OXFORD — They came to wheel and deal, but fans had other priorities.

The local stars of the History Channel’s “Down East Dickering”— Tony Bennett, Chris “Codfish” Codwell and Duke the Jack Russell terrier — were swamped by photo-seekers at an open-air flea market at Oxford Plains Speedway on Saturday.

More than 200 people turned out to see the Bethel natives. 

With the History Channel filming, dozens of makeshift vendors from across the state set up booths — sometimes out of the beds of their pickups — to tempt would-be treasure hunters.

The show is based on Bennett and Codwell’s livelihood of scouring Uncle Henry’s Swap or Sell It Guide to find a quick buck or a trade. They are in the midst of filming the second season, which will include “a day of fun and motor madness” at OPS. 

However, Bennett didn’t have much time to barter Saturday.

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“I’m having to take so many photos I can’t get around and dicker,” he said. “I’m losing out on the deals.” 

The goods included vintage T-shirts, steins, car parts, magazines, folk art, tools and collectibles from every era. 

Professional barterers were as variable as the items. Eric White of Norway gave up his job as a retail manager making $100,000 a few years ago to work full-time buying collectibles and turning them for a profit. He now supports himself and his two children through savvy wheeling and dealing, he said. 

In one of the morning’s first transactions, he bought Kiss action figures for $35. He figured he could turn them around for $100.  

“I’ve been doing this since I was 7,” White said. “You get a general sense of what’s valuable and what’s junk.” . 

He said the key to avoiding the pitfalls of the trade is to be a self-educated buyer: Certain items’ popularity guarantees a resale, such as Mario and Zelda video game merchandise, whose value to collectors gets better with age. 

ccrosby@sunjournal.com


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