Another Weekend Antique Excursion!

 

A few weeks ago I met up with a friend as we went on the hunt for retro treasure at one of our local antique malls. I enjoy going to these kinds of stores, because you'll never know what you're going to find. Most of the time the cool stuff that I like is way over priced, but it's cool to know it's out there if I really want it. There were a ton of booths to go through. Some of them did have some great stuff, but nothing that I really collected. Below are some of the items we found this time around.

Ms. Pac-Man Coleco Tabletop Arcade Game: $175

I love these tabletop games! When I was younger I always admired the collection that my cousin had. He would rarely let us play them, but when he did, it was an amazing experience. My favorite of the tabletop games that he had was Mario's Cement Factory. I'm still on the lookout for one of those machines for an affordable price. Speaking of price $175 for this Ms. Pac-Man with the box and paperwork is actually a fair deal. I've seen these go for twice that price in worse condition. If I were a richer man, this would have come home with me! 

Dave Stevens Autographed Art: $75

Dave Stevens is most well known as the creator of The Rocketeer. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 52 after a battle with leukemia. He had such a distinct style that is immediately recognizable. At $75, this autographed piece of comic art titled "Hot Cargo" is a steal! I should go back and grab it before someone else comes to their senses and adds it to their collection!

Nestle Crunch/Upper Deck Slam Dunk Bar: $5

I was an avid collector of basketball cards in my youth, but I don't ever recall seeing these sold in stores. If I had, I know I would have bought them in bulk. Each pack contains a special "Slam Dunk" Nestle Crunch Bar and 4 Upper Deck basketball cards. The cards highlight some of the best dunkers of the era like Michael Jordan, Shawn Kemp and Isaiah Rider. This is an item that I did pick up and I'll show you what was inside in a future post.

Vintage Lunchboxes: $15 - $50

I love old lunchboxes and these ones especially. I had those Real Ghostbusters and Super Mario Bros. lunchboxes when I was in grade school and they were well used and well loved. I may still have them somewhere at my Mom's house, but they are nowhere near as clean as these ones are and I'm pretty sure the Thermos are long gone! For $30, I will go back and pick these up to add to my Ghostbusters and Nintendo collections. The She-Ra and Golden Girl boxes were a nice surprise to see in the display case.

X-Men #25 (Blue Hologram Error): $2

This X-Men issue was released in 1993 during the peak of X-Men mania! The cartoon was on FOX, the comics were selling like crazy and Wolverine was the hottest comic book character around. Of course I collected the X-Men books around this time and I do have the regular green/yellow hologram version of this book, but when I saw this for $2 at the antique mall, I couldn't pass it up. Allegedly, these blue holograms were a printing error and are fairly rare. I just think it's a cool looking book from an era of X-Men that had me hooked!

My Pal 2: $30

My Pal 2 was released by Toybiz in the early 90's. I never owned one, but I vividly remember the commercials for this little robot companion. He could talk, his nose glowed, he played games like Simon says & ring toss, he could throw and he had a basketball hoop on his chest for impromptu games of HORSE on a rainy day! This example of My Pal 2 is missing his sweet hat and hoop, but man did this bring back some memories. I've attached the commercial from 1993 below. Take 30 seconds to watch it and bask in all that My Pal 2 could do. If that's not your thing, at least give it a watch to see one of the kids truly magnificent mullets!

Return to the Antique Store: Part II

A few weeks ago I showed off some incredible items that myself and the fam saw at a local antique store. some incredible items there. Of course the majority of it was way over priced, but I did manage to score some solid deals on a few items. These are those items!

1989 Topps Baseball Pack

I have collected baseball cards since 1987 and recently the hobby has become quite the cluster. Resellers are snapping up everything they can before collectors like myself can even get a pack. Cards that used to sell for around $2 a pack last year, will now set you back at $25 on the secondary market. I found this unopened Topps pack at one of the booths for $5! I could see the pack contained several Hall of Fame players like Kirby Puckett, Rickey Henderson and a Craig Biggio rookie card. Those guys alone justified the $5 price tag. Hoping to score a fresh Bo in this pack!

Masters of The Universe: Buzz-Off

Buzz-Off was one the first Masters of the Universe action figures that I ever owned, so he holds a soft spot in my heart. He was $7 and I was happy to find that he still had his wings, so Buzz-Off is now hanging with He-Man & Skeletor on my MOTU shelf in the basement.

