Sacagawea at a German flea market

People of Native American-German descent do exist, but this post is about the lady on a U.S. one dollar coin.

In the absence of that incredible American institution called Garage Sale, over here in the K-Land, small local flea markets are the next best thing.

Generally seen as places for bargain hunters and the odd garage sale millionaire, the K-Landnews folks enjoy these events for many other reasons, primarily for the anthropological insight they offer.

Its crucial to pick a small local event, because there is nothing to be gained from the tourist traps in most European countries, for instance the horrid Camden Town Market.

Cheap signs by the sign of the road are your best bet to find a local swap meet, so always carry a pen and paper in the car - oh, wait, no need for that, we have smart phones these days.

Turns out that German flea markets are a regulated affair. There can be only so much in every town each year, right now the number is twelve if we researched correctly.

The sale of new wares is regulated, too. If new goods are to be sold, the announcement, posters, and flyers must prominently state so.
And the rule is enforced, so find a flea market without the "new goods" announcement, and you are guaranteed old stuff.

This may well be the most useful rule in the whole country.

As you enter the swap meet, generally held in the parking area of a supermarket on Sundays or at a truck stop, or similar, stop and survey the stands.

You may notice right then, or you will later, that the vast majority of stands are manned by non-professionals. We point this out because it is rather unusual in this country.

Germans have not had the habit of putting out their private goods for sale. Neighbors and acquaintances may give things away, but putting up a table or rolling out a blanket and asking strangers to pay for stuff, that's a rediscovered trait.

It is tied to cuts in the social safety net since around the year 2000, coupled with the requirement to sell off valuables before the government will give you cash. It may also be tied to a large immigrant community with an existing tradition of small commercial exchange.

Whatever the reason, the flea markets are there, and they are fun. Stoneware, china, lamps, children's clothes and toys, the inline skates of the tattooed youngster, dusty old bottles of wine (with or without content), military surplus items, toasters and posters, cds and dvds, furniture and lots more.

In 2014, the main period of goods is the 1960s to the 1990s, basically the contents of the attic of grandparents or parents.

Sometimes, when you pick up an item or point to one and ask a question, you can sense that memories are attached to it. The expression of the seller may change ever so slightly, the tone of voice may take on that very distinctive note of past experiences.

We, of course, enjoy seeing Americana, as they reflect how people see the U.S., which cultural item or influence they had incorporated into their life as Germans.

So it happened that we stood at a coin vendor and saw one dollar coins.

[Us, pointing] Oh, a Sacagawea.

[Vendor] Yes, the Indian coin, it is used only on reservations.

[Us] How much is it?

[Vendor] Three fifty.

[Us, converting, wow, that's over four dollars fifty] Hm. You know, it's a regular coin, you can use it anywhere, not limited to reservations.

[Vendor] Oh, well, that's what I was told.

[Us] Yeah, we used it mostly to give a buck to homeless people.

When our feet got tired, we stopped and did some more people watching. After a couple of hours, we made our way home, a CD of Memphis Minnie, one of Santana, and Dylan & The Dead in the Whole Foods shopping bag.