FROM DRESSES TO STAR WARS – MEET THE COLLECTORS
COLLECTING stamps or number plates may be less popular these days, but that doesn’t mean collecting itself has become a forgotten hobby. A passion for collecting toy trains, thimbles, or even cars may be bizarre to some but, for certain people, their lives wouldn’t be complete without them.
For John Warman, the value of his collection of old bank notes isn’t important.
“I have never had my collection valued, and I don’t want to do it for that. My value in them is looking at some of the beautiful colours and researching the history of them,” he said.
“For me, I don’t do it as an investment I do it as a hobby. It’s a rewarding one in bringing back history like the German Notgeld notes, which were used when inflation in Germany was rampant. You would have needed to take a suitcase of those notes to buy a loaf of bread.
“It’s a rewarding and cheap hobby for anyone. Another positive is that it’s good for children to learn more about different countries, especially now, since traditional childhood hobbies like collecting stamps have gone into decline because of the internet and video games.”
John, who has collected old bank notes for several decades, said: “My family think it’s great and so do my grandchildren.
“They sometimes do projects on them in school, with the children asked to find the banknotes of certain countries.”
John, from Neath, started his collection around 35 years ago when he went to a collectors’ fair.
“I was so fascinated that I bought some. I wanted to find out more about them, so I bought books about it and my wife later bought me an album as a Christmas present.
“I do it out of interest rather than just to keep adding numbers. Some of the notes in my collection go back to the First World War and the Russian Revolution,” he said.
Victoria Maclean describes her Harry Potter collection as more of an addiction.
“I don’t smoke or do drugs and I hardly drink unless it’s Christmas, so collecting is my addiction, and it’s not a bad addiction to have at all,” she said.
Her Harry Potter collection started in 2001 when Victoria was pregnant with her son Daniel.
“I was watching Blue Peter, as I still loved that show, being quite young at heart. During a few of their episodes, they talked about a book called Harry Potter. So, even though I am dyslexic, I decided to try and read the first book. After all, it was a book aimed at children so I was sure I could get through it.
“Weeks later I finished reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. I loved it, and I was hooked. I could relate to Harry on so many levels.
“During my childhood, I would have loved to have been whisked away by a relative to go to Hogwarts and to be told that I was so much more than what I thought I was. It would have made my life mean so much.
“I continued to read the next book, and when the first film was released on video, I went straight to Woolworths and bought the VHS. “I watched it over and over again and everything about the film was so magical. I loved Harry’s friends, the magic, the creatures and, of course, Hogwarts itself. It was just the most incredible place to escape.”
Victoria, 37, from Neath, said: “I can’t go to Hogwarts so I brought Hogwarts to me.
“Over the years, I just saw more and more incredible Harry Potter items for sale. I was the perfect person to buy for, as they knew anything Harry Potter was the perfect gift. Over the years, my collection grew and grew.”
Victoria says she is also lucky to have been sent items from companies such as Warner Bros and now has followers on social media from all over the world.
She said she doesn’t know exactly how many items she now has in her collection and doesn’t know its full value.
“I think when I get older I may downsize my collection, but that is a big maybe. I love every single item I have and for now I don’t see me parting with any of it.
“I don’t actually know how much I have spent over the years. I was asked a while ago how many items I have in my collection and the truth of the matter is I don’t know.”