Friday Favorite Flea Find: October 10, 2025
A $10 swap meet score with big Tiki energy—Lava Letch still grins from my collection.
I stumbled upon this gruesomely grinning fellow, “Lava Letch," at Kobey’s Swap Meet in San Diego in 2010, and it’s still one of my favorite finds. Designed by Big Toe and produced by Tiki Farm in 2009 for Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas, this red-and-bone beauty set me back just $10 (box included!). No, he's not vintage, maybe not even particularly collectible (But if his toothy smile has won you over, he's still in production and available at Frankie's).
Perfect for the Halloween season, the Letch has a face only a Tiki Tita could love, but he’s packed with personality. When I finally made it to Frankie’s a year or so later, I added their “Frankenstein” and “Thurston Howl” mugs to keep him company. Frankie’s has some of the best mugs in the Tiki world—quirky and creative, and many of them (as a short perusal through their retired mugs page will tell you) are instantly collectible. The Letch currently resides in my home Tiki Bar, surrounded by around 85 of his closest friends.
As an aside, Kobey’s Swap Meet deserves its own round of applause. For an outdoor marketplace, it’s impressively clean, well-organized, and full of bargains that make a collector’s heart skip a beat. It’s the kind of place where treasure hunting still feels like an adventure, and proof that you never know what gem might be waiting on the next table. If you're ever in San Diego, check them out.
Join me next week when I share one of my favorite swung vase finds.
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