Hundreds peruse toys, other collectibles at toy show and sale

From vintage toy trains to recently released video games, toy lovers made use of a vast selection Sunday in Vancouver.

Vintage toys, pop culture items, dolls, trains and records were within grasp at the Vancouver Toy Junkies Vintage Toy Show and Sale at Warehouse ’23, 100 Columbia St., Suite 102. More than 140 vendors participated, said Mike McLaugherty, the show’s organizer.

“For me, it’s all about bringing the community together,” McLaugherty said.

In one room sat collectors of decades-old toys. Terry Parker, 69, of Portland, offered an array of Matchbox and windup cars, Tonkas and even a tricycle from the 1930s with a horse-shaped seat.

“That’s kind of an unusual piece,” Parker said of the tricycle, which bobs up and down when ridden to mimic a horse ride. “That’s why I bought it.”

The piece is worth about $380, Parker said. But the potential cash haul was not the highest priority for him.

“Let’s put it this way: it’s a hobby that pays for itself. People say, ‘Do you sell this stuff?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, but I buy it for me first,” Parker said. “The really fun part about doing this is the hunt to find this stuff.”

Parker has been collecting for more than 40 years. While he considers himself ahead of the “Star Wars generation,” all collectors feel a similar itch, he said.

“It’s a disease,” Parker said. “The more you get into it, the more you have fun with it.”

Sitting behind a replica Millennium Falcon — a spaceship from Star Wars — that is more than 3 feet in length, another collector admired his eye-catching item.

“But it’s big. Nobody wants to take it home and have an angry wife,” said Jason, who declined to give his last name.

Jason, 39, of Beaverton, was a vendor along with his daughter Darla, 9. He said his love of collecting likely sparked when shopping for Darla’s toys when she was younger.

He agreed with Parker, but used a different word, about his drive to collect.

“Yeah, it’s a virus,” he said.

Kevin Gorby, 31, of Battle Ground, enjoys movies from the 1990s. He stood next to a latex prop of the famed movie alien E.T. and in front of a Gremlin head. The Gremlin was worth $350, while E.T. could be sold for $40, Gorby said.

But, “I priced them at half that because I really couldn’t store them anymore,” Gorby said.

Newer items are popular before losing favor after three or four years, Gorby said. Then, toys like model cars and Star Wars collectibles experience a renaissance.

“Those are gold,” Gorby said.

The collectors say a camaraderie builds between the buyers and sellers, who often see each other at multiple shows throughout the year. Sometimes, they’ll contact each other when they spot certain items at sales or shows that they think the other person might like, Gorby said.

“It’s really big,” Gorby said of the collecting community. “Everybody is super friendly and knows each other.”

Jose Hernandez, 30, of Renton, displayed dioramas with action figures depicting war scenes, pirates and the wild west. They were created by his father, Hector Hernandez, a retired architect who has redirected his professional skills toward the hobby.

“It’s stuff that he always liked as a kid,” Jose Hernandez said.

Michelle Stark, 42, of Gresham, Ore., wandered around the show with her daughter, Sophia, 3. While Stark’s husband, Jeff Stark, sold Star Wars and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles commodities Sunday as a vendor, her daughter roamed from table to table studying different items.

“She’s totally in her element,” Stark said. “We do this stuff quite often, so she enjoys it.”

In the past, people like the Starks were often hesitant to reveal their passion, Stark said. “Being a geek, there wasn’t always the ability to be out in the open with it, so it’s nice that it’s popular now.”

With online shopping available, in-person markets aren’t always the first place people search for toys and collectibles.

Those who do attend them, however, have an enhanced experience, McLaugherty said. “People are so used to doing this online that they forget this can be kind of a party.”