Memorabilia: Money For Nothing
We all get propositioned with ideas of money for nothing or little effort. I didn’t believe it was possible until I met memorabilia collector Steve Ferguson who was the victim of an interview that I did for a magazine article in 2000.
Before I continue please bear in mind that the memorabilia prices quoted are for then and will probably be different now. They could be higher, they could be lower, we have been going through a recession and that does affect prices.
Bravely I trailed the two miles to Haworth, suffered the freezing winds blowing off those notorious moors and spent a most intriguing hour chatting to memorabilia collector Steve.
Made famous by the literary Bronte sisters Haworth is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Very popular with American and Japanese visitors, it’s the ideal location for Steve who was a lorry driver for twenty years before turning his memorabilia collecting hobby into a business in 1998. My interest was captured after hearing about him making a very nice profit from litter.
Yorkshire Relics is based in a unit in an old mill building. A relic itself with its mould stained walls. Entering the unit was an eerie experience, shelves reaching to the ceiling stacked with thousands of items that we have all thrown away. If everything had been fresh and new looking I would have thought that I’d gone back in time to one of those corner shops that sold literally everything. I found it so odd initially that I felt like doing a runner, but my discomfort disappeared once I met Steve who was very easy to talk to.
If I attempted to list all of the items on display it would take all week, so I’ll just mention a few to give you an idea of the collectibles which have some value to people like Steve. I saw old talcum powder tins, aerosols, boxes of bubble gum, tins of shoe polish, displays from shops, butter packets, chocolate bars, chocolate boxes, coke bottles, biscuit tins, cereal and washing powder cartons, anything and everything that had held consumable goods.
How many of you have eaten a packet of crisps and thrown the empty bags away? Do you know that each empty Walkers crisp packet featuring photos of the Spice Girls (on sale in 1998)is worth £1.50 in America because they were never released there?
Steve has picked them up in parks, off the street, out of bins – he’s sold hundreds! Unfortunately they are no longer on sale or I would have bought a box or two, but I have a friend who’s young daughter collected them for the pictures. There must be many like Laura who have saved them and they are bound to increase in value. I shudder to think of how many I chucked away while working at the pub!
Spice Girl Pepsi cans are also worth money in the States. In fact anything featuring a popular group or famous sports person, especially footballers have a value and are worth hanging on to.
Part of Steve’s business is hiring out memorabilia to film and T.V. companies. When you watch shows such as Heartbeat you will see some of Steve’s stock on display in the shops. But the real money is to be made in selling what we throw away every day.
The good news is that there is a market out there for reasonably up to date things and once you are aware of it an opportunity for anyone to make some money very easily. Although tins have a value the best sellers because they perish easier are empty cardboard cereal boxes, in particular the special editions. Plain early 90s boxes are now selling for £4.00 each, special editions £25.00 to £30, then the price shoots up to £45 to £50 for boxes featuring Startreck, Dr Who and the Thunderbirds from 1993. With the plastic toys they are worth even more.
Plain 1975 Persil cartons sell for £5 to £7.00. With a picture of Morecombe and Wise on the front they go for £10 to £15.00. Steve’s advice is never throw away anything featuring a known character or face. Once you’ve used the goods flatten the boxes and store them, it’s surprising how many you can get into a small space. Within a few years or in some cases less you will be able to make money from something you would normally throw away as worthless.
As a child I was often given annuals for gifts. Many people save these for keepsakes rather than the value. Annuals which sprang from some American T.V. programmes were only ever released here. Happy Days, Rawhide, The Monkees, Bonanza, Wagon Train, the Bionic Man and Woman are a few. American collectors are crying out for them, how many of you have still got them?
Abba were very popular in the seventies and like many stars spawned products which appealed to their fans. One example is a jigsaw that sold for 15p back then, now worth £10.00 each. A huge profit for something obtained so cheaply.
Anything that is no longer available has a value. We all know that old cigarette cards are collectable, but you never think that cigarette packets might be worth something. Players No 6 and No. 10 are no longer on the market so are now memorabilia.
I couldn’t resist asking about some of the things I have in my possession. One was a print of two women dressed in fifties fashions which was rescued from the basement of a shop which used to be a tailors nearly 50 years ago. Without seeing it Steve said that yes it will have a value. In fact anything to do with past fashions is saleable.
He has an Italian customer who comes over every three months to buy fashion items from the sixties and seventies for her shop that solely sells fashions from that time. She is constantly surprised by how many of her customers ask for a garment in a different size or colour when they are all obviously one-offs. I wish I’d hung on to my bell bottoms and hippy gear!
I asked about records, something most of us have a collection of. The most valuable are the ones that flopped or didn’t sell many. Because for instance Beetle records sold by the million there are still plenty of them about. The original sleeves add to the value and especially if they are in good condition.
I’m still a bit devastated about the collection of rugby league programmes my mother threw out when I moved down south for a while. I had around 200 from the early seventies – now worth £7.00 each. The full set from 1937 when Keighley reached the cup final £50 each. I didn’t ask about the ones from the fifties or the Man Utd. Ones I was too gobsmacked – it’s a good job I love my mother!
I haven’t got a sweet tooth but I might be buying them from now on and in particular toffees. Because it’s difficult to separate toffees from wrappers without tearing them very few escape intact. When I buy them I will look for special editions and ask for the box the sweets are displayed in. Apparently, because you only get one box to 24 or 48 sweets they are rarer and worth more. The same applies for any display cartons or boxes, all of which will cost you nothing if you ask.
Steve gets most of his stock for nothing. He says that he picks rubbish up from streets, delves into skips and has even been known to go through rubbish bins. I like to make some brass but there I draw the line!
I wanted to know just who buys our rubbish. Apart from collectors here and abroad (America and Australia have the biggest markets), Steve says that many people throw away the things that they bought as teenagers when they get married and leave home. A few years later they become nostalgic for their teenage years and want to replace the items which bring back good memories – says a lot for marriage!
There are magazines aimed at memorabilia collectors on sale in newsagents and of course there are the internet auctions at Ebay, Freeserve, QXL and Yahoo where there are strong memorabilia sections.
Steve’s advice for would be collectors or dealers is to concentrate on one line and make that your speciality. Over the years he managed to fill a 27 room house before renting the unit and a shop in Howarth’s Main Street. Imagine what would happen if he’d had a house fire, listing and explaining the value of the contents to his insurance company – very difficult!
My memorabilia collection started the day after I met Steve. I just happened to see some postcards and posters from a Carling Rock promotion at the pub and rescued them from being used as scrap paper. So my line is going to be pub promotional material. I just wish that I’d rescued the Guiness displays a bit back, apparently Guiness is the most popular among collecters – next time!
It’s difficult to understand why our rubbish is so valuable. One explanation is that genuine antiques are out of the reach of most of our pockets, rarer and a lot have gone overseas. Memorabilia is the poor mans version of antiques, but if you know what to collect there is no reason to stay poor!
Patricia wrote for Money Master magazine for 18 months and then went on to publish her own magazine for several years. Now she owns and runs several websites including
www.creativewriter.me.uk and www.ebook-world.co.uk
Completely understand what your stance in this matter. Although I would disagree on some of the finer details, I think you did an awesome job explaining it. Sure beats having to research it on my own. Thanks