What the hell kind of flea markets do you go to?đ I admit I hardly ever go to flea markets. I must make it a point to go more often.đ
I regularly, almost religiously, go to the daily flea-market in Brussels about once a week. Even more in the summer months. It is unbelievable the stuff you can find if you go there often enough.
And there are open-air flea markets in just about every city here in Belgium: Antwerp, Gent, Liege and so on. Then the large one in Paris in Clignancourt and others in Spain. Granted, in Spain you'll find old farming tools more often, but still I've found at least two albums of cut-out newspaper articles with photos of ladies from the 1950s and such. Probably a way to keep busy out in the country on lonely nights when the urges came on strong and there was no where to go for the unmarried âŚ
And there is a great store in Brussels that sells all kinds of secondhand erotica, also something of an erotic flea-market ⌠ha ha. The owner shows me material he keeps for himself. Last week a set of 3 large filled to the brim photo albums of nudist families, organizations and outings from the 1930s. Beautiful material, enough to fill two whole books. Or else private albums of erotic drawings, paintings, watercolors made by amateurs of varying proficiency and erotic intensity. I've bought a few of these. I've posted some scans of the appropriate medfet-ish like imagery in my albums here. Easily recognizable which they are.
Another item that is worthwhile are photos from the Congo taken before the war by administrators or journalists or travelers. Incredible material too. Often focused on taking photos of natives in their local (or lack of) clothing. Great ethnographic material and all unique stuff. Being in Brussels, means that a lot of such albums surface upon the death of the former owners.
I've also taken to collecting (cheap) nude statues of every kind, tacky, folkart, Art-Deco, Art Nouveau, classical, African, etc.