Colin The Librarian

A selection of Octavius Hunt match labels from my collection for your viewing pleasure.

Then you will enjoy the John Peel Wiki. Let's say you're looking for available shows and track listings for 1982. Then you take a fancy to checking the 4th May Show. Then you see the full show is available. Click on the relevant Mooo link - 2 hours 5 minutes long (3) and enter: User Name: peel Password: group And as if by magic, you will have access to that show plus many others available on the Mooo server. There are other file archives available via the Wiki, I only mention that one because it's particularly good. Many of my own show recordings are available through the Wiki. Have a look around!

Not really. That was part of the attraction. Sometimes it's fun to collect things nobody else wants. *smiles* If CGC ever wants to grade them, most of my copies are gem mint. I'm ready.

My collecting interests are legion and mostly ephemera-related. Besides comics I collect: Bookmarks - c. 17,000 total of all types. Of interest here may be a set of Doctor Who bookmarks originally owned by the show's producer. Also a number of comic/superhero related bookmarks. Vintage Postcards - c. 3,500 of different types. Particularly look out for hand-drawn or hand-painted cards; applique cards; signed cards; volcano-themed cards; cards posted before 1900. Outside the day job I deal in vintage postcards. Matchbox Labels - c. 3,000 of different types. Particularly look out for labels from the manufacturer Octavius Hunt of Bristol, UK. John Peel Radio Shows recorded off the radio and on tape - c. 750. Freebie dot.com internet hosting company CD-ROMs given away with British newspapers c. 1998-2002 - c. 75 total (I know, weird, right?) American Football - or as most here would call it - 'football' ephemera related to the game as played and publicised in the UK before 1980. c. 100 items - mostly programs, tickets, press photographs, random stuff. Here are a few items from the final category. The second of three is a report from the first game played on British soil - an exhibition match between the crew of two American battleships.

My hunch is that comics will retain a greater intrinsic worth as pop culture artefacts than stamps held as artistic and social artefacts. Note that the generation churn on pop culture content is continuous. Also note the geeky 15 year olds of today will be the high salary earners in the information economy of the future. So, the teen consumers of Disney+ Marvel properties will be the future 30+ year old lawyers and doctors ready to spend on nostalgia Not only that but the next wave of IP innovation will be in play. Then there is the global nature of pop culture IP these days. This stuff is reaching billions of people. Of course, there will be nuance and bumps along the way, but overall I think the comparison with stamps is not that helpful. Having said that, as someone who once hoped and planned to own every single Bronze era Marvel and DC issue published, a major price drop would be VERY helpful.

With hindsight it's now clear that inflation in collectibles was the canary in the coalmine for generalised inflation. As life's essentials now experience similar inflationary pressure I would expect the collectables market to slow down/go into reverse measured by disposal income. You can't eat comics. At some point it will become a buyer's market once again. These things are cyclical. Let's live by Warren Buffet's credo - when people are greedy, get cautious. And when people are cautious, get greedy.

Looking at the old Mile High comic ads and prices who would have thought we would be where we are today? Of course, that isn't evidence either way. The past is not a predictor of the future. So all I can go with is my own sentiment. And that is, as a future buyer I want prices to drop. But with 10,000+ comics stored away and available to read any time I want, high prices aren't a chore either. I do, however, feel sad for younger and newer collectors with the increased cost of owning and reading the original funny books.

This issue was part of the Ian Penman sale held across two days in Newcastle this week. The wonderful original owner collection included 19,000 comics with near complete and good/high grade silver and bronze Marvel/DC runs. And every key/mega key except IH #181. Ian Penman was a British music journalist and his Stan signatures were almost certainly picked up when The Man visited the UK in 1976 to promote the expansion of Marvel UK. A visit which was as much a rock tour as it was PR. It was a great sale of a great collection with almost all comics - judging by the pence copies - plucked straight from the racks. And not a slab in sight.