Gitemusic.com - self-catering holidays in Central Brittany with Music & Dance, Cidermaking

antiques/car boots

As a pair of avid collectors (some would say hoarders) we have visited the car-boot sales and street markets of England for years, and watched many of them change from genuine flea-markets to Rag Trade outlets.

An on-line guide for Brittany (and elsewhere) is at:www.pointsdechine.com

The magic of the hunt in rural France is that the process is at a different stage there. The depopulation of rural areas is unfortunately happening now, not 40-50 years ago as in England, and so everyday items from the whole of the last century are turning up as well as Antiques proper.

The description of events, often on official or unofficial wall posters but also in the newspapers, gives a good guide to what to expect:

Antiquités: they mean Antiques, and you need to know your Kingdoms and Républiques
Brocantes: loosely, collectables or bric-a-brac - could be bargains
Troc et Puces: closest to car boot sale - troc means exchange as in the old days of Exchange and Mart; second user toys, jumble
Vide Grenier: attic clearout or garage sale could have any thing in it eg tools, building materials old or new, sports equipment
Collectioneur: phone cards, tie pins, fridge magnets, post cards etc
braderie
I think means sale goods, seconds, ???

There are completely specialised events also such as our very own Electrical Jumble in St Aignan where Bakelite radios, headphones, valves, meters and other apparently collectable stuff gets sold (?) the day before the PROPER brocantes /troc /puces. The first year we went hoping to buy a washing machine and went away very disappointed !