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Greatest Hershey discoveries


Terry Bond

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Thought it might be interesting to hear some of the stories out there about some great Hershey discoveries in the swap meet. I've got quite a few but among the most memorable was one year when the old Blue Field was still in operation (my spaces used to be under where the Roller-Coaster is now). At the end of one row I encountered a fellow just setting up his tales and as he was opening an old car trunk he began to pull some really neat early brass era lamps, etc out. As I looked I noted his price tags were faded and worn. He explained that he hadn't been at Hershey in "a few years" and decided to unload the stuff he had packed away. So - the prices were about ten years old at least! I found pairs of brass lamps, horns, speedos, clocks, a couple of mascots, and a whole box of spark plugs. Good thing my spaces were fairly close as I made three trips back with my bag and arms full. As a collector, very little of it ended up on the "for sale" pile and over the years I managed to keep some pretty nice items for my own collection. I only wish I'd preserved those faded old price tags.

Terry

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Many years ago, I was working the Red Field, now the site of the outlet stores, early in the morning.

I looked at the parts that were being used to hold down a vendor's tarps and discovered a complete set of spare tire holders for our Packard Twin Six. The only set that I've seen in over 40 years of searching. Needless to say, it didn't take long to close the deal. $30.00 made the vendor and me very happy.

It must have been a lucky day, as a few minutes later I found a pair of headlights, complete with bulbs, connectors and lenses for the car for $35.00.

Years later, I was able to close a deal in the Chocolate Field for four Packard Twin Six fenders. $275.00.for all four. The vendor was anxious to sell to make room for the return trip home.

Then there was the pair of NORS head gaskets for $15.00.

It helps that the car is rare enough that folks don't know what they have.

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Would have to say that it was the newly-rechromed rear upper bumper for my 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Station Wagon, found last year thanks to the eagle eye of my fellow Olds fan Paul Hartlieb, who spotted it. I had been looking for a complete rear bumper, and as fate would have it, this upper piece, which of course is unique to the wagon, was a lucky find. Three months later, I had located a complete rear bumper out in Fresno, California, and while the rest of it was in good enough shape to rechrome, the upper portion of it was badly damaged. No problem, of course--the upper bumper Paul had spotted saved the day.

Here are a couple of pictures that show the new bumper on the wagon, and the old one that it replaced...Thanks to my friend "Impala Jim" Fuller for his help in getting this put on back in the spring...

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Great finds usually turn up unexpectedly or just when you think you'll never find what you are searching for. Some stuff I've encountered has been hard to believe, but even stranger are what some of the shoppers do - a few years ago I had a really nice brass side lamp with an ususual curved lens. It was high quality and something really special. Actually I wanted to find the mate for it so had it on my table with a tag on it indicating that. One guy came back three times to look at it and on the third trip asked if I had any luck finding the mate as we was also looking for a pair of them. He needed them for a car so I offered to sell him the one I had. Heck, it wasn't even that stupid a price, but he turned it down saying he really wanted a pair. I told him the best way to find a pair is to buy them one at a time, but he once again declined to even make me an offer on the single. I put it away after that and to this day wonder if he ever found two of them at the same time. It's still in my collection.

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Hi,

My best find at Hershey, a few years back, was finding a pair of 1920 Chalmers headlights. One light was missing it's bezel. I was a little disappointed, but thankfull to find the pair. As I proceeded down the very next aisle I came upon the missing bezel. I was thrilled, and it put a smile on that vendor's face. I wonder if the vendors were related?

Bob

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I believe the "Year of the Mud" was 1977, our spots were in the Blue Field, and due to a mix up apart from friends we had spaces with the year before. We were on top of a hill, close the the street with houses that sold food back in those days. I'd bought 4 wire wheels for a Model T 2 drop center Daytons and two lock ring Buffalos that were in the far corner of the Red field were the Red Robin restaurant is today. Got a good deal since they didn't make a matching set, selled didn't need to know I had two of each back home. I paid him and said I'd be back later to get them. at some point two kids with a wagon wandered past my swap meet spots and I asked them if they wanted to go get my wheels. It was quite a trip dragging the wagon back with the wheels. I asked them what I owed them, and they just said whatever I thought the trip was worth. I handed them a 20, and the expression on both of them was the same as if it had been 100! My girlfriend came to Hershey for the first time that year and liked it. We got engaged two months later. Bob

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My greatest discoveries at Hershey have been people.

