Michael Baker
Press Telegram

More than 10,000 people took time on Sunday to browse through relics from the past, as just about anything that could be considered an antique went on sale at Veterans Stadium's monthly event.

About 800 dealers set up stands to sell the same items that many people's grandparents tossed out as junk.

"It's not like a swap meet," said Donald ******, who, along with his wife, *****, heads Americana Enterprises Inc., the company that runs the Long Beach antique market, which takes place every third Sunday of the month. "What makes us unique and sets us apart from other markets is that our dealers only sell antiques."

Sale items ranged from traditional antique wares, such as kitchen appliances and furniture, to the more specialized articles such as early 20th century French art posters and neon-light beer signs.

With bright colors and stylized painting and typography, the French posters attracted an immense amount of attention for collectors. A posted advertising "Le Journal de Mickey" for 20 francs a couple of Josephine Baker posters drew a lot of attention.

"I deal basically with collectors and decorators tom, but a lot of people just drop by out of interest," said Garrison Dover, who owned the posters on display. "We get them in France and import several tubes of posters a month."

Another spot that shoppers spent a lot of time perusing was the antique phonograph booth run by Scott and Denise Corbett. "My grandmother never threw anything away," Corbett said about his inspiration to start collecting the old style record players. "They last a long time because they were made well to begin with".

And for the sports enthusiast, there were also many items of interest , such as a pair of boxing gloves signed by Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield moments before their second fight, the infamous battle that ended prematurely when Tyson bit Holyfield.

"There's a lot of sports people at events like this and a lot stop by to look at the gloves," said Harold Smiley, who was selling the gloves along with antique toys and children's furniture.
"They said if I had a piece of the ear, it would be priceless."

Shoppers either came to browse or look for specific collectibles. "I collect glassware and turn-of-the-century oak," said Sonia Nash as her husband, Bill, held an oak stool. "This is a great market for the glass"

Many of those who just came to browse got more than they bargained for.

"Obviously we're very new at this," said Wendy Mitchell, who was trying to stuff a large roll top antique desk in back of a small red Geo Metro. "We weren't exactly prepared to buy the desk."

Jenny Douglas
Freelance for Long Beach Press Telegram

The gigantic Long Beach Outdoor Antique Market never seems to stop growing. There are now over 800 vendors, and Los Angeles Magazine has proclaimed it the Southland's best flea market. Things last longer than people, and heirlooms are in good supply here. It's easy to tell yourself that there's no hurry After all, it's only the dealers and impressionable young who feel that they need to be there at the crack of dawn. Nevertheless, it's impossible not to put on an extra bit of speed. What if somebody else spies that priceless treasure before you do?

There are items on display that you never even knew you needed. The croquet set definitely looks the worse for wear, yet it is complete, perfectly capable of supplying another decade or two of family fun, and I watched an excited man as he skillfully bargained for a classic garden statue of a lovely, 4-foot-tall maiden. Bargaining is not only expected, but encouraged, and the first price is seldom the last one. Nobody really knows what these future heirlooms are worth. Time will provide the answer to that. Right now they are worth exactly what somebody is willing to pay for them.

I quickly discovered that I was willing to pay more than I thought I would for an Uncle Wiggly mug, identical to the one from which I drank my Ovaltine when I was a child. Who knows? I might even start drinking Ovaltine again.

The aisles are wide. It's a good thing because there are many baby strollers, and about half of the shoppers are towing shopping carts behind them. It's wise to keep an eye on traffic, and it's fun to check booty in other people's carts. One Woman had a lovely green metal birdcage with a pretty domed top. She didn't mind telling me that she paid $40 for it, and I congratulated her on her find. A new cage, devoid of a colorful past, would cost more than that, and this one is unique.

Buying second hand goods is always an excellent idea. They're cheaper, of course, but most of them appreciate rather than depreciate, as new items do. We needed a baby crib in 1970, and after checking prices, chose an old 1930s iron crib, $50, that needed a coat of paint. Several babies have used it since (its a real conversation piece), and today it's probably worth three or four times what we paid for it.

If you have kids, you'll find lots to tempt you. A copy of "Spotty the Pony Who Found A Friend" is waiting for sante discerning toddler, and I fell in love with an adorable, little, bright red wicker rocker, $35. There are imaginative old-fashioned dolls and toys, as well as a handsome mahogany cradle, $195. The cradle that my father made for my son in 1970 was beautifiul, but it never did rock worth a darn. I checked this mahogany one carefully. It rocks like a champs and is very solid and sturdy.

I admired an Art Deco desk set that was simply gorgeous. The stand cost $160 with the pens priced separately at $26 and $16. What an elegant gift this would make with its classic beauty and quiet charm! There's so much to see at this huge market that I almost missed the intriguing hats. The vendor told me that all of them belonged to one woman, and she surely had impeccable taste. The tiny black velveteen model with its wisp of veil cost only $15, probably less than its price then new, but the red cloche, $40, was even more stunning.

All of these eclectic treasures are discards, yet they'll be recycled to start a new life with another proud owner. We are fortunate that the Long Beach Outdoor Antique Market is right in our own back yard!