UPDATED - World's Longest Yard Sale 2009 - Now with VIDEO!!

[Flee-Marquette]

First the Facts:

 

The World's Longest Yard Sale was started in 1987 in order to promote the rural

attractions in Kentucky and Tennessee and to increase the traffic along the

backwoods roads. It originally stretched 350 miles along Hwy 127 through the

2 states, but has since been lengthened to include Alabama and Ohio for a

whopping 654 miles! It starts on the first Thursday in the month of August and

goes through Sunday. It starts in Gadsden, AL and goes up to West Unity, OH.

 

 

As you travel this stretch of highway, you will encounter families with a few

tables in their front yard or you will see a farmer who has opened up a field

to a hundred vendors. It is virtually impossible to see everything from one

end of the sale to the other. Your best bet is to do a different section each year.

 

You will have to put up with traffic jams, a lack of bathrooms, over-priced hotels,

stifling heat, fragrant pastures, among other things,but if you are a treasure hunter,

then this is paradise.

[Flee-Marquette]

This year, after visiting family in Kentucky, we took the Bluegrass Parkway and

picked up Hwy 127 and the sale just north of Harrodsburg, KY and planned on

heading south. After having a discussion with the wife about pacing ourselves

and not filling our car up too quickly, lest we see something we really need, I

find this at our very first stop.

 

 

Nothing like filling up the back seat immediately with a spinner rack to

start our long journey. It was in great shape and was very cheap, so I had to buy it.

The gentleman I purchased it from was British and said he had a great collection

at one time including Amazing Fantasy 15 and Spidey 1-50. The wife did not

give me any grief because she knew I couldn't say a word about anything she

brought back to the car for the rest of our treasure hunt.

[Flee-Marquette]

A few miles down the road, we stop at a beautiful farm that had

a field full of vendors. I guess the property owners make enough off of rent

to handle the damage that hundreds of cars parked in their front yard will do.

At the end of an aisle I spotted a pile of original comic art amongst some

old magazines. My heart was racing as I maneuvered around some

shoppers to the table. I quickly thumbed through them and realized they were

mostly 90's Archie digest art pages. I asked about the pricing and was told

that splashes were $50 and regular pages were $10. I don't know if that was a

good price or not, but I did find this Marvel Planet-Terry page that I was

happy with.

 

 

 

A lot of the vendors do not have a clue about taking care of paper products.

They are either antique dealers or people just cleaning out their garage or attic.

The artwork was just in a messy pile on a table baking in the sun. He did have one

Archie Cover but it was in a frame with heavy condensation on the inside.

Comics are usually bagless, stacked in piles on tarps or even on the bare

ground. If you want something high-grade from most vendors, you have to

find it early in the sale before the manhandling or the elements get to them.

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

My god, it's so close to the border I can imagine this thing going to Michigan within a few years. Loved this thread from last year and hope you found some great stuff this year.

 

Have you been out to Sacramento recently?

[Flee-Marquette]

I look mostly for comics, pulps, vintage advertising, and old photos, but

will buy just about anything that is kitschy and cheap. Here is a sampling

of some paper items I picked up.

 

 

I will also try to find comics for 25 cents or less to go into my dollar boxes at shows.

I can usually find a long box worth of silver and bronze stuff, mostly romance

and funny animal. At one stop my wife called me to tell me she had found some comics

in a field across the road from a barn that I was in. I ran over there and it

was mostly bronze and copper books. I started going through one of the many stacks when

my wife asked me if G.I. Joe comics were worth getting and I said yeah if they

are in nice shape and then I added "look for #21" and she said "This one is

#21". I got a nice batch of Transformers and GI Joe books from that sale.

[Flee-Marquette]

A gentleman had a whole table full of advertising printing plates that were used

to produce 60's newspaper grocery inserts. I liked this one because of the

cool graphics. I reversed and inverted the image so you could see it better.

 

 

Anyone familiar with this drink? It must have been a regional Hawaiian Punch

copy.

[Dick Pontoon]

Ranch Romances. What Ranch is that, B&D Acres?

[JazzMan]

First the Facts:

 

The World's Longest Yard Sale was started in 1987 in order to promote the rural

attractions in Kentucky and Tennessee.

 

[Flee-Marquette]

Ranch Romances. What Ranch is that, B&D Acres?

A little rope can make the courtship quicker.

[Flee-Marquette]

Here are some tips if you decide you want to participate.

