Flea Market Follies

I'm wondering how many of you have tales of comedy and/or frustration in simply communicating with flea market dealers about tiki.

I arrived at a flea market Sunday just as a dealer known for religious statuary was packing away what looked like an unusual amount of non-religious figural mugs.
me: "got any tiki mugs?"
dealer: "what are those?"
me: "decorative mugs, usually without handles, tall and cylindrical, often used at Polynesian-themed bars and restaurants back when they were popular"
dealer: "what do they look like?"
me: "some have hula girls and such; most look like a pagan idol turned into a mug"
dealer: (turns away dismissively as I say "pagan")"we don't take to none of that"

Two weekends ago I saw Trader Vic's
salt and pepper shakers priced at $65 because the dealer thought they were slave-trade "Black Americana" and would not be convinced otherwise (Trader Vic's, ya know). Fortunately, a few booths away I found a set of Luau shakers for $5.

Does anyone else have such misadventures or is this just a non-coastal thing.?

Next time you go to that flea market, slip a Trader Vic's swizzle stick in your pocket. When you see that dealer, who will most likely still have those shakers for $65, ask him if he would trade his shakers your authentic "slave-trade" FLOGGING stick!

A few months ago, I was at a small antique shop that was closing down and was known for having grossly overpriced items (No, not "high priced". There is a difference). I had been there a few times, but never bought anything, but did stop in since they were having 50% off everything. On the shelf of one of the "locked" cases, there was a Tiki Farm "I Dream of Tiki" mug for $79.99. The 50% off would make it about $40 plus tax. Still waaaay overpriced. I asked why the mug was so high priced. The owner responded that it was a vintage vase made back when "I Dream of Jeannie" came out. I laughed and told him that it was a mug made by a local company by the name of Tiki Farm. He didn't believe me and told me he remembered seeing that exact "vase" years ago. I told him to look at the bottom of "the vase" and to see where it says Tiki Farm and the year 2002 was written next to it. This guy was determined NOT to be wrong and he said that I was mistaken and that Tiki Farm was a company from years ago and that the 2002 on the bottom was the "Limited Edition" number. Feeling a bit challenged, I told him that I would make him a deal: We would call up Tiki Farm and verify whether or not that "the vase" was made in 2002. If I was right, he would give me the vase. If I was wrong, I would pay him his full (original) asking price of $79.99.

He then said he was too busy to play phone games and the price was the price. I wished him good luck in selling the piece and I left the store to let the "too busy" store owner get back to his show playing on the television on his desk.

I had a lady at the St. Lawrence Antique Market in Toronto try to tell me that the Fu Man Chu mug was an old chinese vase. She had it marked as 30.00. I got it fer 15, after telling her it was a tiki mug. She got miffed and walked away, but her husband was interested to know more about tiki mugs, so I finished telling him about it...

There's an antique mall near my house that I must have driven by hundreds of times on my way home from work, always thinking I should drop in someday. Well, someday came yesterday . I had some time (since I'm jobless at the moment) and stopped in for a look. The way these narratives are supposed to run is that I found something spectacular like a tiki bob for a buck or witco fountain for 20. But no. This place was huge -- took me several hours to browse -- and all I found of a tiki nature was a commmon HIP ashtray for $15 (didn't buy it) and a pair of Treasurecraft S&P that I already have. Why is it that I find PolyPop stuff at the thrift stores fairly regularly but the antique malls and flea markets around here are almost totally devoid of tiki content? It's like the antique/collectible dealers here still haven't cottoned on to the value of this stuff. I don't know why I'm complaining -- I'd rather find this stuff at thrift stores anyway. Just commenting I guess.

I LOVE the "Limited Edition 2002" bit!

Reminds me of the eBay autographed photo of Barbara Feldon (you know - "Get Smart"). She'd written her name and then a 2-digit number. The seller wrote that she'd signed the photo "in 1999"!! (Yes, "99"!) (My friend did get it, and for a decent price.)

Tis fun when the dealers have caught on to the fact that a name restaurant provenance raises the value...

