The Thrill of the Hunt, II

Antique Shows and Flea Markets are some of the best venues for finding that elusive cookie jar. This past weekend, we left our home at 3:30am to drive two hours to the Long Beach Outdoor Antique and Collectible Market held every third Sunday of the month in Long Beach, California.

Arriving at 5:20am, we joined fifteen to twenty other sleep-deprived hunters willing to pay $5.00 extra to get in ahead of the public. Standing behind sawhorse barricades, we surveyed the 20-acre empty venue wondering where the vendors were?

Promptly at 5:30am, the organizers let us and the dealers, who were concealed behind gates at the opposite end, into the concrete field. Eight hundred plus vendors navigated their trucks, mini vans, SUV's, and cars around us to their assigned spots. As they unloaded their treasures, we poked about their boxes with flashlights asking if they had any cookie jars? By 5:45am we had netted our first of three jars, a California Originals Victrola from a lady who had to clamber back into the back of her van to find it. Elated that we would not be going home empty handed, we continued our trek amazed at how quickly the vendors were able to setup their booths. By the time the sun rose at 6:15am, the empty mass of concrete had turned into a field of tents, shading beneath them every imaginable collectible treasure.

Bottles, buttons, Hummel figurines, glassware, pottery, vintage toys, vintage clothing, and cookie jars were displayed on shelves and crates, or placed on worn carpets strewn on the ground. It took two more hours to leash a McCoy Puppy with Sign, and then just when were ready to give up hope on finding anything really special, I spotted a Helen Hutula Tat-L-Tale sitting on a table, surrounded by woven baskets and silk flowers. Nearly knocking my partner Gary to the pavement in order to zero in on my target, I strode towards the jar, my heart pounding, my breath shorting with each step I took.

Nonchalantly I inquired, "How much is this ugly lady cookie jar?" Not exactly an academy award winning performance of ignorance, but my heart was beating faster than my brain could think. Her answer dashed all hopes of a steal and revealed she knew what she had. After some healthy bargaining, we came to an agreement of $200.00. Damage free, but for a non-working voice device, we carried our Hutula back to our car for its journey home.

It was then that we realized how tired we were and how much our feet and legs hurt. The thrill of the hunt had numbed our senses but once the prey had been cornered and captured, the adrenaline wore off and the reality that we had been walking for over four hours set in. Nevertheless, the pain of a weekÕs worth of exercise had paid off handsomely.

Tips for this kind of hunt? Wear comfortable shoes and take along a wheeled cart or your butler to carry your finds to avoid multiple trips back to your car. Oh, and a bottle of Aleve wouldn't hurt, either.

Happy hunting!
Brian Parkinson