Mighty Ducks Puck

Myself & my kids had been watching an episode of the new Mighty Ducks: Game Changers series on Disney+ every Saturday as part of our weekend morning routine. We just finished the series a few weeks ago and we all loved it! It was nostalgic and a bit predictable, but still a very fun watch. We saw this puck in a case and probably overpaid for it at $5, but we were still in the afterglow of the Don't Bothers big win. It now resides on my daughter's dresser in the girls room.

Pac-Man Candy Tin

I am a sucker for anything that is vintage Pac-Man. This tin was produced in the early 80's at the height of "Pac-Man Fever" and at one point held candy inside. I know this because their was still 40 year old candy residue in it! I did a quick Google search and saw that these tins can go for around $30, so not a bad pickup for $3.

Swimming Smurf and Peewit

We saw quite a few Smurfs at some of the booths in the antique store, but the prices were higher than what I would like to pay. As I said in a previous post, I have loved the Smurfs for as far back as I can remember. I still even have the Smurfs blanket my Mom made back when I was about 2 years old! Anyway, I found these 2 Smurfs figures for $3 each. I picked the swimming Smurf because my neighbor used to have him and I loved playing with him and I had never seen a Peewit figure before and thought he would be a cool addition to my Smurf collection. Now I just need to find a figure of his buddy, Johan!

Street Shark Streex

Any time you find a Street Sharks figure, you must pick it up! This one was in good shape for around $7. My younger brother loved the show and toys back in the 90's, but I always thought they were a TMNT ripoff. I guess that's partly true, but it wasn't until recently that I have come to appreciate these heroes who kick some serious fin. I have been watching the cartoon with my son recently and I see the joy in his face while it's on and I can finally see it for what it's worth. It's a fun trip back to the 90's full of absurd action and characters with a JAWSOME intro song. I'd like to end this post by sharing that song with you below...ENJOY!

Wrapping Up Christmas 2020

 

Now that I am a parent Christmas is mostly all about making the kids happy and helping Santa get them the toys that were on their list. There is nothing like seeing their little faces light up on that special December morning...even if it's at 4am. I guess that's karma, but every year I still look forward to unwrapping my own gifts from my kids & wife. They typically do a great job of getting me some sweet presents and this year they did not disappoint. I know it's a little late, but lets look behind the wrapping paper and see what goodies were under the tree for me this year!

Stocking Stuffers

I've said it a million times before, but I LOVE STOCKING STUFFERS!!! My parents would allow us to open our stockings every Christmas before they got up. I'm sure it was so we would let them sleep in for another hour or so. This year I got some cool TMNT Snapz, Topps Baseball cards and of course candy!

Hickory Farms Gift Box

This is a must have gift for me every year and my wife knows how to please me. Once this box is opened, I tear into it to enjoy my ceremonial Christmas morning breakfast of beef & cheese!

Board/Card Games

This year I received the Blockbuster Movie Party Game, The Office Downsizing Game and DOS! On Christmas night the wife and myself had a blast playing the Blockbuster game after the kids went down to sleep. The oint is to try and guess the title of the movie on your partner's card by having them either give you one word to describe it, recite a quote from it or act it out. The Office game has not been played yet, but it seems to be similar to a game of clue. DOS was also fun! This card game is very similar to UNO, but the rules are a little different which makes this one fun for the whole fam!

The Goonies: Lego Dimensions Game Pack

I love this gift! I had been wanting The Goonies expansion of the Lego Dimensions game for a while now, but the prices have been pretty high. My wife found this at TJ Maxx for $10 and picked it up for me! My kids love the Dimensions game and now I have my own character to play along side their PowerPuff Girls, Batman and Ghostbusters!

Movies

The wife goes DVD/Blu Ray baragin shopping every year at Christmas. She was able to grab me Birds of Prey, IT: Chapter Two, Joker and The Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. The only movie I have seen out of these 4 is Birds of Prey. Looks like I have some late night viewing to do this month.

NBA2K21

I have been wanting a new NBA2K game for years! And when I say years, let me tell you that I was still playing NBA2K13 as of last month. This game looks really cool and I hope to delve into the career mode as soon as possible!

Mini Pac-Man Arcade Game

I have a pretty nice collection of these little arcade games that includes Asteroids, Centipede, Frogger, Galaga and a Stranger Things machine. Now I can add the classic, and one of my favorite arcade games of all time, Pac-Man to the collection.

