Grandchildren, health issues, and life in general have left us little time to do things together. We really have not found a hobby that we both thoroughly enjoy. I think that changed Sunday.
We went to our first flea market.
Now, my wife had already decided she would like to help me sell knives at next year's OKCA show and convinced me to get a table. I think it is a ploy to get me to reduce my collection.
It was with this in mind that we went to the flea market; to look around and perhaps pick up a knife or two that would sell at the Eugene show. I think all sanity stopped the moment she came to the first table that had some knives for sale. There was nothing particularly of interest at the first table, so we moved on to the second table.
This fellow was selling tools. He had some carbide burrs that I thought might be useful in jigging bone, and some magnifying glasses. I was happily perusing his stock when my wife came back and said, "What are you doing goofing off here, I found some knives." I said, "OK, just a minute," and continued to look at the toys in front of me. She soon returned and said; "Hurry up." I continued to look at the things in front of me when she came back again and said, "Hurry up before someone else gets them." So I paid the fellow and moved down a couple tables to where she was hovering over a few knives, preventing anyone else from seeing them or buying them.
I looked at the knives she found, there were several Imperial shell handles that were brand-new, a few used knives and two SAK executives in little metal SAK tin boxes. She was very excited about the little SAKs, and they were only two dollars each. They were obviously a good buy. So I bought them, and Camilla Whittler, and an old shell handled Imperial fish knife with an unsharpened blade.
It was like opium to the woman. I think she is now thoroughly addicted to flea market knife buying!
Do they have a FMA (Flea Marketers Anonymous)?
Through the rest of the flea market, she preceded me down the aisles as my official "Knife Spotter." She would come back to where I was, looking at the previous knife treasure trove she had found and say, "I found some really good ones over here, hurry up."
It went on that way for the rest of the time we were at the flea market. It got to the point where she was not just a table or two ahead of me, she would get a row or two ahead of me. Then she would come back and tell me, "Forget that row, nothing good there, but get the third table on the second row, he has some stag." It went on that way for a couple of hours, until I run out of money. At one point I even had to go out to the car and get my checkbook.
The woman is a flea market maniac!
Now for most of us married guys who collect knives, I think we have a little built-in governor on our knife-buying throttle. As soon as we get too revved up, our governor kicks in; you know that little part of your brain that says, "How will I explained this one to my wife?"
Then the RPMs began to drop, everything comes back into focus, the knife really doesn't seem to be the treasure you thought it was, and you lay it back down on the table and walk away.
That's how the knife-buying governor works.But, when your wife is with you saying, "Hurry up, I found some more down here," it is like having the governor removed from your knife-buying throttle. It is as though your wife is saying, "Look what I found for you. Hurry up and buy it because I found some more." It was a total knife buying/shark feeding frenzy.
She was finding them faster than I could buy them. It was grand. It was glorious, and a little bit scary. I'm going to have to be very careful taking her to future flea markets...............................................
I can't afford all the knives she keeps finding.
But............................................................................we are having fun!
Dale
The knives we got are shown below.
I kind of like the little Case, though I am not a Case collector. It is riding around today in my pocket.
you've opened the door to the shoppimg gene in her. 
AND that dang sparly stuff is only good for a thumb stud. 
...Not to put a stone in your shoe but.
I've got a wife with a broke blade or two but, her handles still look great to give in trade if she does 
. Great story, I really enjoyed reading it.