Standing with a group of people, most of whom I didn't know, turned to the guy next to me and asked what he was working on. A 1906 Autocar, he replied, that some fool pulled out of a field in Louisiana. I told him that "fool" was standing next to him.

Walking up to a vendor, right as a gentleman was introducing himself to same, and hearing his name, realizing I'd bought my 1938 Packard from him, sight unseen, a number of years before, and finally meeting him.

Selling a Buick part to a gentleman, and as we introduced ourselves, finding that it was the person who, when I mentioned I was missing one top iron for my 1910 Buick, fabricated one and sent it to me, unasked and unpaid, just to be helpful.

And, every year, seeing good and great friends I'd never have met, had it not been for our mutual admiration of old iron............that's the treasure you find at Hershey..........

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One of our greatest experiences was in the old Green Field. We had restored a 1920 Kissel Gold Bug Speedster and had it displayed in our tent prior to Saturday's show. A man showed up with his Father who was in his late 80s or early 90s and barely able to walk the field even with the aid of a cane. Turned out he had owned a Gold Bug as a young man and just wanted to see and possibly sit in one once more. As the conversation continued about the history of our Kissel we all realized that the Kissel in our tent had in fact been HIS car some 60+ years ago. He sat in the car for some time and we can only speculate about the memories he was reliving.

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In the old days(1972) I was taking my usual late Friday afternoon tour of the chocolate field and run across an American National pedal car modeled as a 1935 Nash. It was complete, rust free,but had the previous childs brush painted white finish on it(including the wheels and tires). I paid the sum of $15. Got it home and restored, and then placed it under the Christmas tree in the middle of the night. The astonished, happy look on my sons face Christmas morning is burned in my mind forever. While there were other good buys through the years this one is the most memorable and cherished. --Bob

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post-61568-143139168958_thumb.pngThe best I know from the world of Crosleys is that of Paul Gorrell. Paul is a long time Crosley restorer that had saved a pre war "woody" station wagon with very little to go on (first picture). He had accumulated parts for years to someday complete the project but was lacking the very rare rear fenders. While walking the flea market at Hershey, he spied the fenders he needed on a home made trailer being used to haul parts by one of the vendors. He had to promise to buy new trailer fenders and have them attached along with the price of the fenders in order to talk the vendor out of them. He did succeed and used them to finish the project seen in the second picture.

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My greatest discoveries at Hershey have been people.

Standing with a group of people, most of whom I didn't know, turned to the guy next to me and asked what he was working on. A 1906 Autocar, he replied, that some fool pulled out of a field in Louisiana. I told him that "fool" was standing next to him.

Walking up to a vendor, right as a gentleman was introducing himself to same, and hearing his name, realizing I'd bought my 1938 Packard from him, sight unseen, a number of years before, and finally meeting him.

Selling a Buick part to a gentleman, and as we introduced ourselves, finding that it was the person who, when I mentioned I was missing one top iron for my 1910 Buick, fabricated one and sent it to me, unasked and unpaid, just to be helpful.

And, every year, seeing good and great friends I'd never have met, had it not been for our mutual admiration of old iron............that's the treasure you find at Hershey..........

So very well-stated, and so very true, Trimacar! I have myself had some "harmonic convergences" on the showfield on many Saturday mornings around my Starfire. May take a while to explain, so bear with me!

One occurred many years ago when a stranger came up to me and said something along the lines of "I haven't seen a car like this so nice since my uncle's '62 Starfire back in Alliance, Ohio". Well, heck, Alliance is my hometown! Does this guy know me, I'm thinking? Someone I know (or should know) throwing out a humorous one-liner? Then, when I found out he was from Bowie, Maryland, I thought, geez, of all the places in the world for him to throw out a name from, he says my home town? As we talked, turnes out that uncle had a '62 Olds Starfire when new, and that he lived literally on a cross street about a half-mile from where I grew up! Then, when found out his name--well, his other uncle (who owned a '64 Olds Dynamic 88) lived four houses down from us on the same side of the street!

