"What Was Your Best Tag Sale/Flea Market Find?" Topic

I recently made a great purchase of a ton of Warhammer figures at my local flea market. Several hundred dollars worth, in fact. So, I was wondering, what was your best "find"?

I'm not talking about convention flea markets. Those don't count. I'm talking about tag sales, church sales, local swap meets and the like.

Only figures, rules, terrain and books can qualify (unless there is something I haven't thought of).

This is only the second time, out of hundreds of visits to the place, that I ever found any wargaming related items at this market. Last year, I got about 300 Old Glory Alamo figures for a song. I keep hoping to stumble into a LOTR collection.

So? What's your story?

Grabbed a swag of Dragon Armour 1/72 diecasts at the MOAB bring and buy for 20 bucks – must have been about 200 dollars worth of kit!

Milton Bradley's Broadside for a dollar.

An 1840 era east indian tulwar in the original shark skin scabbard for $30. USD

At a jumble sale picked up Space Crusade for a couple of pounds.

From a charity shop – Donald Featherstone's Solo Wargaming book for 20p (~30cents).

And my mother (thanks mum) picked up a box of random figures – mostly pretty random BUT it had quite a few of the GW Melniboleans and a few Minifigs ME range which was appreciated.

Estate sale shop picked up ist editions of both of Caulaincourt's books for $1.00 USD each, and First editions of "Memoirs of Constant" also for a dollar each.
All on the same day.

I found a slightly used copy of the old SPI mega-game "War in the Pacific" at a consignment shop for a buck. I gave it to a friend of mine who was a paper game collector.

Two one litre ice cream tubs full of 6mm ACW scenery and figures for £5.00 GBP at a car boot sale in a village hall. Since sold about half the figures for way more than I paid and have about 100 bases for Fire and Fury left.

My wife and I hit Garage Sales almost every Saturday. I've gotten lucky a few times, but keep in mind we go to tons of Sales every summer.

A lego AT-AT for $4. USD

Heroquest and 2 supplements for $1 USD, that one I slammed on the brakes as we drove past the Garage Sale, I could see it from the road.

About 400 heroclix figures for $.50 USD(50 cents!).

I've only found wargaming figures one time. A 6th ed box set of Warhammer Fantasy plus a few small unit boxes for $1 USD

Almost pays for the gas money, but it's fun!

Xin

Charge! Or How To Play Wargames by Young and Lawford, the 1967 first edition, for £4.00 GBP at the local antiques market.

I found Milton Bradlee's Broadside and Dogfight on the same table for $2 USD each. I gave the guy $5 USD!

Broadside and Dogfight! I had both games as a kid.

They were a lot of fun!

First edition Talisman, complete in box for $6 USD
Made a pretty penny on that one I can tell you.
It also came with 10 nicely painted figures (a couple of which were Talisman metals) in a fishing lure case which I kept.

I've found a box of GW bits once, and a little something here or there, but I've never made a significant find at a resale shop of anything that wasn't board-game-ish.

That is not to say that I avoid resale shops. I'm a frequent resale shopper and nearly all of my sci-fi terrain is made of modified and kit bashed resale shop toys.

I was at a flea market about 20 years ago and I found a guy selling the AWI swoppett figures "Men of 76", He had 80 packs of them still on the cards. I bought them all for $2 USD each, and he was so happy that when I was leaving he gave me the star fort that went with them!
My second big find was a complete Marx carry-all Fort Apache that I paid $10 USD for.
I love flea markets and yard sales.

I have (literally) never seen any gaming miniatures at a flea market, yard sale, or estate sale. I haven't even seen a board wargame for that matter. I'm wondering if this is a regional issue?

Where did you find these thing?

Copy of H.G. Wells "Floor Games" at a Garage sale for $1.00 USD

About 200 ancient miniatures at another flea-market (NOT a WG flea market) for $20. USD

About a dozen board games (family games like Clue, Buccaneer) all the games I didn't take care of like mother told me to in my youth-- $1 USD or so each.

125 Classic Mignol figures for $20. USD

Now, having said that-- I am a habitual flea-market picker and the above are spread over perhaps 800 flea-market visits.

One must be vigilant. The minus side is that our stuff is rarely seen. The plus side is that it is so out of the ordinary most flea-market venders don't know what they have.

The best Ive found are a couple of Avalon Hill games and a copy of Harpoon. I seldom ever find any miniatures or miniature games.

Only one to report, but quite serendipitous: there's a giant toy and model swap meet locally every year. I haven't been for years, but going back more than ten years ago I picked up a large swag of deceased estate B & B 20mm RCW from a stall holder for a fraction of the retail price; a most unusual find, and it just happened to be one of my interests (I already had a good number bought from the manufacturer).

A friend, who at the time collected 20mm WW2, came away with about thirty Britannia Waffen SS cavalry.

The seller had no interest in the hobby, and his other stock was just assorted toys.