fruit, vegetables, preserves and the like; but most often you’re going to find some other goodies on-site too.
Most often, this will include antiques like ye olde glass bottles, gas signs and such; but if you peak around hard enough, you’ll find some interesting sports memorabilia in the mix.
Having been to a few markets over the years, I can tell you that you can find some pretty unique pieces. Yes, there are some booths that will still try to make big bucks on 1990s card boxes, selling to naive shoppers looking to pick up something on a whim, but as a buyer you can find some cool products as well. At times, food premium cards will find their way into bins here, as will some rare cards from yesteryear. Sellers will often have a very rough idea of value, so if you’re savvy you can come away with a couple steals. There’s also an off-chance, if you have the patience, to find some sports-themed cards in stacks of cigarette cards.
From a memorabilia perspective, you can often find ads from old magazines, including Life, which was exceedingly sports-friendly in eras gone by. You are also likely to find issues of Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News or even Becketts. You’re also liable to find Starting Lineup, Corinthian Headliners and other figures, and maybe you’ll even run into one of the original bobbleheads from the mid-1900s. One I visited this year even had jerseys, including a souvenir Harlem Globetrotters tog.
In general, farmers markets are a great way for our hobby to grow. Yes, the red hot re-birth as a result of Covid-19 has been phenomenal to watch, but sustaining interest will be a challenge once the “normalcy” returns and we’re not centered in our homes as much. As such, dealers should consider picking up a table and taking samples of their wares to these open-air markets.
One of the markets I hit this summer included a collectibles and memorabilia shop who trotted out team-focused glassware, shirts and other such broad-appeal ware; but he also included team sets and small assortments of packs for people to pick up. The particular market was nestled in cottage country where picking up sports memorabilia is hard to do. In this respect, the dealer was not only appealing to the cabin-dwelling city slickers, but also the rural community who often have very minimal access to live swag.
Hobby Outposts From the North: Summer Pickings
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