Another such story transpired over several Fall Hershey meets. Again, when I was literally three years old, my Dad had his '62 Starfire, when our family moved into a house across the street from a real automotive "nut", Brice Glendening. Mr. G favored MG's, Triumphs, and even had a mid-'60s Lotus race car in the garage, and often would have friends over after work with "new" production vehicles that were generally performance-oriented. His son Brian was my first "friend" or playmate outside of the family, and we used to often shove our Tonka Trucks back and forth across the street to each other. Anyways, Mr. G and I became re-acquainted after many years through my old car, seeing me at local car shows, and always stopped by on Saturday Morning at Hershey to reminisce for about an hour or so about the old times, and cars, cars, cars!

Another fellow I had gotten to know back home was Bill Clair, who lived across the street from my parents and us kids at the "old house" across town in Alliance. Bill would have been in high school when my Dad had his Willow Mist '62 Starfire (we had moved from there in June of 1966) and distincly remembers how my dad would start the car and race the engine "as if he were going to the moon", and had several funny anecdotes about my Dad and the car, some of which my Mom never knew about until I told her. Since my Dad's car was parked in the street, due to the narrow driveways of the older houses back then, I asked Bill to see if he had any pictures of the car someone may have taken, even if it's just in the background.

Fast-forward to Fall Hershey a couple years back. Brice as usual stopped by my Starfire on the show field, and with him were a couple of his friends, including Bill Clair. i looked at both of them and asked "You mean you guys know each other?" Of course, they laughed, and had been friends for many years. it just struck me as so coincidental that, here was the one guy who lived across the street from me at the old house, who knew about my Dad's Starfire, here with the guy who lived across the street from me at the new house, who knew about my Dad's Starfire, and with that commonality, knew each other, and knew me, and here we are, meeting up with each other, coming together where?

At Fall Hershey, on the show field, in front of my Starfire. There wouldn't be any other place more appropriate in my mind where that could have happened...

On a sad note, Mr. Glendening passed away right before Christmas of 2011, having last seen and talked with him at Hershey one year ago. I will surely miss him stopping by to see me next month...

Edited by starfireelvis (see edit history)
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Greatest find ever, the perfect NOS running boards that I spotted at the end of the old White Field years ago. It had rained (Yeah, I know, big surprise there, right?) and Bill and I were headed back to the car to get our judging supplies and the guys selling them had just taken them out of the cargo trailer. They cost us $680 but worth every penny as they were the correct ones for our 1939 Dodge DeLuxe four-door sedan.

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Guest Indianfour

I attended every Hershey swap meet starting in 1963 when I purchased my very first car, a 1936 Oldsmobile touring sedan with a straight eight engine. I missed very few Meets during those years until the late 1990's. And I can surely remember all the good times that we had and all the interesting people that we met.!! We also all remember all the rain, mud and slipping and sliding on those aisles that we had to conquer in order to find that one item that we just had to have!!

One memory stands out above all the others, though!! In one of the fields, I found a vendor that had for sale a complete set, front and rear Balcrank bumpers and bumperettes for a late 1920's automobile. They were still in the original boxes. He quoted me a price of $400.00 and I thought that was way too much. I thought I would wait towards the end of the Meet and go back and really get a bargain. However, when I returned, he had closed and left the Meet. I had the Vendors program and as soon as I returned home, I tried to make contact with him but to no avail! I finally gave up on ever finding those Balcranks again. The next year, I was tramping through all ,the various aisles and lo and behold, there was the bumpers that I was searching for!! Same vendor but different location. He quoted me the same price as the year before and I sure started counting money right away!! I later installed those bumpers on an Auburn Speedster.

Of course we all remember all the times that we attended Hershey and didn't find anything that we were looking for but we still enjoyed all the good times that we had!! It was surely something that we all looked forward to but now, due to age, we can't walk those aisles any longer.. But we still have our memories!! IndianFour

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In the late seventies my younger brother and I were looking for 1955 Buick NOS chrome parts. He had a Century and I had a Special. Both those series shared the same parts. What were the chances of finding double parts?? Good in those days. We did find a lot of parts that we needed. It started to get late so we decided to leave. While I was walking near the last row of venders I spotted a NOS U.S. Royal tire and wheel that came out of a 56 Buick. The guy wanted $40.00 !!! That deal made my day. The tire and wheel looked great in the detailed trunk.

