Here`s a hot tip for all of you who are looking to find, for little bucks, treasures worth bigger bucks. Terrific treasure-hunting grounds can be found at the 11th annual All Night Flea Market, which opens at 5 p.m. on Saturday and continues all through the night until noon Sunday at the Du Page County Fairgrounds, on Manchester Road about an eighth of a mile east of County Farm Road in Wheaton.
Special flea market attractions include an exciting Diamond Hunt with four hidden diamond ring certificates for folks to fiddle around and find, as well as cultural auctions: Amish, Chinese, Mexican, Greek, German. There will also be Italian food with homemade desserts; two juicy pig roasts; and a classic car display. Admission with free parking is $3; phone 708-455-6090 for details.
And while you`re searching with flashlight in hand, be on the lookout for old or odd flashlights of interest to collectors, such as a circa-1920s Tri-Color example designed with three powerful lenses-a red one for danger, a green one for caution and a white one to give an all clear or go-ahead signal. Because the color could be changed in an instant, such 2 1/2-by-3 3/4-inch-by-1-inch-thick rectangular-shaped flashlights allowed friends to ”talk” at a distance on dark nights using the Morse code.
Still another example was a circa-1930s Mickey Mouse flashlight made of lithographed metal by the USA Lite Co. Such a regular-shaped flashlight, which pictures Mickey, is reported to be worth $1,000 to $1,200, depending on condition and if complete with its original cardboard box.
Flashlight-related items are of interest to collectors, too. Also keep an eye out for old sheet music titled ”The Flash-Light March,” written in 1919 by Paull & Ellis, which has a de-light-ful $35 value.
