About twice a year there is a large flea market in an old tobacco warehouse in the next town over.
We rode the bike this morning. When we got there the deal was "If it won't fit on the rack or in the saddlebags, we can't buy it."
So we were mostly looking for small stuff. And small stuff was what I found.
First up is a brass firecracker cannon, no markings. Possibly an antique, certainly being hawked as one. The seller wouldn't budge on this one, I paid the $10 asking price.
The breech screws off to load the firecracker. This little gun was way too clean inside, it had apparently never been fired.
I had some Black Cats stashed away, so that was quickly remedied.
Up next is a cap cannon. This cannon fires the little plastic cup-type caps. It's not new, but not the antique that the seller made it out to be. It's marked 'Made In Italy' on the underside of the carriage. I only paid $5 for this one.
The caps did not come with the cannon, the seller had no clue as to the function of the firing mechanism. I purchased them separately, and I've fired about a dozen of the caps to verify functioning.
The last item is not really a toy at all, but it fits in well with the other items.
It's a miniature cannon decanter set, complete with an (empty) airline-sized Cognac bottle. I paid $2 for this item.
I'm no authority on Cognac. The brand is Courvoisier, made in France. Supposedly "The Brandy of Napoleon."
The plastic cannon dispenser is a replica of a full-sized wooden version. It has an insert that can be removed to allow the bottle to tip on its 'trunnions' like a cannon barrel, I've left it in place for now.
Total expenditure (not including caps and firecrackers) - $17.
