Kevin Iwahori flew in from Maui to buy vintage toys. Steve Valenzon came from 'Ewa Beach in search of old comic books, while Renny Akina came from Wahiawa to relive a childhood memory.

All were part of the crowd at yesterday's Hawaii All-Collectors 2005 Show at Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. More than 4,000 people attended Saturday's show and about half as many were there in the early afternoon yesterday, checking out items offered by 200 vendors at 180 booths.

Iwahori, 44, of Wailuku said he spent $400 Saturday on vintage Japanese toys, such as Astro Boy, and came back yesterday to buy bobblehead sports dolls. He began collecting toys 14 years ago and said he has more pieces than some vendors in the room of his house where his collection is on display.

"I just enjoy looking at it; it reminds me of times in my life and brings back good memories," Iwahori said. "My advice to people is keep your favorite things and toss out the others. The favorite things are stuff that will remind you of good times you had when you get older."

The collectibles show was presented for the 15th straight year by partners Ilene Wong and Wayne Maeda of Ilene & Wayne Productions Inc.

Valenzon, 32, said he likes to read and collect comic books published in the 1950s and 1960s. He didn't find any at this year's show.

"It was a different type of writing in the Silver Age of the Sixties, lighter and more for entertainment," Valenzon said. "Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four were out fighting crimes in the '60s but were also experiencing problems, like going to school. That's what I like about the old books."

Carol Silva, 55, of Kahalu'u, a state archives records manager and author, got lucky and found two books published locally in 1947: Dr. Joseph Palama's "A Guide to Mothers in Hawaii," and Charles Bice's "Poultry Production in Hawaii."

Palama's book, which she bought for $2, is significant because it frames the ideas presented to women of her mother's age on how to bathe, toilet train and care for their babies, said Silva. "This is our generation; we were the babies," Silva said. "It captures a point in time on what was important for people then."

Akina, 53, came for Wayne Nishimoto's "The Golden Age of Pro Wrestling in Hawai'i" display featuring an appearance by one of 50th State Big-Time Wrestling's headliners, Curtis "Da Bull" Iaukea.

"When we were growing up," Akina said, "television was new to us. On Saturdays, wrestling with Curtis and the others was a big thing. All the kids in my neighborhood watched it and afterward, we'd go out and play wrestling. When we went back to school on Monday, that's all we talked about."

While "Da Bull" was on stage yesterday, George Waialeale, who was in the audience, helped Iaukea's wife reach "Handsome" Johnny Barend in upstate New York on a cell phone. Iaukea chatted briefly with Barend on stage, a surprise for Iaukea that delighted the 25 to 30 fans around him. The former Annie Lum, Barend's wife, and Waialeale were McKinley High classmates.

Bill Atkinson, 47, of Maui put up a photo display of popular wrestlers and played CD recordings of local wrestling lockerroom interviews. The recordings from December 1967 to June 1968 come from Atkinson's collection and the collection of Brian Roche, which was given to Atkinson. Roche was president of the Hawaiian Wrestling Fan Club and left behind memorabilia when he moved to the Mainland, said Atkinson.

The Collectors Show is one of three annual events staged by Wong and Maeda. The others are one-day shows featuring only vintage items 20 years or older at Blaisdell's Hawai'i Suites. The "Wiki-Wiki One-Day Show" is Oct. 16. The other is held in the spring. "It's a niche market," Wong said. "The shows are like annual reunions, we see the same people from Japan, New Zealand and the Mainland."

Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser .com.