Just been to a local Sunday Toy Fair/ Swapmeet in a college hall. It's the first one I've been to for ages and I was quite excited as we paid our £2 entrance fees. Alas, it was a big disappointment. It was stall after stall of mostly new boxed die-cast vehicles with some old die-cast scattered about. Mrs. Moonbase was bored rigid! I'd forgotten that small Fairs like this just don't have the room or the clientele for TV related/ Sci Fi toys. That said, one of the first small evening fairs I visited 15 years ago threw up a boxed SWORD Scout, the start of my adult collection, so it's not impossible to find something spacey. But maybe those days are gone? What are your experiences of small provincial swapmeets?
I rarely go to them for the same reasons you mention....wall-to-wall Corgi 'Limited's', the odd Del-Prado and paint-chipped Matchbox 1-75 in rummage trays!...Oh!...and Rupert Annuals with missing spines!! Plus the fact that all the good stuff has swapped hands before the doors open.
ReplyDeleteThe ones in Chester tend to be billed as 'Train,Toy and Sci-Fi fairs' but seem to me to be totally dominated by model railway stuff.
ReplyDeleteBeen to the toy fairs in Harrogate and York that run every couple of months. The Harrogate one is massive. Mostly same as Maverick's experience. Occasionally see something I'm interested in. Bought a hardback book on the History of Frog models, and saw but didn't buy - unpackaged, slightly damaged Sword RT2, damaged/played with Dinky Captain Scarlet SPVs, MSV etc, Dinky Zygon and Matchbox Adventure 2000 stuff.
ReplyDeleteAt the Harrogate one there is usually a guy with a massive display of mint 1960s boxed JR21 Thunderbirds, Stingray, Capt Scarlet, Corgi Batmobiles, Dinky Gerry Anderson stuff. Great to look at but you're talking hundreds of pounds if you want one.
That'l be Jim Stevenson No Doubt..he's got a Fantastic Display of Toys, but Mad Prices on them.
ReplyDeleteYorkie - I was going to say 'That'll be Mr. Star Wars' but Vince beat me too it!
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