Albert Tatlock

When I was a nipper, the oldest item in my collection for a while was a TTTG dated May 1959. It was surely a T & P latecomer. I only hung onto it because it was (to me, at least), so ancient. Finding anything pre-dating the last days of 1959 was just about impossible with the limited sources of supply I had at the time. Even the ubiquitous DC Thomson stuff only turned up in dribs and drabs before cover date 1958. I ended up with a good run of The Topper from the late 1950s and early 1960s, likewise my brother with his stack of Beezers, but they were all consigned to the flames in commemoration of the downfall of Catesby, Fawkes and their associates. I had, I felt, outgrown such childish frippery. Little did I know that the bug that had bitten me was not deceased, only dormant, and my interest was rekindled in 1965 on discovering a copy from 1960 that I still remembered. Of course, I had the sense not to perform an auto-da-fe with my comic books, as they were then dubbed to distinguish them from mere comics, the weekly British ones, as the American ones had a definite resale value at second-hand outlets, which scorned to stock the worthless kiddies' stuff.

What I find baffling about Customs duties is that they make a charge, and then put VAT on top of it. So you are being taxed for the privilege of having been taxed. Surely, as HMRC are the recipients of the original charge, the VAT charged to the customer should be MINUS, not PLUS. But I am not holding my breath.

No duty as yet on books and magazines, but Government functionaries are always on the lookout for further sources of revenue, so it may come, sooner than you think. Quite right, too, they have a lot of worthy causes to support. What reasonable person would object to being asked to put his hand in his pocket to fund the inflation-proof pensions of retired rear admirals and the like.

Here is a £sd Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika stamp with Her Maj on, but I think that K, U and T went decimal before 1974. I had one with a picture of a giraffe on when I were but a lad, possibly with shillings and pence, but the versions I can find online now are all priced in cents.

Is it possible that the anachronistic 2 shilling stamped items were reimported into the UK after failing to sell somewhere overseas which was still pre-decimal? I have examples dated as late as 1974.

Yes, not a bad little scribbler, Mr PKD.

I know, I know. We have to avoid the anagram of carp, just like the forename of Mr Turpin, which currently escapes me. Think it's the same as Mr Dastardly, though.

Tell us about the ones that got away, Kev.

So you collect mounted fish, too?

Don't you realise you are driving the planet to ruin? Forget plastic polluting bags. Store your books in recycled brown paper, ecologically sound, envelopes. Or just go back to the shoebox solution of our faraway youth. Your grandchildren will salute your memory. Going back a long way, I remember Jerry Bails counselling others to follow his lead, as he sold off his collection after committing its content to microfilm, not knowing at the time that microfilm is at least as prone to age-related degradation as cheap newsprint-type paper. But they don't look quite as good in brown paper, do they?

I have a stack of old posters, on quite heavy paper, A1 size, too many to sell during my few remaining years, so I get a local print shop to guillotine them up into just the exact size for the bags, then I use 2 of the resulting pieces, face to face so the blank outside is showing, in place of backing boards. They are not as sturdy as the bespoke backing boards, but they will do nicely for items of lower value, certainly for the books I propose to sell. If I ever did run out, I would go to a local paper merchant and buy a quantity of suitably sized blank paper, board or card. They should be able, for a small extra fee, or possibly no extra charge to guillotine them to any required size. Then all I would have to do is transport them back to my place of abode. Maybe worth your while ringing a local paper merchant, they will be delighted to give you a quotation, free of charge or obligation. Or you could just carry on lining the pockets of the fat cats in the higher echelons of Royal Mail.

Good luck, Kev, You only live once, and it's only money, so leave the underbidders trailing in your wake. 8d was a lot of dosh then, but someone bit the bullet. And if you tire of it, you should be able to find someone even dafter than your good self.

Another bargain at only 8d, but I reckon they could have got the full price of 9d if they had refrained from stamping it. There is another stamp further down, somebody or other's books, it says, but I cannot make it out. If I manage to decipher it, I will pop along and see what else is on the shelf. Can't go wrong at that price.

Another little batch of Hot Rods, this time Miller UKPVs from 1961 and 1962, priced to sell, even in a crowded market.

Yep, remember 'em well. Just across from Delta Travel, who fixed up all and sundry, including yours truly, with cut price airfares.

Oh, go on, be a devil!

Looks like there are more niches than we thought. Someone, somewhere, must have a shelf full of these.

Time for a cold shower!

...........and don't get me started on Penelope Pitstop. What a stunner!

I believe Dr Wertham would have detected headlights on that cover, which of course would be more appropriate for Hot Rods. And he would have also pondered on the Freudian undertones of the term Hot Rods.

I always like the women I don't have the best. But you go off them a bit then.

The multitudes of Charlton collectors have been overlooked of late, sadly, so, in an attempt to redress the balance, I am posting four examples dated between January and June 1959. The first impression might be that these have 'jumped the gun', but I think we persuaded ourselves some time ago that they must have had to wait until the prohibition on corrupting publications such as this was lifted towards the end of that year. One of the Mysterious Travellers is stamped twice. Probably a tug-of war between Ethel and Myrtle, who both reckoned they saw it first. Also a Famous Monsters from April 1959.

Another copy of # 4, plus # 5.

Great Scott, Robin. The needle is stuck, but at least Ethel is stamping us in order! Wish I had 9d for every Great Scott on these covers from the time.

Good job it was only worth 1/6. Could have been worse.