I liked the guy at the Rose Bowl that tried to convince me that his Witco fountain came from THE LUAU.

Personally I never, ever, ever say the word "tiki" out in the field. That is a buzz word that a dealer will remember and search query on e-bay and (boom!) all of a sudden they are onto the whole blessed thing and anything tiki either will get run there or become the jewel of the nile in that dealer's eyes from there on out. I'm not in this to educate anyone, especially not your average modern-day amatuerish or potentially paranoid (of giving up a penny on anything) dealer....I've been in the antiques and collectibles game in one form or another for 22 years, and anything I know about anything is info pretty hard fought and won. I give out as a rule the bare minimum information required to draw in my quarry. I benefit way more from them not knowing what tiki is; that's why it's stayed pretty good around here and the batting averages are still pretty high. Usually I'll just say "Hawaiian stuff" or "Hawaiian restaurant stuff" and it works pretty good, as most average joes kind of associate it all with Hawaii.

I'm right there with Basement Kahuna. I always wear a tiki idol neckless and some time even take a tiki mug with me to the flea market, then I ask if they have any vases like this. Most people don't know what they are but they are starting to wise up a bit on the market. Never give anything away!

I too am with BK, never say any catchwords at Fleas or even Yard Sales. I am up to my eyeballs in dealers every Saturday, I recognize them and their vehicles from a block away and ther patter is there bread and butter. However, more and more I hear other yard salers throwing around E-Bay, something else which is verboten. Anything which looks even vaguely like...anything, can"go for a bundle on E-Bay".
Hope this coming season brings better luck, there being rather a shortage of things Tiki in the still frickin frozen North.

There is a small chain of junk stores in my area called "soul's harbor" that I haunt. I never ask these guys about tiki. Not because they are all rehab rejects, but they just don't know what a tiki is. As stated above, I just ask for them to pull Hi-why-an stuff for me. I go there every day (in the town i work in) so they cut me deals.... i'm talking nothing more than $5-$10 for a trunk full of stuff.
I've bought a few tiki items that come through, a bar, a dr. pepper machine (working for $50) and so on. I also collect bowling balls ($2) to put in my lawn (it's an artist thing), well there is this big butt blond and her old mother that is in there at the same time I am. Well she follows me around and tell's me "Thar ain't no bowl'in bawls.. ah've asked". I just stare at her and walk away. She likes to buy up every peice of junk she thinks she can re-sale (i'd hate to see her house)..so what do I do? I wait untill she is looking, pick up a piece of junk i have no intention of buying, look interested in it then put it down, walk away then come back then finnaly walk away. She then picks it up and if they leave before me, it looks like the hill-billys packing up and moving to Beverly... Hills that is.

aloha,

On 2004-02-25 19:30, Basement Kahuna wrote:
Personally I never, ever, ever say the word "tiki" out in the field. Usually I'll just say "Hawaiian stuff" or "Hawaiian restaurant stuff"

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-10 13:59 ]

a year agoi my wahine and i were driving around the more 'hood-like parts of baltimore and found a church-based (?) thrift store. there was a blond wood tiki about 12" high in the front window. we went in and asked the guy at the desk to see it. he was in the process of getting it out (it was an old display window, with some kind of locking mechanism on it) when his supervisor/mentor came out and said it wasn't for sale. tough break...

I'm afraid cyber-communications have made bargain junk shopping more of a challenge than ever. But even before that I never told dealers what I was looking for. That's for me to know and them to find out. Also it's better not to show any reaction when you find something really good.

Hey Unkle John, the next time the big butted woman is in the same thrift store, try this new twist on her. Find the most EXPENSIVE ugly worthless item in the store. Pick it up and let your face really light up.

Turn it over and over and smile just a little. Put it down just long enough to thumb through your billfold. Then look real disgusted, snap you fingers and stamp your foot at the same time, saying "Damn" (with two syllables). Then skulk out of the store and hide around the corner to see if she buys it.

That's evil kc but I like it! Hey Unkle J, try droppin' a 16 pounder on her big fat toes....On accident of course. Then you can pick up your loot and scram.

