# Swap Meets - How to find?



## wickedsolo (Feb 17, 2017)

I went to a swap meet about a month ago near me in Maryland, but I feel like I can’t seem to find any others. 

I see lots of ads and mentions for swap meets out in the mid west, but do any east coast guys have swap meets they go to or how to find them?


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

wickedsolo said:


> I went to a swap meet about a month ago near me in Maryland, but I feel like I can’t seem to find any others.
> 
> I see lots of ads and mentions for swap meets out in the mid west, but do any east coast guys have swap meets they go to or how to find them?
> 
> ...


A bing Search found this:
https://www.swapmarts.com/
http://www.swapmadness.com/

Hope that helps


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

Swap meet is a bit of a misleading term don't you think? People don't really use their organization skills to get together to trade all their old junk the way we typically imagine it now do they? 
These events have often morphed into informal sales of stuff only a handful of people are making money with..namely the folks selling the space at the events.. 
I'd look for yard and garage sale listings and within those you'll probably find listings for swap meets..


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## Woodknack (May 12, 2017)

MWTCA has meetings all over and members bring stuff they want to sell or trade. Not sure how big a geographical area they cover. I used to be a member but the meetings were spread too far apart.

Midwest tool collector association.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Swap meets are specific in nature*

The world's largest automobile parts swap meet is in Hershey PA:






Flea Markets are less specific. I've never heard of a tool or woodworking machine swap meet. Estate sales may have an entire woodshop from one person, unlike a garage sale where there may be some tools and machines, but they have probably been picked over by friends or relatives before the sale.

Good luck in finding one.


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## ducbsa (Jul 6, 2014)

You must have gone to this: http://www.patinatools.org/auctioninfo.asp

I went two years ago and there was an excellent selection of old tools to buy/look at.


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## holtzdreher (Jul 20, 2016)

there are flea markets, swap meets, junk sales, auctions, antique shops, yard sales, farmer's markets etc. Here in central pa, we find lots of hand tools at some of them, unfortunately, mostly mechanics tools. There is little to compare to something like the Patina meet. I went to theirs decades ago. When I lived in Northern VA, in the 1970's and 1980's, all the willie and Joe's who worked for the government were retiring/dieing off and yard sales and estate sales were prime tool finding places. Today, most yard sales sem to be the way soccer mom's get rid of outgrown kids clothes and toys. There are some weekly country auctions around here that frequently get consignments of a deceased wood worker's shop, machinery, tools etc. There are also dealers of hand tools who sell at area flea markets and farmer's markets. I needed a particular tool and the dealer actually kept his eye open and found one for me. I paid a premium price, but got the tool after a few weeks. (A slate cutter) Weekly farmer's markets often have a few outdoor flea market dealers and even a few indoor tool booths. There was once a huge auction in Compton Maryland. People came and dropped off acres of stuff to sell. Finding boxes of hand tools was sort of hit and miss. Same for a weekly auction in Lincoln, Delaware. Here in central PA, the sping mud sales often get consignments of old tools and machinery. There was an 18 inch band saw at the Airville Mud Sale 2 weeks ago. There is another Mud Sale at the Rawlinsville Firehall on April 14 in Southern Lancaster County PA, about 15 miles north of the Maryland Line. There are usually a few tool dealers at the Leesport Farmer's Market on nice Wednesdays north of Reading PA. Same for the auction in Gilbertsville on Saturdays and Renninger's Farmer's Market South of Kutztown. Roots Farmer;'s Market south of Mannheim PA on Tuesdays. There is a big cluster of antique dealers in warehouses along the river in Columbia PA and there are several tool dealers in those warehouses every weekend. The Collinsville Library has a small community yard sale in May and there is almost always a dealer in old tools there.

Another source for auction information, is auctionzip.com. You can run a search for auctions having particular types of machinery within a set distance of your zip code. for instance, if you search for powermatic within 50 miles of your zip, it will give a calendar of matching auctions. There is a weekly auction house 4 miles from here that nearly always has at least some old tools. This coming Wednesday, there will be a few large pieces of machinery some work benches, and a lot of small tools, mostly mechanics tools. Two years ago, I bought a floor model enco half inch drill press for $85.00, a 220 volt Craftsman table saw for $12.50, a rolling tool cart for $15.00 and a three tier rolling tool cart for $8. A Craftsman radial arm saw with stand for $25. As with any used tools, you need to look them over before they are being bid on. 

In northern Virginia, there was a huge flea market on weekends (weather permitting) at the Shenvally auction between Front Royal and Winchester. I have not been there in 20 years, but I bought many old tools there. In july, in a little village of Rinely, PA, they have a community yard sale, which is more of a flea market. The whole town turns into a giant flea market (perhaps 400 vendors) and there are old tools sold there too.

All of these places are within 100 miles of Frederick MD.


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## ducbsa (Jul 6, 2014)

holtzdreher said:


> In northern Virginia, there was a huge flea market on weekends (weather permitting) at the Shenvally auction between Front Royal and Winchester. I have not been there in 20 years, but I bought many old tools there. .


This is at a spot called Double Tollgate and is at the intersection of US 340 and VA 522, SE of Winchester.


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