 

1. Make sure you make plans for your accomodations early.

 

Hotels along the route are booked solid well in advance of the sale. If any

rooms are to be found they are usual double their normal rates. We would

have to travel about 20-30 miles off of Hwy 127 to find a room. A few years ago,

in Jamestown TN we gave up on finding a hotel room and resigned ourselves

to sleeping in the van in a state park. On the way there we passed by a

bed-and-breakfast and stopped to see if there was any chance there was

a vacancy. They are normally sold out during this time period, but they

just had a cancellation, so we were spared sleeping with Yogi and Boo Boo.

They were actually cheaper than a Super 8 motel and had a gourmet

breakfast spread in the morning.

 

http://www.bbonline.com/tn/wildwood/

 

[Flee-Marquette]

2. If you have an opportunity to go to the bathroom, do so, even if you

think you can hold out for awhile. In a stretch of shopping in Tennessee we

were both in need of facilities. I managed to find someone who told

me where some Port-a-Potties were in a field. As I headed there, I called

the wife on her cell phone to tell her the news and she whispered

"Hello"...."I'll call you back". Evidently she had found a yard sale

where there were items indoors and for the few that ventured into

the back part of the house, they discovered an actual bathroom that

wasn't cordoned off. My making her cell phone ring at the exact moment

she snuck in there was not appreciated. It was better than my experience

though. It is hard to go when you are holding your breath, shoo-ing flys and

trying not to focus on anything while standing in a Port-a-Potty / Oven.

[Flee-Marquette]

3. If you don't like someone's prices and they don't want to negotiate, move on.

 

There are so many vendors that you will eventually find what you are looking for.

I am not talking about grail pieces, but common collectibles. The variance in

prices is incredible and because of the sheer volume of vendors and merchandise

you will find bargains. If you stop in a field full of vendors, it has its advantages

because you can park once and walk for hours. A lot of these vendors are out-of-town

dealers however and price their stuff according to eBay or mental delusions. The

stretches of road through small town neighborhoods allows you to shop at more

true yard sales. This is where you can find a stack of comics that just came out of

a closet. The pricing at these sales is usually more reasonable because in most cases

they are just getting rid of them. The down side is you have to constantly jockey for

parking spaces.

[Flee-Marquette]

4. Dress lightly, wear sunscreen, and bring lots of beverages and snacks.

I wish this sale could be in the fall when it is a little cooler, but I realize that they

have to hold it when most people take vacations. Shade is a premium, both for

the shoppers and for the merchandise. At the hotel breakfast bar you can tell

who the yard-salers are because they usually have a bad case of sunburn.

There are some of food vendors along the route, but they are carnival or state-fair

type setups and have varying sanitation practices. When you are in a town, the

local McDonalds is a mob-scene. We try to find small restaurants to get that

local vibe. We had great sandwiches at Boston's Restaurant in Crossville, TN.

[Shootydog]

yard sales

[Ringfinger]

I see this on HGTV every year. Some year I need to make the trek.

[Flee-Marquette]

5. Stop and smell the roses!

This is a beautiful part of the country. When you are travelling from one town or

farm to another the views are spectacular. Rolling hills, horse farms, lush scenery

makes for a good break between shopping. I was waiting for the wife to finish

shopping at one barn sale and I walked out into a corn field and just stood there

looking up at the clouds in the sky and just took it all in. I closed my eyes and

listened to the wind rustling through the stalks and then a bunch of dead

baseball players tried to talk me into building a baseball field, so I hightailed it

out of there. Seriously, the journey is worth it just for the experience of

rural America and if you find some treasure then that makes it even better.

[Flee-Marquette]

I see this on HGTV every year. Some year I need to make the trek.

HGTV was there filming this year and I took some video of them filming a segment for the show.

I will put it up later today. (thumbs u

[Flee-Marquette]

My god, it's so close to the border I can imagine this thing going to Michigan within a few years. Loved this thread from last year and hope you found some great stuff this year.

 

Have you been out to Sacramento recently?

Will probably be out there in October.

[gcstomp]

Your tip # 5 sold me. I am so doing this next year. More pics?

[Flee-Marquette]

Your tip # 5 sold me. I am so doing this next year. More pics?

Yes, more pics to come. I also have a couple of youtube videos I will be

posting tonight to give you a little taste of what it was like. Gotta take a break

for now.