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From big-box stores to exclusive trade-only shops, talented designers scour all over the place for their well-curated finds. But ask any one of them about their most prized purchases, and there’s a solid chance it’s a secondhand find that they spotted amid assorted castoffs and immediately had a vision for how to style it.
Flea markets are treasure troves for valuable antiques and obscure finds. If you find yourself browsing the Paris flea or you’ve become a regular at the best flea market in your state, it always helps to know which pieces to hone in on—the vintage baseball mitt, the colorful 19th-century French glass—should they reveal themselves.
Ahead, designers shared with us the 20 items they never pass up at flea markets.
From big-box stores to exclusive trade-only shops, talented designers scour all over the place for pieces to include in their well-curated collections. But ask any one of them about their most prized purchases, and there’s a solid chance it’s a secondhand find that they spotted amid assorted cast-offs and immediately had a vision for how to style it.
Flea markets are treasure troves for valuable antiques and obscure finds. If you find yourself browsing the Paris flea or you’ve become a regular at the best flea market in your state, it always helps to know which pieces to zero in on—the vintage baseball mitt, the colorful 19th-century French glass vase—should they reveal themselves.
Ahead, designers share with us the 20 items they never pass up at flea markets.
For more flea market intel:
Art Nouveau Sculptural Lamps
With their beautiful, often intricate brass bases in nature motifs, Art Nouveau lamps can be the focal point of a room or blend in nicely with a variety of decor styles, Willow Wright, owner of Urban Redeux Vintage in Alexandria, Virginia, says.
These lamps likely end up at flea markets because they’re in need of rewiring or the original shade is missing or broken, she says. “But don’t let that deter you,” Wright says. “Rewiring can be easy and affordable, and there are both original shades and reproductions available online.”
Prices will vary from piece to piece, but a restored Art Nouveau lamp can run into the thousands of dollars, especially floor lamps.
Vintage Sporting Goods
You can score vintage sports equipment like baseball bats, boxing gloves, football helmets, and tennis rackets at just about every flea market for anywhere from $25 up to $500, depending on the provenance, says Tracy Metro, a Los Angeles–based designer. It’s not necessary to have Jackie Robinson’s prized baseball bat on display (unless you’re a collector—and then it should probably be under lock and key), so a cheap, old one that’s got some dents and dings will look most beautiful when displayed alongside accompanying objects, Metro says.
These athletic artifacts make lovely decorative elements on a living room built-in or an office bookcase or used as elements in a multi-disciplined wall collage.
“The leathers are cracked and worn from flexing,” Metro says. “The woods are chipped and gashed from hitting. And the strings are frayed and missing from years in storage. The patinas tell a great story of a life well lived and played.”
Opaline Glass
Flea markets are a treasure trove for opaline glassware, says Wilson, North Carolina–based interior designer Grey Joiner. The semi-opaque, colorful glass was manufactured in France during the 19th century, mostly in Baccarat, Saint-Louis, and Creusot, and used to make everything from jewelry boxes to vases, trinket boxes, and perfume bottles.
“The rich colors like turquoise, pink, and yellow make for incredible accent pieces,” Joiner says.
Opaline glass pieces sell online for $800 to $1,000. If you find a purple opaline piece, you have a true treasure on your hands: These items were made in very small quantities in 1828 at the Paris factory of Bercy.
Antique Magnifying Glasses
“Anything with a rich history and a clear purpose fascinates me,” says Connie Vernich of Vernich Interiors in Nashville.
Her top flea market finds include antique magnifying glasses, vintage compasses, old binoculars, classic cameras, and pocket watches that can be displayed on stands.
“These pieces add a unique flair to bookcases, especially when nestled among antique books, imbuing the space with intrigue and curated character,” Vernich says.
Antique Tea Sets
“As a bona fide tea fanatic, I’m always drawn to a beautiful porcelain or ceramic tea set,” Lorna Gross of Lorna Gross Interior Design in Washington, D.C. says. The more elegant versions of fine bone china elevate any tabletop and make for a luxury tea experience, she says, while the quirky, artistic sets can be displayed as interesting objets d’art when not in use.
Sterling Silver
Whether you're looking at flatware, hotel coffee services, or decorative objects like this trinket box, don't be turned off if a silver item has lost its luster. "Sterling can be restored to shining beauty with a little polish," says designer Elisa Baran Tréan of Elisa Baran, LLC. Her most recent thrifting haul included lots of sterling silver—a basket handmade in France, salad tongs with handmade wave handles, and Italian coasters with etchings.
To find high-dollar pieces, scout for designer brand names such as Buccellati, Whiting, Christofle, Sciarrotta, and of course Tiffany & Co, Baran suggests. One more thing: Check for an etching that says “925,” “92.5,” or “SS” to confirm the piece is indeed sterling silver.