Vinyl Figures

I had been eyeing that weird "Pizza Venkman" figure for a long time at our local calendar store, but at $20, I was not willing to budge. This one was found in the clearance section for $3 and was gifted to me for my Ghostbusters collection. Of course I had to have a TMNT item in my gifts this year. My wife found this Target exclusive Metalhead Funko POP while she was doing her online Christmas shopping. She thought I would like it...and she was right! This is now on my shelf of Ninja Turtles coolness in my basement next to my other TMNT POPs!

Halloween Gifts From Mom
A few days after Christmas a box arrived from my Mom & Dad. It contained a few gifts for the kids, some money to spend on the family and these two items for me! My Mom got me a Spirit Halloween Store branded Ghostbusters logo sign and she also sent this ice skating Ghost Halloween decoration. We had this decoration in our house when I was growing up! You wind it up and the Ghost skates around the lake while a music box version of the Ghostbusters theme song plays. There is also a switch you can hit that triggers strobing colored light effects in the house & tree and plays an annoying haunting sound. I remember taking the ghost off and playing with him around this haunted house scene. We actually broke the magnet on his bottom off, so my Mom hot glued a new one to his bottom. That magnet is still there today. Not sure why my Mom sent these Halloween decorations in December, but I am thankful!

Well, that's it for this past Christmas. I hope yours was merry, bright and full of good tidings. Merry Christmas!

Weekend Antique Excursion!

This past weekend my wife and her female family members took part in a women's run downtown to celebrate Mother's Day. After the run it is traditional for the girls to grab some coffee and check out the stores. My wife texted me and asked if me and my son would like to join them when they went to the antique store. I asked the boy and he said yes! I enjoy going to these kinds of stores, because you'll never know what you're going to find. Most of the time the cool stuff that I like is way over priced, but it's cool to know it's out there if I really want it. below are some of the items we found this time around.

Walt Disney Mickey Mouse Disco Album: $3.95

I recently received a record player this past Christmas and since then I have been searching for some records to play on it. When I see a stack of vinyl. I'm gonna check it out! This stack had a few old country records and this Disney Disco classic. Very cool, but not exactly my kind of jams.

 Kenner Return of the Jedi Coloring Book: $9.95

This coloring book really took me back! I had a bunch of these Star Wars books back in the day and love that classic look on the cover also I am a sucker for anything that pictures the Max Rebo band! I thought the price was a little high, so I passed this time around.

Pac-Man Mini Arcade Game: $89.99

If there was one item in the whole store that I could get regardless of the price, this one might be it! Pac-Man is one of my all-time favorite video games and these mini arcade games are jam packed with nostalgia for me. I got the Donkey Kong game for around $20 and I know these are tough to find, but I could not justify buying this for myself on Mother's Day. I guess Father's Day is only a few weeks away!

Star Wars Ewok Village, Death Star & Millennium Falcon: $135, $350 & $250

My head exploded when I saw these on top of a display case. I grabbed my wife to show her and picked up my kids so they could have a clear view of the toy greatness before them! This seller always has great toys in their booth, but this time he freakin' nailed it! I had the Ewok Village as a kid, so it holds a soft spot in my heart, but damn that Millennium Falcon in box looked AMAZING!!!!

Random Display of Action Figures: $5.99 - $19.99

This display was a glass case of emotion for me. It had some of the coolest toys I remember playing with as a kid. They had Doc Ock from Secret Wars, Superman from DC Super Powers, Dino Riders, Star Wars and G.I. Joe action figures. If that Doc Ock had any of it's tentacles left, I would have taken it home with me, but just like mine and thousands of other kids who owned this toy, his mechanical arms of doom had been ripped off. Dang!

Vintage Lunch Boxes: $12.99 each

I always stop and check out vintage lunch boxes when I see them on a shelf. Usually I will crack them open to check for a Thermos. 99.9% of the time the Thermos is missing. These boxes were reasonably priced, but had no Thermos. Since I was not attached to any of these, I passed. The lunch boxes I would grab in a minute would be Thundercats, The Real Ghostbusters and Super Mario Bros. Those were the ones that carried my lunches for years during that formative time in my life. If anyone has one of these lunch boxes hit me up, and let's see if we can make a deal!

Wax Packs: 80's Pac-Man Trading Cards

For a long time now I have had "Pac-Man Cards" on my WANT list. What I was looking for was a full box of the cards. Unfortunately the prices for these were a little too steep for my budget. Although recently I found a nice deal on e-bay for not only a pack of Pac-Man cards, but also Ms. Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man for a couple bucks! Spoiler Alert: I snapped them up!

The cards are mini scratch off games where the goal is to gobble up the most power pellets to get the high score before you scratch off 3 ghosts and end the game. These are just like the old Donkey Kong and Dragon's Lair card sets put out by Fleer in the early 80s. I love these things!