Edited by Skyking (see edit history)
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Hiking through the chocolate field a couple years ago I spotted a music case. Gave him $20 and when I got home found it was a Borgani, a hand made wooden Italian clarinet. Put new pads in it and found it to be a nice playing instrument that I started using every week.

The biggest thrill at Hershey is finding yourself standing next to an old friend you did not know was gonna be there.

Bill

Edited by R W Burgess
changed title back to original (see edit history)
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My greatest discovery was finding out that my youngest son has the "Hershey Bug" as bad as his old man. At 14, Alex is a veteran of several Fall Meets already. He will go to school with a terrible cold; but has no qualms about "playing hooky" each year to spend Friday and Saturday with dad in the Green field. When we still camped in the SUV, I would remove the front pasenger seat and he slept in the space vacated by the seat. Later he was happy to bunk with dad in our 6 x 12 enclosed trailer (the Hershey Hilton); and now we have moved all the way up to a motel room in Grantville. As I load the trailer back up on Saturday at noon, I know he'll be off "dumpster diving" and he always comes back with some "treasure" another vendor left behind. Then it's off to see the end of the car show. When it's time to leave, he'll start counting the days until the next Fall Meet.After high school, he'll probably look for a college in central Pa. Priceless.

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A little time to reminisce on Saturday afternoon. Chris and I both have our dogs in the office while we try to get something done! In any case here goes:

My 1908 Model X was one of two known in the world. The other one was unrestored at the time and had the wrong headlamps. I knew the model number of the Gray & Davis lights I needed and over many years and many ads I was never able to find them. It was discouraging as the lights were a little unique.

I traveled to the fall meet with my friends from Beecher, Illinois and we proceeded to walk the flea market every day in search of brass parts. Sun up to sun down we looked and nothing for me! After seeing all the cars at the show Saturday we proceeded to our vehicles for the trip back to the Midwest when one of the guys needed to stop at the porta-johns. As we stood waiting for him I mentioned that there looked to be some brass items under a table over at a vendor that we had stopped before but never saw what was under the table. Should we go and look...nah, we were looked out! However, my buddy Tim and I decided one more look couldn't hurt. Yep, you guessed it, a near mint set of lamps that I went to purchase but didn't. I got them for "free". It seems that one of our guys wanted some Olds Limited parts I had and offered to buy the lights (they were not cheap) if he could have the Limited stuff. Done deal....Rick Britten noted brass restorer was still at the meet and i delivered the lights to him and smiled the whole trip back to my home.!

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My absolute greatest Hershey find(s) happened at the same time. I was 16 years old in 1968 with a few cars including my first car, my 1931 Dodge business coupe and a 1929 Franklin 135 series six wire wheel sedan. I had others, but those do not come into play here. I was walking along the aisles at the meet when I spotted a couple of N.O.S. parts that I had to have. One was a 1931 Dodge Brothers DH radiator shell and the other was a 1929 Franklin (radiator-not really) shell. Both were in mint condition and I got them for $35.00 each! For some reason, my dad forgot his checkbook in the car. It was at least a mile away. I ran both ways and handed the guy a check still being out of breath. My dad sold the Franklin, but I still have the Dodge and shell...

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Like New Rayban Sunglasses for 25 cents.

My vending partner is a Lions Club member and they have a reading and sunglass donation box as one of their projects. Any excess inventory he brings to Hershey and sells them for 25 cents to be donated back to the Lions Club. I was bored and was just standing near the donation box and looked around in there and shazam there's a pair of Rayban sunglasses without a hint of wear.

I gave him a sizable donation as a thank you and have been wearing these things for 3 years now... best prettiest cheepest sun glassses I've ever owned...! Peddler James will have his glasses for sale ( not sure if inflation has moved them to 50cents ) but anyway they'll be at GCE 42-45 near the beginning of the car corral, end of the row... look for the manequins. I'm thinking of dresssing the girls up this year as Dollar Store Clerks.... gonna have a HUGE dollar pile for sale this year.

Edited by Wowabunga (see edit history)
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