SIDEWALKS’ J.P. Langston checks out the annual Concord Con Toy & Collectibles Show.
For the avid toy collector, toy conventions are valuable hunting grounds for tracking down those hard to find items. Whether you’re searching for that vintage wind up robot, golden/silver aged comics, or even yesteryears gaming consoles, you’d find them there. Well, one mini toy and collectable show is striving to bring the collectors experience closer to the Bay Area. Amid the Comic-Cons, Wonder-Cons and Wizard Worlds taking place, the Concord-Con Toy & Collectable show is based here in the San Francisco East Bay and made its debut in August 31st of 2013.
Long time friends Thomas Wright, owner of both Pot of Gold Toys (Martinez) and J&A Collectables (Concord), and David Purzycki, owner of Spitfire Toys, created Concord-Con out of their love for the collectables market. Now entering their third year, the convention is vastly becoming the go to show for Bay Area consumers of pop-culture memorabilia. The crew at “Sidewalks Entertsinment” decided to pay them a visit and was elated to discover what was in store. Located in just a one-room convention space, the center was packed with vintage to modern toys, vinyl records, obscure crafts and early 80’s gaming systems.
Whether you crave old comics or present day editions, you’ll find vendors there to suit your tastes. We came across a multitude of titles from Marvel, DC even Japanese labels ranging in price and conditions. For those who like to display their fandom, you can get your hands on some rockin posters and graphic T-shirts of your favorite superheroes/heroines. You may even find cosplay costuming for those into the genre. Personally, I gravitated towards the gaming tables, where they carry early 80’s and recent gamming systems. At one particular table, I found working Colecovision, Turbo Graphix 16, even Atari units. All there, set up with TV screens ready for you to play. You will surely geek out strolling down memory lane while playing your favorite game.
As we made our way deeper into the event, we managed to dig up toys from a bygone era. One vendor brought out a wind up Batmobile so rare it was reserved only for the staunch collector. Other “merch” included rare porcelain dolls and wartime toys not seen in ages. Concord-Con doesn’t leave any age group out, with customized Lego figurines on display for the kiddies and the kid in all of us. There you’d find Lego characters from films like Alien, Batman, Predator and the likes. Nicely detailed mini figures and ships were all on display.
I broke away from my “Sidewalks” cohorts for a bit and did a little exploring of my own. Running across toys, I used to play with brought back fond memories of my childhood. On exhibit were Transformers, G.I. Joe, Hot Wheels and more [if only I had brought a wade of cash with me that day]. For the little girls, Barbie, Rainbow Bright, and My Little Pony dolls were also on hand. Fans of classic horror movie memorabilia would jump at the chance to get their hands a rare Frankenstein’s monster figure.
I could go on, but it’s best if you check out this mighty little event for yourself. Overall, Concord-Con offers a more intimate affair, where novice and seasoned collectors can congregate. You can get up close and personal with the vendors and get physical with the merchandise, except for the more rare pieces. With some vendors, you’re able to dicker and haggle for a great deal, without feeling intimidated to buy. Concord-Con also provides a nice opportunity for parents to take their kids on their first toy hunting experience.