Related: How to Clean Silver With Pantry Ingredients
Antique Mirrors
“A mirror of any kind is an immediate ‘yes’ for me, especially if the glass has aged,” says Caroline Kopp, an interior designer in Westport, Connecticut. A naturally antiqued mirror has damage and wear to the backside of the glass, which can cause haziness or blotches. To some, those signs of age may make a mirror undesirable, but to Kopp and other vintage aficionados, they render a piece “spectacularly imperfect.” As Kopp explains, “for us mirror lovers, this is not a flaw and is in fact very exciting.”
Coffee Table Books
Hardcover books are a great way to add style to a home—and rare antique ones such as Audubon’s Birds of America can have significant resale value. “Books are a big part of our designs and can eat up a budget, so we are constantly on the lookout for great coffee table books,” Mark Cutler of cutlerschulze, an interior design firm in Los Angeles, says. He tries to stick to a few themes, like photography, travel, and sports, but admits, “sometimes we buy them because the color of the spine is just right.”
Related: 35 Best Coffee Table Books to Accessorize Your Home
Wicker or Rattan Chairs
“I never pass up the opportunity to brake for a beautiful or interesting piece of wicker or rattan on the sidewalk that needs a little bit of loving care,” says Portsmouth, New Hampshire–based designer Debbe Daley. She notes that port chairs are easy to clean with dish soap and a garden hose, then top with new cushions. Oftentimes, she says, the legs of abandoned wicker pieces are unwinding, but this is something you can easily fix with a staple gun and some glue.
Daley points out that antique wicker lift-top sewing stands are great repurposed as planters for showcasing indoor plants, like a Boston fern. You might also spot a vintage wicker desk like the one Daley found on the street and spruced up for her home. In her view, such pieces "add great texture to a room."
Vintage Lighting
Wright swears by secondhand light fixtures. “Rewiring lamps is very inexpensive,” she points out. Local lamp shops can rewire a lamp for around $25 plus the cost of materials, which adds on another $10 to $15, she says, while more complicated vintage or blanc de chine lamps, which require extra time and materials, should cost under $100 to rewire. For a chandelier, leave the repair to a professional, and hire a licensed electrician to install it.
Tramp Art
A classic American craft, tramp art is a style of folk art that involves creating frames, boxes, and other decorative items using whatever found wood was available—often cigar boxes or shipping crates. Popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, tramp art got its name because of the (probably mistaken) belief that many of the people who practiced this craft were homeless wanderers.
The ornate style of woodworking involves the meticulous carving and layering of found wood and/or other utilitarian objects like nails and craft wood sticks. At first glance, some of the ornate pieces could be mistaken for school art projects. Look closer, and you’ll see that these boxes, frames, and wall pockets are intricately notched and chipped. According to Avery Cox of Avery Cox Design in Austin, Texas, they’re coveted icons of outsider art that have become increasingly difficult to find—which means you should absolutely snap a good one up if you see it.
When evaluating tramp art trinkets, Cox recommends looking at an item’s level of complexity and material type to determine whether you’ve stumbled upon a valuable investment piece. (Carved wood is valued higher than those aforementioned craft wood sticks.) Tramp art pieces can easily be worth several hundred dollars, but you might become too attached to sell any examples you find. That’s because they add character and warmth to a contemporary setting. As Cox says, “We love a tramp art box on a kitchen counter for holding things like tea or spices.”
Majolica
Colorful, glazed earthenware characterized by three-dimensional flora and fauna, majolica is a centuries-old pottery practice that can feel playful when incorporated into design. (Think: A lustrous platter with a raised lobster or a sardine box with fish finials.) Majolica is durable and strong, particularly the Palissy ware style introduced at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London and named for the French ceramicist Bernard Palissy. Today, platters can sell for $1,000 to $6,000 a piece, Cox says. The piece seen here is a Portuguese piece designed in the Palissy style.
Victorian majolica gets its bright colors from a tin glaze that contains lead, so you won't want to use them for serving. Try hanging majolica pieces on walls where there’s not much space (such as above doorways or on narrow walls) or in a place where you can create a grouping if you’re lucky enough to score a few of these eclectic pieces. “They also work very well on plate stands or mixed into a bookshelf or hutch,” Cox says.
Related: How to Style a Plate Wall Like a Designer
Pendleton Blankets and Throws
Beloved for 130 years and counting, Pendleton blankets are comfy wool classics with recognizable stripes and geometric patterns, often inspired by Native American designs. When shopping flea markets, look for the iconic Pendleton tag sewn onto the blanket to denote authentic pieces, says Karen Nepacena, owner and principal designer at Destination Eichler in the San Francisco Bay area.
While new Pendleton blankets cost $189 on up, the retail price of vintage Pendleton throws start around $150, with many blankets going for a few hundred dollars and some rare vintage ones going for even more on resale sites. “After dry-cleaning, these vintage blankets are great for sofas or folding across the bottom of the bed,” Nepacena says.
