![]() (If you take a trip to Ballston Spa to visit Excellent Adventures, I’d suggest also stopping for food at either the nearby Whistling Kettle or Iron Roost, both amazing brunch spots.) ![]() Last but not least, Excellent Adventures has a decent collection of vintage toys for sale, and over the past few years, I’ve picked up some great ’80s/’90s G.I. I picked up a copy of the original Planet of the Apes book there and a few vintage issues of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, a trove of early sci-fi dorkery. My favorite section? The shop’s always purchasing collections of vintage sci-fi/horror paperbacks (yes, books), which are on sale for super cheap. The best part? You can find affordable vintage comics, medium-range back issues, astronomically expensive key issues and all the latest issues, too. ![]() Excellent Adventures has a wonderful, wide selection of vintage and rare comic books from all the major series: Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man. For free.Įxcellent Adventures – Ballston Spa – I’m a huge fan of this place. Speaking of which, the last time I was there, he was like, “Do you read books?” And before I could answer “yes,” he handed me two from a recent collection he’d purchased. The great thing about Itskov is that he’s constantly purchasing collections and bringing in new inventory, so there’s a good chance that he’ll have a new store’s worth of stuff available every time you drop by. Every time I go to Al’s, I dig deeper into Itskov’s ocean of collectibles, last time bringing home some sealed packs, a few sets and a gaggle of single cards. Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?Īl’s House of Sports Cards – Schenectady – I covered Alex Itskov’s Schenectady shop in last year’s 20th Anniversary Issue of saratoga living, and I’ve been back a bunch of times since reporting the story. I took it super seriously, and would always use the same tagline for his jewelry posts: “Buy this one for your loved one.” He still ribs me about how stupid that sounds-and in hindsight, I can’t help but agree. Nye still likes to joke about the time he hired me to write eBay descriptions for him back in the day (it was one of my first paid writing gigs!). Every time I set foot in there, it’s like catching up with old friends. Owner Dennis Nye and his longtime righthand man, Mark Mihalek, have an array of collectibles for sale besides cards, including collectible toys, sports memorabilia, comic books, stamps, rare coins and antique jewelry. I first started visiting The Vault circa 1988-89, and ever since, I’ve been buying baseball, football and basketball cards there. The Vault – Saratoga Springs – I have to give props to the OG. (Many, many more than there were in the city, for example.) So for all you collectors jonesing for your next big “find,” here’s a list of the top shops to geek out on in the Capital Region. Nowadays, I’m back living in the Capital Region, and I must say, I’m surprised at how many shops there are up here to satiate my collecting needs. Some of the loot I acquired: a 1964 Topps Sandy Koufax, 1980 Topps Larry Bird/Magic Johnson rookie card and a number of sealed complete sets from the rare Topps Tiffany run (a dealers’ incentive in the ’80s/’90s). But I got a hold of some pretty incredible stuff. I’d have to take the subway out to far reaches of Queens or Brooklyn to make the deals happen. Then, when I was living in New York City, post-college, I bought mostly private collections. I had a go-to place in New London, CT, when I was in college (Joydon’s House of Leisure, which is, sadly, gone). When I was growing up in Saratoga, I spent a decent chunk of my allowance money at Caroline Street collectibles hub, The Vault (see below). ![]() I’m a collector I can’t help myself.Ĭollecting has been a major part of every era of my life. ![]() (Fun fact: One of them was penned by world-famous horror author Stephen King.) Any space I inhabit eventually becomes a miniature museum. Joe toys my brother and I used to play with when we were kids. I also have a bobblehead of Red Sox star Xander Bogaerts on the windowsill, and a stack of hand-cut-out file cards from the G.I. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find two sets of framed liner notes signed by one of my favorite musicians, Jay Farrar (he of Son Volt/Uncle Tupelo fame). Anyone who’s ever walked into my office at saratoga living will immediately notice the two framed items leaning against my window: A professional photograph taken of the celebration following the Boston Red Sox’s historic 2004 World Series win, with my man David “Big Papi” Ortiz in the center of the frame and a copy of the 1967 Thunderball soundtrack from my favorite James Bond movie. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |