For antique collectors and lovers of retro items, the Detling Antiques and Vintage Fair is a dream come true.

But what’s the difference between this, held at the Detling Showground just outside of Maidstone, and your local boot fair?

It costs between £5 and £7 to get in, for a start, so you’d hope that there would be more on offer than broken kid’s toys and old Spice Girls CDs.

The first thing I noticed as I stepped foot inside the fair on its second day was the size. It’s huge, covering two large indoor exhibition halls packed with wall-to-wall stalls and what feels like miles of outdoor space.

When it came to what was on sale, the variety was vast, and we spotted everything from stuffed taxidermy animals to authentic military weaponry.

There were, of course, the usual suspects, with collections of vinyl records, artwork, kitchenware, ornaments and figurines, toys, books, games and jewellery all up for grabs, ranging from a few quid to hundreds of pounds.

We kept an eye out for some of the best buys on a budget to see how the fair measured up to a car boot sale and, I’ve got to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

We found some Wonder Woman, Batman, Hulk and Supergirl comic books dating back as early as 1967 for £2 and £3 (although the original prices printed on the front cover told us that they were originally sold for as little as 7p!).

There were also some London bus and tube maps from the 1960s and 1970s for under £10, which would be a great buy for keen transport enthusiasts.

We came across plenty of vintage kitchenware, some of which looked so delicate they would break with a slight breeze and dated back hundreds of years.

Lots of these pieces had a hefty price tag, but I did spot an early Worcester dish by Flight and Bar, a leading English porcelain factory in the early 19th century, from around 1840.

It was on a half-price offer for £15, although the fetching green colour might not be to everyone’s taste.

My favourite find was a collection of surgical instruments for £25. These appealed to my morbid curiosity, wondering what outdated operations they might have been used for back in the day, and they were also accompanied by a mid-century wooden medical box for £50.

I might be wrong, but I don’t think you’d find this at a boot fair.

Of course, it wasn’t all bank balance-friendly.

We found a rare Lenox Snow White figurine outlined with 24-carat gold with its original certificate and box going for an eye-watering £375 and an ornate H&R Daniel teacup set from the 1820s for £125.

The sun was shining over the outdoor stalls, with refreshments on offer and lots of visitors wandering around with their four-legged friends, who are welcome at the fair.

We easily could’ve spent all day browsing and have already earmarked a few things for when we move house, so I’m sure we’ll be back.

The next Detling Antiques and Vintage Fair is on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2. Tickets can be purchased online here or on the gate.

Tickets start from £5, under 16s go free.