Just about every nick nack under the sun was up for grabs on Sunday when Wagga’s 25th annual swap meet hit the Showgrounds.
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About 7000 poured through the gates for a day of buying, swapping, and bargaining, and the swap meet did not fail to impress.
There were ancient car parts, handmade furniture, vinyl records, toys, antique cars, and even dog clothes – you name it, they had it.
The day was organised by Wagga’s Classic and Historic Automobile Club, and committee member Gordon Saggers said there were some 700 to 800 stallholders in attendance this year.
“The swappers started getting here on Friday and Saturday and actually started doing their swapping and bartering then, so today they’re now in a position to sell what they’ve gathered,” Mr Saggers said.
“People know what they want – it’s just a matter of finding it, and there’s a very big chance that they’ll find it here today.”
There was also of plenty in the way of decorative collectors’ items on offer; one man was selling cans of oil from before the metric system was introduced for hundreds of dollars, and another trader had some vintage post office boxes up for grabs.
Mr Saggers said that was exactly what made the swap meet attractive.
“There’s an amazing amount of stuff here that you can’t actually go and buy at a shop,” he said.
“There’s one fellow here who came from Sydney – he’s got an old Holden, and he’s been collecting parts for that particular car for decades.”
Colin McKinnon was among the 700 to 800 stallholders that flocked to the Showgrounds for the swap meet.
Mr McKinnon said this was his third year travelling to Wagga for the big day.
“I’m the third generation on our land, so we’ve got over 100 years of stuff sitting in our sheds,” Mr McKinnon said.
“So I cleaned up my sheds, loaded up the ute with things like oil and nick nacks, come on up to the swap meet, get rid of it, and then I’ll start all over again next year.”
While there were plenty of great bargains up for grabs, Mr McKinnon said the swap meet offered Wagga something a lot more valuable than nick nacks.
“I’ve only had about two out of 20 people that I’ve spoken to today come from Wagga – the rest have all travelled from Sydney, Melbourne, and country Victoria, so it’s great for the town,” he said.
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