Robbie Wolfe from “American Pickers” was at the first Litchfield (Ill.) Pickers Market. The market was antiquer Mark Brazel’s brainchild – he has worked with the city of Litchfield to bring quality antiques to the city for pickers.

“Mark and I have been picking over the years,” Wolfe said. “He invited me to come down and kick the thing off.”

Flea markets offer a chance for collectors to find antique tractors, parts, literature and memorabilia, and the season has arrived. Brazel was definitive in what could be in this market, allowing only true antiques to be part of the selections.

In central Illinois, the second Sunday of April was the first Prairie Pickers Flea Market, but the markets will be ongoing into October. The market takes place downtown.

The first pickers market also brought Hobo Jack (Sophir) to town. Jack has been featured on “American Pickers” and is a local icon. He was playing music and selling wares, with his canine companion along for company.

While the first pickers market was small, it will grow with time. There were items collectors were picking up, along with a few farm toys and repurposed items. For details about the market, log onto http://visitlitchfield.com/events/litchfield-pickers-market

The 3rd Sunday Market at Bloomington kicked off May 17 for the year. This market is held May-October and thousands came to the event. 3rd Sunday features collectibles, crafts and antiques, with several farm-related items.

Wendy Norman of Pierson, Ill., also has a booth at Yoder’s Lamps, Antiques & Collectibles, a farm store in Arthur. “My husband brought those items,” she said of the horse-drawn garden plow and beautiful wooden grain cleaner she had for sale in Bloomington.

Perhaps the crowning agricultural jewel in Norman’s collection was the neon New Idea Farm Equipment sign for sale. This too she attributed to her husband.

The New Idea Farm Equipment Co. was established by Joseph Oppenheim, who emigrated to America at the age of 20.

Oppenheim began his career as a teacher in Putnam County, Ohio, but left teaching after creating a successful manure spreader. New Idea built not only manure spreaders, but hay loaders, corn husker/shredders, corn pickers and wagons.

At the 3rd Sunday Flea market, this sign, grain cleaner and plow, along with a horse-drawn cultivator, were some of the outside finds. Moving indoors, collectors found a whole array of other items.

Brandon Smith of Peoria had a colorful advertisement for the Cudahy Packing Co. of Omaha, Neb. The brochure shows a hog that pulls apart, revealing the products of the company. Cudahy was a U.S. meatpacker established in 1887 as the Armour-Cudahy Packing Co.

Thomas Pearson of Pearmont Antiques out of De Pere, Wis., had some amazing farm models on display, including a McCormick-Deering threshing machine and an Arcade manure spreader. Among his items Pearson also had two fence salesman samples, one Swing-O-Matic bump-it gate and another wooden gate model. One of the coolest salesman samples at the 3rd Sunday Market was a Fargo auger sample owned by Steve Gerth of Muscatine, Iowa. Another unique item was a horse-drawn wagon that had once been in a farm store.

These are just a few of the finds of some Sunday afternoon flea market picking. Regarding the Bloomington market, log onto http://thirdsundaymarket.com for more information.

Depending on what a collector is seeking, picking and peeking is how to uncover the best finds. Check out the flea markets in your local area, arrive early and dig deep!

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.