What Made You Start Collecting?

[Cristo]

What made you start collecting and what was your 1st piece? I bought Minnie The Minx (CBD03) from a charity shop for a couple of quid and thought it was very well made. So I did a spot of research and discovered there were loads more so I started adding more figurines to my collection every month when I got paid. I now have over 30.

[POPPY]

My nan when I was a kid always bought me the beano & dandy comics and one christmas she bought BD01 & 02 probably when they were first released then a couple the following year. That was the end of it until a couple of years later I was reading the items for sale in the local paper and see 16 pieces up for sale for £50 didn't know nothing about the range rang the number and it was 3 doors from where I was working so I went and bought them included in these piece was Cuthbert, Santas Little Helpers, Korky, Little Plum, Toots, Sydney & Winston but that meant nothing then a few months later I was messing about on the internet and put Robert Harrop into the search engine and it came up with ebay and I had never heard of it, couldn't beleive the prices these pieces were going for. Signed up bought like mad then join the collectors club found out exactly how many pieces there was eventually managed to get most of them then discovered that the older pieces could be bought intialed by the artist painted in the Uk so sold all my 2nd edtions and replaced them with intialed pieces cost a fortune as the prices a few years ago were mad. Things like Cutbert were fetching £200 I think I paid £400 for my Plaque but i must admit I enjoyed it.
My advice to anybody doing it now would be do your homework and ask questions lots of questions to find out exactly what you want like must they be signed boxed and how much should I be paying for something it will save you a lot of money in the long run.

[Dandie]

I went to Collectables in Stockton and they had had a fire in their warehouse, I bought Desperate Dan from the classic collection for £5 and never thought much of it. I then started to get the odd one for birthdays, Christmas etc and over the next few years had about twenty. Then as Poppy says I was the same I looked up RH on the internet and bought some from different outlets and e bay got me hooked. i now have 154 peices including Magnum Opus and protorypes etc. I got the plaque two nights ago to take me to 155 and now I need Danta Claus and Red Nose Dennis .

[Steve_H]

I cant remember when i started exactly as i was about 11-12 at the time, but im sure it was when i was in year 6 of primary school. Id just moved to wales and a mate Huw had a few (no longer collecting) and showed me the booklet knowing i was a beano fan. I remember buying afew at cheddar gorge, especially fatty as he was my favourite (and still is :)). Then i got hooked on them.

The man (mean man!) at my local stockist back then wouldnt let me get the plaque as i had only just sent off for my membership, and when i got it back he didnt have any left. :( Didnt think much of it, that itd go up so much in value so i forgot about it. I finally got it about 4 years back now, from alot of help from my dad.

I nearly stopped collecting when the wanna beas came out, but decided to stick as i really liked the now dennis collection. Still collecting strong. Filled my cabinet a while ago, so have all the original BD series, wannabeas, and pictureframes still in their boxes. With the dodgems, and now dennis on a shelf.. time for a new cabinet i think!

[dodger fan]

I started in 1996, so iwas 10. Minnie was the first one i got, it was of my Grandad, he told my gran and mum it was only £5.... they hit the roof when they found out how much they were really, but i only collected the ones i really wanted. Just finished of the classics a few weeks back with Biffo and Korky, and am totally up to date with the new one (plus signed Plug) i only ever get the LimitedEditions or the ones of individual characters, i dont bother with the ones like Wannabees, or the different Denis collections.... so yeh thats my life story lol!!

peace

Jack

[Macca]

:) Haven't been on here for a while... everyone had a nice summer?

My first piece was Gnasher, and that must have been 10 years ago for £3 in a clearance sale, then that was it for a few years as i thought nothing of it, i just assumed there was a Dennis piece somewhere. Then for my birthday i was given 'Erbert and there was a small brochure in the box along which included Gnasher. Part of the problem was we didn't have a computer (well there was the Acorn) until 1998 so i wouldn't have none any other way.
Then came the small rush Danny, Plug, Fatty, Wilfrid, Spotty, Toots, Sydney, Minnie, Teacher, Roger, Pa and Ma spent with birthday and pocket money. However that soon dried up, plus De Gruchy's (imbeciles) had none left and said no more will be produced. So that was that. Until another birthday where +Bea=3 came into my life. Then we moved house, and it wasn't until 6 months down the line what everythinh was finally unpacked and i found my Harrop pieces. The millennium must have done something as i went beserk and went on a spending spree and joining the club, all before the classics came out (the easier obtainable original pieces, Eggo, Snowmenaces, Dodgems galore). And the rest is history a new and better stockist (smaller retailers are a lot better that department stores!). Now i have practically every piece out at the moment bar the new releases, Janitor, Dennis plaque, Santa's Little Helpers, and the RNosed Dennis.
So basically it took be 3 attempts to get into the collecting mode, i was definately gobsmacked back in 1999 realising how far behind i was. However being a student has definately curbed by spending :(