Btw, every time you mention this mystical flea market, I am sick with envy. You're posting interesting stuff for sure but I want to know where that flea market is. Of course, when would also be an interesting question and if I need a time machine to attend, I might as well use it to go straight to the printers (yes, those that would use their time machine to go to the newsstands are . Me, straight to the printing press).
Scrooge,
Most of the comics and pulps that I have were purchased since 1995. Since I live on the east coast, I have gone to flea markets in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York (including Manhattan) and Florida. They are all well known to antique collectors and toy collectors (like Noah from the antique road show). Some flea markets were better than others. I think the competition with ebay has made it all a little more difficult but I am sure there are bargains out there. Sometimes you pay too much like for platinum age stuff. A rare Mutt and Jeff may not be worth as much as a Donald Duck or an All Star. Near Mint original Classic Comics can be found at low prices but low grade 15th edition classics can also be found at the same price. I only made one really large purchase but the condition of the comics were low (a few near mints) and I had to sell the best ones (Suspense 3, Captain America 4 and Thrilling 41) due to the expense. But I have a lot of other comics, pulps, BLB and badges that I have kept.
bb
Most of my collection came from flea markets (hence the name). I can't afford to buy these from heritage, clink, etc but I am able to put in a lot of time and detective work into hunting down comics. I also set up at a local flea market once a week and network with as many vendors as possible because they are always out there at garage sales and auctions and they know they can flip their finds to me for a quick profit. These were all flea market purchases within the last year or so. Because of the weather in Florida, flea markets are pretty much a year-round opportunity. My weekly outings aren't always fruitful, but the thrill of the chase keeps me going.