In addition to getting 3 game cards per pack, you also get 3 stickers! The artwork is vintage 80s Pac-Man! This is how he was meant to be. The game cards suggest you use these stickers as prizes for the person who gets the highest score. Nuts to that, I'm putting these babies on my Trapper Keeper!

Pac-Man (Fleer, 1980)

It was so satisfying to have one of my want list items in my hands. I used to have a shirt that had this same artwork on it. I wore that baby every other day like a boss! To this day Pac-Man is still one of my all time favorite games!

Ms. Pac-Man (Fleer, 1981)

This was one of the bonus pack I received. There is a Pizza restaurant near where I live that still has a working coffee table Ms. Pac-Man arcade game. I have picked that place for my birthday meal for the past few years.

Super Pac-Man (Fleer, 1982)

I am not too familiar with the Super Pac-Man game, but I have recently played it on one of those compilation disks. Not a huge fan, but happy to add this pack to my collection.

Now I'm gonna open my cards while enjoying a classic episode of the Pac-Man cartoon. I suggest you do the same!

Birthday Recap 2016: Part 2

Last week was my birthday and I am so blessed to have a wife and kids that really know me and know what I like. I'm sure it helped that I dropped a few hints here and there. It was a great birthday spent with the fam. Well, let's dig in and take a look at what I unwrapped this year in Part 2 of the 2016 Birthday Recap!

 1989 The Little Mermaid Flounder Ornament (McDonalds, 1989)

Pac-Man Bottle Opener (Paladone Products, 2015)

Slimer Plush toy (Build-A-Bear, 2016)

The Goonies ReAction Figure: Sloth (Funko, 2014)

Various Sports Cards: Baseball, Football & Basketball

ColecoVision Flashback Console (AtGames, 2014)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Party Wagon Lunch Box Collector's Set! (Paramount, 2016)

My Faves: Figure Collection #1

I have a fairly big collection of loose figures from the 80s & 90s. I would like to share a few of my faves with you at this time. Here we go!

 Darth Vader (Kenner, 1978)

Darth Vader was one of my favorite characters and figures growing up. He used to have epic battles with Luke Skywalker in my back yard. In those battles, he managed to loose his cape and light saber. I still have my childhood figure somewhere. The figure that is shown, is one that I purchased while working for a small mom & pop toy store in high school. We would purchase collections from people and once a huge Star Wars lot came through the door. It had Yak Face and Ghost Anakin, but the figure that caught my eye was Darth Vader with cape & light saber. I grabbed this guy up and now he is featured prominently on my shelf of greatness!

 Garfield (Applause, 1983)

I think every kid in the 80s had one of these figures or one similar to it. Everyone around this time enjoyed Garfield and his friends. I don't know who bought this figure or when we got it, but I loved it! I used to have another version of this figure where Garfield was wearing a winter hat. Don't know where that one went? My guess, mom's attic?

 Gargamel & Azrael (Schleich, 2011)

This is a recent release from Schleich in the classic Smurfs style. I believe it came out around the time of the first Smurfs movie? As a kid, I had a ton of Smurfs. Only a few have survived to be in my collection today. One I never had was Gargamel. So to find a figure of him with Azrael on clearance at Barnes & Noble was a surprise. I did have a Gargamel toy as a kid. But not to this scale. It was a wind up toy, where Gargamel would try to catch a moving Smurf in a box. Anyone remember that one? I may have to track one of those down someday?

 Thundercats Miniature Lion-O (Kidworks, 1986)

We had a whole army of these little guys in the mid 80s. Me and my brother had Mumm-ra, Ssslithe, Monkian, Vultureman, Tigra and even a mini motorized Thundertank! These toys were perfect to take in the car. Much smaller than the large LJN toys, but pieces were lost easily. Notice how Lion-o is missing his Sword of Omens. These figurines had no articulation, but that didn't stop us from having epic battles for the fate of 3rd Earth!

Pac-Man (K'nex, 2013)

This figure was from the "Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures" K'nex blind bag assortment. A tie in to the cartoon show. We actually own 2 of these because the first one had a leg break off! The kids do play a little rough, but we love Pac-Man enough to go out and buy a new figure. It also helps that these were on clearance for under $1 about a year ago at Toys R Us.

On a final note, enjoy this commercial from 1984 for delicious Pac-Man Pasta from Chef Boyardee! I still remember how the chicken pasta looked and tasted.