Among the most sought-after designs is the classic Glacier National Park Blanket (seen here), featuring four simple lines in green, red, yellow and black, Nepacena says. “Pendleton has been creating blanket collections in honor of National Parks since the early 1900s. This particular design for Glacier National Park was the very first of its kind, which makes sourcing a vintage version even more special,” she adds. “The simplicity of the stripe design is timeless, and this blanket design fits great into any style home.”
Vintage Plycraft Lounge Chairs and Ottomans
The iconic midcentury modern living room staple, an Eames lounge chair and ottoman is a $6,500 investment. Released in 1956 and inspired by English club chairs, the recliner’s timeless design is meant to evoke the feel of a worn-in baseball mitt. While you’re not likely find one of these midcentury mainstays lounging in a flea market, Nepacena says you could very well come across a similar style manufactured by the now-defunct company Plycraft at the time to mimic the Eames chair.
Plycraft pieces can still fetch a few thousand dollars. To be sure a piece is authentic, look for the manufacturer markings underneath the seat. “Even if the upholstery is no longer in good shape, there are many furniture restorers that can help bring these pieces back to life,” she says.
Related: 40 Midcentury Modern Living Rooms That Get the Retro Balance Right
Gainey Ceramic Planters
What may look like a simple ceramic planter could be a very expensive one, especially if the marking “Gainey” is on the bottom, says Nepacena. The Southern California pottery brand suspended its ceramics manufacturing a decade ago after 60 years in business, but the glazed handcrafted planters remain in high demand, and, Nepacena says, can sell for hundreds of dollars apiece.
Use them to plant a succulent grouping or to house an indoor plant such as a rubber plant or snake plants, Nepacena suggests. “They look great in any space, whether on an apartment balcony or inside the house,” she says.
Related: The Best Indoor Plants to Liven Up Any Room
Vintage Pyrex
From retro-kitsch butter trays to colorful mixing bowls, vintage Pyrex pieces are having a major moment with nostalgic collectors hunting down the brand they remember from Grandma’s kitchen. While a stray Pyrex bowl isn’t usually worth much on its own, full sets and sought-after patterns tend to be high in value.
Pink Daisy (seen here) and Snowflake pieces, for example, were the first patterned dishes to be released using a new screen-printing process in 1956. Today, they’re among some of the most beloved patterns, with resale values often over $100.
“If you start with one piece, you’ll begin to recognize the pattern in other shapes and sizes and over time can collect multiple to make a whole set,” Nepacena says.
Related: Don't Throw Out Grandma's Pyrex—Those Pieces Could Be Worth Real Money
English Pine Dressers
Nineteenth-century dressers made out of English pine wood easily sell for $2,000. But you’ll often find these honey-toned pieces in the $500 range from people who don’t realize what they have, Anastasia Casey, founder of IDCO Studio and Design Camp, says.
To gather details on a dresser, slide open the top drawer and look for a manufacturer’s stamp, Casey says. Anything pre-1900s is likely too old to be stamped, but the older an item, the more it will be worth. If you find a drawer that’s stuck, no worries. Casey suggests rubbing coconut oil or a bar of soap along the edge of the drawer for an easy fix.
Related: The Best Places to Buy Vintage Furniture Online
Scandinavian Dining Chairs
While they come in a variety of styles, you'll recognize these for their classic Scandi minimalism and clean design. Modern ones in a set of eight or more are the most difficult to find, Casey says, so they’ll hold the most value.
You don’t have to have a Scandi home to incorporate these gems into your own decor. “I love these dining chairs paired with something more traditional for a layered look,” Casey says.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Scandinavian Design
Travertine Furniture
Famous examples of travertine can be found on the Colosseum in Rome or the Getty Center in Los Angeles. This slightly pitted limestone is formed by mineral deposits from natural springs, giving it a nice range of coloration, from creamy ivories to peachy pinks.
In the home, you're most likely to see this natural stone in a tile format. But travertine coffee tables, consoles, side tables, pedestals, and dining tables are hot items at vintage stores and flea markets these days, interior stylist and vintage expert Leah Ashley says.
Prices can be anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands, depending on the size and quality of the piece, Ashley says. And provenance matters, too: The prices go up even more if an item is from Italy, so ask the dealer what they know about the origins of the piece.
Related: What Is Travertine? All About the Rustic Stone
Stoneware
Stoneware is one of the most ancient forms of ceramics. To create stoneware, clay is fired at much higher temps than it is to make porcelain or earthenware. The end result is durable, utilitarian pieces like bowls, pitchers, and crocks that have lasted for generations, Ashley says. She thinks they’re liable to last for many more too: “I love to collect stoneware and display it on open shelving in my kitchen,” she says.
Many stoneware pieces are highly collectible and valued at anywhere from $100 to $100,000. Generally, these pieces are stamped by the manufacturer, which can help you in an initial Google search to find out information on authenticity and value.
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