And as for the dealers...unless you can trust them to bring something you might want to the next show or sale and leave it under the table out of sight until you get there, you will just be helping another collector or knowledgeable dealer who will happen to see their booth before you and you will lose out on stuff you asked about because the dealer set it out for all to see. Who hasn't asked about a type of item and had a dealer reply "Oh I just sold a bunch of those like 5 minutes ago for .25 cents." ?

[ Edited by: 8FT Tiki on 2004-02-26 12:51 ]

On 2004-02-26 12:33, 8FT Tiki wrote:
Who hasn't asked about a type of item and had a dealer reply "Oh I just sold a bunch of those like 5 minutes ago for .25 cents." ?

[ Edited by: 8FT Tiki on 2004-02-26 12:51 ]

I found two Daga mugs at a flea market last month. The dealer then proceded to tell me that a week earlier she sold about 150 swizzles to some old guy. Humph!

-Z

I was in Sacramento a few months back and wen't to their big swap meet. They have an antique section under a tent. There was a little old lady with hundreds of mugs cups and ceramic junk. I asked her if she had anything Hawaiian. She perked up and said "TIKI MUGS? They sell so fast I cant keep 'em on the shelves"

I hit a pawn/antique shop here in Wailuku. The guy said that everyone comes in looking for tiki mugs.

I'm going to have to be really lucky to find any for a bargin, seems the word's out.

KCTiki & 8ftTiki You guys are in the right mindset with these types of people. :)

One way to spot a green horn dealer is when they refer to the Ku figures in the formal "Tiki God" rather than the familiar "Tiki". Then you know you're going to get a deal.

The Waikikian Tiki Gardens Tour
http://members.tripod.com/gregg-n/waikikian_tiki_gardens.htm

Over the weekend, I was at my typical weekend swapmeet and stumbled upon 2 thick plastic "Kona Coffee Mill" handled tiki mugs. I asked the guy how much and he said "5 bucks for both". I responded "how bout 3 for both?" His response was "No way man, those are hand carved out of wood." I replied, "umm not thier not, they are plastic." He frowned and was like, oh ok, 3 bucks it is.

[ Edited by: TikiTrevor on 2004-03-10 13:54 ]

Just came back from a junk shop near Houston. I'm taken aback by a nice 10" tall Maori wall plaque with abalone eyes. I flip it over and happily read "$6.95" (despite the $37.50 original price still on it - NZ money?). Then I stifle my laughter when I read, in spite of the label also stating "Hand carved in Rotorua, N.Z.", the seller's name for the item above her price: "Foo dog"!!

Uh, no.

Not a tiki mislabeling, but another that I remembered from several years ago: I picked up a small statue of Michaelangelo's "Moses" (you know, the one with funky rays of light coming out of his head, looking more like horns, which in fact they'd been mistranslated as being). The statue is labled, "Old man with book." We howled, then starting making a game of the most ignorant names we could think of for EVERYthing. Even Moses got renamed "Horny old man." (Sorry, Moses.)

I go to this Thrift store by my work during lunch at least once a week. I have found a few good mugs there in the past (Don the BC Rum Barrel, TV Seahorse...) for reasonable prices (roughly 6 bucks each). Today I was there during lunch. They keep their "Good Stuff" behind the register. I saw a tiki sitting back there so I asked to see it. It was a leilani mug for 15 bucks. So of course I didnt buy it. I just paids the 3 bucks for the Mai Kia Headhunter Mug I found there and walked out. Awww Yaaaaaa

I was at an antique store this weekend... the type where the guy behind the counter has a snooty (but phoney) accent & attitude. I found 2 Karate Punch mugs (which I have 4 of...) priced at $15 each. Now I don't know about everywhere else, but in the midwest, Karate Punch mugs are a dime a dozen. I thought about informing the guy about how grossly over priced they were, but I'm sure he didn't care.

The kicker?
One of the mugs still had a 25 cent sticker on it from the thrift store where they found it.

-Z