Allentown Paper Show, Take Two

This weekend, I made my second Paper Pilgrimage of the year to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to the paper show being held on the city's fairgrounds.

I still find it remarkable (as does my husband, I'm sure) that there are so many people in the world who share my love and appreciation for all things ephemeral.  Besides table after table of postcards and old photos, there were some more unusual items, as well, such as :

Boxes of badges

Walls and tables covered in documents and posters

Shelves piled with books, magazines, and catalogs

Vintage soap boxes (for $30 a pop!)

Bottles and tins

Whiskey miniatures (did you catch that price?  $285 for the box!)

A chemical set (who knows what could be in those little bottles?)

A suitcase filled with vintage cake toppers

Even a box of old scissors shoved under a table!

When I went to the show back in April, I was absolutely blown away by the fabulous display of postcards, documents, posters, books, medals, badges, game pieces, vintage boxes, maps, and on and on and on.  I have to admit that this time, despite my comment at the end of my previous post, I actually felt a little saturated in paper (how's that for a contradiction in terms?!), and didn't feel nearly as lightheaded by the wall-to-wall booths filling two huge rooms.

For one thing, I was a little more put off by prices this time around.  Maybe I noticed it last time, too, but I just didn't seem to find as many "deals."  I saw a postcard for $120, for crying out loud...how is that even possible?

And I got chastised by the owner of the very first booth I entered in the morning, who didn't want me looking through some Civil War documents he had for sale.  I kind of wondered how precious they could really be as they sat there in a stack on a folding chair next to his display table.  It put a bit of a bad taste in my mouth as I started my way around the show.

Happily, any negative feelings were swept aside when I had the great good fortune to meet up with someone I had met recently in Blogland.  Becky, also known as The Snail Mailer, who keeps a blog over at Leaving a Paper Trail (I love that name!), came by the show and poked around with me, helping me spot some deals and engaging the vendors in some wonderful conversation.

Becky and I at the Paper Show

Perhaps the most memorable part of our day was meeting was meeting Kathy Kreiser.  Besides offering the best deal of the day (10 postcards for a dollar!), she chatted away with us about our collage work and mail art.  She was so excited and supportive of what we do!  It was a pleasure to receive her enthusiasm, not to mention her generous deals.

Kathy and I at her Paper Show booth

So, now, of course, the BIG QUESTION:  What kind of loot did I bring home with me from the show??

Here's the damage:

Postcards!

More postcards, a couple of photos, and some vintage greeting cards

Colorful clips for decoupage--only 50 cents a sheet at Kathy's booth

Train passes--love these!--some from as early as 1902, and on through each decade into the 1950s

Some stock certificates, souvenir postcards, and old calendars

Postcards with blank fronts just waiting for some mail art collage

A cardboard toy village with mail art possibilities

A collection of scraps marked "FREE" at Kathy's booth

Some goodies that Becky was sweet enough to bring along with her to share with me

There is a lot of kindness in the world, folks, if we just open our lives to it!  I enjoyed a great day poking around the paper show, came away with more loot than I realized until I dumped out my bag of goodies once I got back home, and made a new blogging friend (yay, Becky!) who might just be organizing a Letter Writing Social somewhere close enough for me to actually attend.

Now, off to the art room to play with my new scraps!