On the license plate collector's listserve, I got into an argument with Roger Haynes about the merit of various vintage automotive flea markets.  The Charlotte Auto Fair (Hornets Nest AACA Regional) is one of Roger's babies - being practically in his backyard.  How could an automotive flea market at a race track possibly have the same facilities as Hershey or Carlisle?  Roger quickly came to the defense of Charlotte.  Tom, another NASCAR fan, praised the Lowe's Speedway, and put my stripey butt on the line.  So then  I decided to take the "Charlotte Challenge", and see for myself how good the Charlotte Meet really is.  In the end, I was going to eat my words - big time.  Roger provided me with an entry pass for my Triumph Tiger which I would be riding down to the meet.  I liked the idea of sleeping under the TNS tent.

The TNS tent.  For some reason Roger doesn't photograph well.  The flash seems to bounce right off him.

In front of Big Hoss, with my means of transportation - the Triumph Tiger.

<My latest finds> -  A '17 SC and a '53 Missouri Sample.   See why I was so excited about that '17 SC in the write-up below.

The ride down to Charlotte from Fairmont, WV was going to take a good 6 hrs - 350 miles away.  I originally planned to be there by late Thursday afternoon.  Well, the attack on America wreaked havoc with my plans.  As I work at a Federal Facility (NASA) my workweek was messed up - losing a good 2 days work.  So it wasn't until late Thursday afternoon, that I managed to leave my place.  On the Triumph Tiger, of course.

I didn't get to Charlotte until well past 10:30pm.  Then I had trouble finding Lowe's Speedway for some reason.  I was looking in all the wrong places - towards downtown Charlotte.  Turns out it was closer to Concord, north of the city.  Once I got to the TNS tent, Roger was of course fast asleep in Big Hoss.  I quietly found my a place for my bike and got to sleep.  Waking up, Roger was suprised and glad to see me.  Naturally he had already given up on me.

I love waking up in the middle of an automotive flea market.  You don't have the worry of getting up bloody early, then finding a parking spot at the meet, and lining up to get in.  I know.  I've been to Hershey and Carlisle before - waking up well before dawn to get there before the big rush.  So, by 8:00am, I was fresh and ready to tackle the fields.  At these flea markets, there is little point starting out any sooner than that, since most of the vendors do not unveil their wares until around 8:30 or so, when the crowds begin to pour in.

 

Cars at Charlotte

This '68 Shelby Cobra was part of the auto auction. You can bet it sold for a bundle.  It is a very rare muscle car.

Look at the position of the license plate on this '57 Chev.  I don't think that is stock.  It had a price of about $28,000.  Give me a break!

Tuning up this '71 Bug.  Nice car!

Finding plates at these at these meets is always hit 'n' miss.  You never know what will turn up - who will bring out the goodies, and when.  In my humble opinion, making a really great find boils down to mostly luck  - that you happened to walk by just as the vendor put out his bargains.  Starting out bright eyes, and bushy tailed, I scored my first find, just next to the TNS tent.  A Georgia plate with prefix "TYG".  Of course you would expect me to pounce on that one like a Tiger.  Then heading east on the Blue Field, I only scored one other plate, a WV '74 cycle.  There was a vendor with a bunch of plates on a tarp, organized by state.  No prices marked on anything - and that is one of my main gripes with these vendors.  Anyway, the prices depended on the plate, of course.  And were stiff to say the least, for what amounted to mainly junk.  Naturally I simply carried on.  Returning back to the TNS tent, I jokingly remarked to Roger that I'd better limit my purchases, or I'll never be able to carry my stuff home on that motorbike!

Heading west on the Blue Field, towards the Orange field, I did better.  Then the great find.  I walked by a vendor with a few plates on the ground.  There was a '17 SC which I would call f-g.  Marked on the back was $50.  Was this a good buy?  I don't know.  I don't collect SC plates, but '17 seemed awfully old, and I know how hard early outhern tins plates are to find.  The he said he just put these plate out.  Aha!  So I was the one getting first crack.  That was an excellent clue that maybe this was a good deal.  He wouldn't take any less than $50, I bought the plate thinking it wouldn't be two minutes before another collector would walk by and snap it up.  A few more finds on the Orange field and I headed back to the TNS tent.

The '17 SC sure got attention at the TNS tent.  Roger told me I really stole that one.  Another collector at the TNS tent immediately offered me $300.  Wow.  I didn't sell the plate at that instant, rather, I decided to savor the ownership of my new find a little while longer.  According to Roger, it was the find at Charlotte this year, one which will make a dent into my motorcycle loan.

The Green Field was the last to tackle.  Outside the Racetrack, it appeared to be off the beaten path.  There weren't any crowds, and there weren't that many vendors either.  I'm told this Charlotte Regional is much larger in the Spring and the spillover onto the Green Field is better.  After getting back to the TNS tent, it was time to relax for a few hours.  Then, it was time to leave, as I needed to head off to Blacksburg to attend an ALPCA meet there the next morning. I decided to stop at Applebee's in Concord, Roger's favorite hangout.  The service there was g-r-r-reat!  On the way to Applebee's, I passed Punchy's Tire, where Dale Earnhardt (#3) used to work, before he became a legend.

Was Charlotte worthwhile?  Absolutely!  Will I be back next year?  I sure will try to!  I had a lot of fun, and I would recommend this meet to anyone.

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Copyright 2001, Joseph P. Sallmen
Page created Sep 22, 2001