The inspiration for my collection............

[Snibbo]

I know this has been covered in the past but I thought I would share with you all what inspired me to start collecting the RHD Dandy /Beano figurines.
Like most of you on this site & particularly those of my generation, (no offence Poppy!) I was given Dandy & Beano annuals every Christmas.
As long as I received my Dandy annual, I was happy & my Christmas was complete!
I have extremely fond memories of the torch under the blankets reading the exploits of Brassneck, Claude Hopper, Dirty Dick etc.
My parents then emigrated to Australia when I was sixteen & as I moved out I realised I had amassed quite a collection of the annuals.
I decided to try & get the year I was born.............well I did & that is when the obsession began!
Many years later & still collecting, my wife & I stumbled across the Robert Harrop Dandy/Beano collection in a small collectibles shop in Woburn. My wife made the fatal mistake (& she's regretted it ever since) of encouraging me to purchase my first piece, which I duly did, Desperate Dan & my second obsession began!
Of course being there at the beginning was great, I haven't missed a piece!
Not the same of course for the annual collection as I am not that old!
If any of you out there know anyone who would like to part with a Dandy annual, 1941, (the third one) then I would be extremely interested!
This for me is the equivalent of the Red Nose Dennis for those of you who are after one!
You can guess what my kids get every year for Christmas!
A puppy dog story I know, but I thought you may be interested!
I must also add that the friendly & enthusiastic service that all at RHD give is another reason I have continued to collect. No request is too much trouble & Cinta is always happy to help, with a smile in her voice.
(Now how many Brownie points for that Cinta!?)

[POPPY]

I think my gran bought me my first piece around the time that they were released but I never really got in to it until 3 years ago when the prices of retired pieces were going through the roof but nobody forces you to buy them.

There are a couple of things I wished hadn't changed but RH have their reasons cost effective etc
But I would love the BD range to expand with pieces that hadn't been released I prefer the bas on the older style.
My other thing is the prsentation tube I know your not suppose to display the box but with the shorter tube they make great risers to stand the piece on in the back of your cabinet and they look really good.

[Dandie]

Talking of risers , anyone know where I can get decent perspex risers for the display cabinets, I thought i saw some at the event but I can't remember for sure ...... can you let me know if you have any ideas , preferably not too expensive if possible. Ta

[POPPY]

I got some off ebay when i first started but I have managed to buy some proper harrop display tubes but if you have erbert gnasher and other small figures in tubes use those tubes they look brilliant better than any perspex

[Les Pretend]

My frist piece was Desperate Dan as an xmas present in 97, didn't realise what they were until I got a fe more b'days and xmas out the way. Then I started to collect but was too late to buy many of the older ones first time round.

Like you Snibbo, I am happy with my Beano and Dandy annuals for xmas. It's all I want, and wish my mum wouldn't waste her money on other things.

[Macca]

I on the other hand, didn't get annual for christmas, but when i was younger, i would spend some of my pocket money to buy the beano - back then it was only 30p, every week a new beano, didn't bother much with the dandy. Then almost 10 years ago, my parents got me Gnasher in a christmas sale, i didn't know what they were, until a few years later when i was given Erbert for my birthday. However it wasn't until 1999 when i got really serious with the collection and i joined the club. The staff, especially Cinta, helped me find a few of the old pieces, and if it wasn't for that i doubt i would be as interested as i am now

[Les Pretend]

30p!! I'm not that old but I stopped buying them at 32p. Think they were 14p when I used to get both comics every week. I collected them all from '84 up to about '94. Just carried on with the annuals now.

[Macca]

I started reading in 1992 til 1998 roughly, at 30p, and there used to be free sweets

[Les Pretend]

I remember the free sweets. Always a "Matlow's" sweet. Eg highland toffee, Swizzel lolly. Never the famous "Wham" bar though. Had one of tehm the other day! Wrecks your teeth but tastiest lump of sugar ever made!

[Pedge]

My Nana used to get me the Beano every week and I'd go round for my tea on a Friday Night and read the Beano and the Dandy and then I started collecting the annuals, getting them every Xmas and going round all the second hand bookshops in Sunderland collecting them!

There was an advert in one of the annuals I'm sure one year for the Robert Harrop pieces and I bought my first one when I was about ten and have been getting them ever since!

I have to agree that the service, especially from Cinta, in terms of getting hard-to-find/limited edition pieces etc. has been excellent over the years!

[POPPY]

Can't remember the exact price but I started reading the beano when they were just a few d yes d not p basically pre 1971 or old money they were the days when you could change from a tanner for a beano

[dodger fan]

wow, seems im about the only 1 left!!!!
Err, I have read the beano and Dandy since i was 6 and got the annuals every year. My granpa got me Minnie The Minx back in '94, he claimed to get it for £5, but my mum didnt fall for it... I wasnt a very seriouse collector until about 1999, but missed a few First Ed's such as Biffo, Korky and The Bears. Danny, Rodger, Les, Ivy and Ball Boy have always been my fav charactors. since my Grandpa died, iv sort of become more keen to complete the collection, however i only buy the individual peices not second ed's of the first ed's or the Bea's and the Dennis spin offs. However, i have all the limited editions.
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