2015 Yearly Recap - Part 1

In my previous blog I mentioned doing a yearly recap.  This will be a blog series as there are a few different stories I want to share.  Some good, some bad, some good and bad!  I try really hard to keep track of all the bobbleheads I come across, but honestly...its tough.  Sometimes I just forget to update my spreadsheet and other times I update it, but not 100% accurately because I wait a few days and forget everything about a deal.  Luckily for me...it's not imperative that everything is 100% complete!

The first garage sale I went to...a random drive by on my way home from work netted me a Hrbek/Gant 1991 World Series bobblehead.  That might have been a bit of foreshadowing of what was to come in 2015.  When it comes to bobbleheads that you might find (not super rare ones) the Hrbek/Gant is about the best you can get.  The bobblehead(s) itself was in great condition. Unfortunately there was no box.  For most collectors this is somewhat of a dealbreaker, especially when it comes to the Hrbek/Gant bobblehead as it comes with a picture box and styrofoam packaging.  I already had my own so this was to trade or sell, which limited my market as I wasn't going to ship this one without the proper packaging.  Sometimes tho, when it comes to great bobbles like this...you still pick it up because it was well worth it!

Here's the Hrbek/Gant bobblehead along with the box, which has value in itself!

I've had some bad buys too at garage sales.  Some people are very good and making a garage sale ad seem extremely appealing.  Several times I've wasted my time in going to sales that appear (on paper) to be exactly what I'm looking for, just because there is an "S" on the end of bobblehead, doesn't mean there will be 10 or 20 of them (of course at times it does).  So just remember, garage sales in general are very hit and miss!

2014 Spring/Summer Finds #1

The top spot on my 2014 Spring/Summer Finds list is all about one lucky day.  I went to a few garage sales and thrift stores late this summer.  The first one I stopped at, I found this Josh Willingham bobblehead.  No, not the "hammer" bobblehead, the red base, season ticket holder one.  Definitely the most valuable Willingham bobblehead!

At the very next stop, I found one of the most popular recent Twins bobbleheads.  Kent Hrbek and Ron Gant from the 1991 World Series.  

And lastly I found these 2 bobbleheads at my last stop.  Quite the haul for me!  Easily my biggest haul in terms of value when you consider there were only 4 bobbleheads total.  Chi Chi Rodriguez and Maya Moore from the Lynx.  Luck certainly one out that day!

Minnesota Twins SGA Bobblehead Set (Part 12 - Year 2011)

2011 brought the 20th anniversary of the 1991 World Series the Twins won...and one of the most infamous plays in World Series history is depicted on the 2011 SGA bobblehead.  It shows Kent Hrbek tagging (or perhaps pulling) out Ron Gant of the Atlanta Braves.  This bobblehead hits a couple different markets.  Not only the Minnesota collectors, but the Braves bobblehead collectors as well, and not to mention World Series collectors.  I love it.  

A bobble-foot you say?

A few days ago a really good buddy of mine posted a picture of a bobblehead he had.  The discussion that soon followed was about how cool the Hrbek/Gant bobblehead was.  I'll blog on that specific bobblehead at a later date, but this gave me an opportunity to show a very cool bobblehead that I had.  Another really good buddy of mine mentioned within the comments about the infamous Larry Craig bobble-foot the St. Paul Saints gave out a few years ago.  I knew I'd blog about the bobble-foot, and figured this was the perfect time.  

If you don't know who Larry Craig is and/or why his foot bobbles, you really need to start reading the paper or watching The Daily Show at the very least.  Here are a few articles about the bobble-foot.  

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/19160729.html

http://www.cnbc.com/id/24844034

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/its-larry-craig-bobblefoot-day

I had been looking for this bobble-foot for quite a while.  I knew eventually I'd find it but I wasn't ever going to pay eBay prices for it.  Currently there is a seller wanting $375 for this bobble-foot.  I can see $100-$200 as it is a rare bobble-foot and it intrigues plenty of different collectors.  I had come across local Craigslist postings for the bobblehead but pretty much all of them wanted $100 or more for it. Again - not a bad price, but I didn't want to pay that much for it.  I came across a garage sale posting (again, on Craigslist) that simply had one line that said "St. Paul Saints memorabilia."  As with a lot of garage sale postings they don't allow the viewer to email them but sometimes do include a phone number.  I called and the gentleman I spoke to mentioned a different assortment of Saints bobbleheads.  That's all I needed to hear, so I made the quick 15 minute journey to the sale when I had time, I think it was the 2nd day (which I knew might screw me over).  I didn't see any bobbleheads right away, so I asked and he had them stored in the garage.  I saw the Craig bobble-foot right away.  Let's face it, most people who put on garage sales just want their crap to find a new home and if they can make a couple bucks while doing so, its a win to them.  The guy was asking $50 for the bobble-foot.  Not a bad price at all, but I like to negotiate (ask my wife).  I told him, I wasn't trying to low-ball him...wait for it, wait for it...I low-balled him.  I offered $20, figuring he'd laugh at my offer and stick to something close to $50, his response, "Make it $25 and you have a deal!" I quickly agreed to that price, packed up the bobble-foot and was on my way.  I was quite happy with that deal but wouldn't consider that one of my top 5 garage sale deals - something I'll post about in the near future.  For now, check out the pictures of this one-of-a-kind and eccentric bobble-foot!