Ephemera.

noun

1. things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time.”there were papers, letters, old boxes—all sorts of ephemera”
   • collectable items that were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity.”Mickey Mouse ephemera”

Today we’ve visited the ‘Shepton Flea’, despite the vagaries of the weather, an immense sea of people and ‘stuff ‘. More ‘ stuff ‘ than you can shake a stick at, ‘ stuff’ of all shapes and sizes, ‘ stuff ‘ you might want and very definitely ‘stuff ‘ you wouldn’t. I’m amazed at what dealers will tout in the hope of getting the general public to part with their hard earned cash, I’m surprised they buy it in the first place and amazed that they can find a market for it. I guess it taps into the ‘nostalgia’ market, though quite why one might be tempted to buy a couple of hundred old tobacco tins given the known health hazards of smoking is a little beyond me. The history of the ‘Flea’ market is interesting in it’s own right, popular fancy has it that it originates in Paris where the poor of the city bought and sold both what they had and what they could afford at the low end of the social demograph. The quality of such items was such that they had seen better times, much as the owners, and the items, particularly those made of material were often ‘flea’ infested, clothing and furniture being amongst the most frequently traded goods. Today’s items, hopefully, were a good deal more hygienic though there were one or two pieces that deserved a wide berth on health grounds. That said, there was a vast array of wares to tempt the buyer, you could’ve furnished your house almost from top to bottom, from room to room, in delights from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s 70’s and 80’s. From crockery and cutlery to furniture and finery, it was all there to be picked and pored over, maybe that’s the allure of such an event in today’s internet purchase society. Whether you wanted a lime green trimphone for the lounge or Victorian glassware for the dining room it was there to be found, purchased and taken home to be treasured once more as it had been in its heyday. Long live The Shepton Flea!