Bringing our summer days out to a September close the Missus and me visited the lovely Pennine canal town of Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.
Among the many fine eateries and wholefood shops the charity shops and antique emporiums held some interesting items for collectors.
How about this Action Man Mould and Paint set?
or a gear robot and Mickey?
Lots of Pelhams and a Lindberg Blue J Racer kit, a new one on me.
The antiques emporium had lots of die-casts
and this interesting warrior marionette with his hungry friend.
There were lots of old comics like Marvel's Frankenstein's Monster. Is that one you read?
This old wooden fort caught my eye too. £28.
More assorted old toys in another cabinet.
and a whole stack of Beano comics! Did you read Beano as a kid?
Back in the Charity shop this old board game jumped out, All the King's Men. Is it one you know?
and there were lots of old LP's as always
and this looked interesting, a boxed Hornby Zero1 control unit. Not sure what that is but you may know. It looks oldish.
Old annuals are always great to see and this bundle a Laramie annual.
and this fab Impossibles annual. I adored the Sixties cartoon and loved this annual as a kid. I have one already otherwise I would have bought this one. Do you remember the Impossibles?
Old novels are always fun especially if I read it as a teenager like The Plague Dogs.
One I've never read or seen the film of is Picnic at Hanging Rock, a famous Australian mystery.
Chim Chim Cheree! Remember that! A Mary Poppins classic and here a 45rpm single. I wonder if anyone collects Mary Poppins stuff?
I spotted these old train carriages in an empty shop.
This pub sign made me chuckle with its missing letters. Now its RONIN! Those masterless Samurai get everywhere!
Some Charity shop items have dearer price tags. This 1974 boxed Palitoy Sheena. I think it was £50. I don't know Sheena. Her hair grew.
and finally this old stack of Scalextric will find a good home with someone I'm sure. Are you a Scalextric fan?
Have you had any trips out mooching round flea markets and second hand shops this summer readers?
Wow, what a wonderful trip, and what wonderful treasures you stumbled upon! We got nothin like that here in the states, I can tell you that! I would have snapped up several of those annuals,. that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThere's always a few vintage annuals in Antique's Emporiums here and occassionally Charity Shops Zigg. Oddly enough I got my first 'collectable' Project SWORD annual in a second hand book shop, which do carry vintage kids stock as well.
DeleteI probably told you this already, but I got my one and only C21 annual (Captain Scarlet 1968) here in the States, about twenty years ago, at a school charity sale here in Connecticut! What are the chances of that?!?! I could not believe my good fortune!
DeleteThe Impossibles! Little Sally A-aaan!sitting on the sa-aaand!That's Frankenstein jr.and his pal in the background.
ReplyDeleteIs that from the show Brian? Sally A-aaaan? I loved the show but I'm vague on the details now. The Impossibles had a fabulous car as well. Frankie Jr. was great. He was on British TV too.
DeleteHebden is certainly a lovely place, and its shops are amazing.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Scalemates, the Lindberg Blue "J" Racer is a 1960s boxing of a kit that goes all the way back to 1959. It is a British Jaguar D Type racing car, and is to 1/24th scale. I would have jumped on that kit.
The die-casts are also very nice. Some of them go back to the 1950s.
The only Sheena I know is Sheena - Queen of the Jungle.
Hornby Zero 1 was an early digital control system for model railways, launched in 1979. It only lasted in to the 1980s.
Yes, with its antiques and charity shops its a good day out for old toy collectors Paul. Its a gorgeous place too, an old hippy town from the Sixties and Seventies, which has been modernised and is now a sort of new age metropole. I saw my first squat in years there when we went. The old canal is fascinating too. Do you have canals in NZ?
DeleteI looked up the Blue J Racer as well. First time I'd seen anything on the Jaguar Type D.
DeleteLooks like it would be an interesting car to draw! :)
Wow Scott, you're a cartoonist! Yes draw it and I'll blog it for you! I used to draw Hot Wheels when I was ill as a kid, strangely enough on graph paper to help me get copy the shapes of those slick redlines. Here's to a full recovery from your surgery. Ouch!
DeleteThe puppet warrior is Sicilian "Pupo" is a traditional puppet that comes from Southern Italy:
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_dei_Pupi
Fascinating. Thanks! I read the link, very interesting.
DeleteI had that Impossibles annual! I always wanted to be Fluid Man! Some stiff pricing on the charidee items, but a really good range of interesting items. Quite topical content in the Beano too!
ReplyDeleteFluid Man! Yes! Charity Shops have researchers now, most likely looking at Ebay sold listings. There's still a few bargains around. Ha ha, Heating Wars, I see what you mean! Get Dennis and Gnasher on the job, they'll sort out those greedy politicians and energy barons!
DeleteGreat report. Some very appealing vintage stuff there, Woodsy. I like the gear robot and Marvel comics.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tone. Its a lovely town in the wide Calder valley where the old poet Ted Hughes grew up. A green town like Totnes and very popular. The gear robot was a nice one. The comics were good, yes, Micronauts and Monsters Unleashed in there too.
DeleteCanals in New Zealand. I actually had to look that one up, as I was not aware of any. Seems there are some in the South Island, linking various lakes. Very popular with Trout fishermen. There was a lot of coastal and river shipping in the early days of NZ, most of which has died out. Most places in NZ are either on the coast, or not too far inland, so I suppose not a lot of need for canals, unlike Britain or Europe. Also, by the time NZ was colonised in the 19th Century, railways had largely taken over from the canals.
ReplyDeleteFascinating Paul. I'd love to be near the coast. Its about an hour and a half from where we are. I love the sound of seagulls mewing. Makes me think of childhood holidays by the sea! Happy Days! I will look into a railcard here one day so that me and the Missus can traverse the tracks of Britain cheaply top to bottom! Can you travel by rail across the whole of NZ?
DeleteWe stayed in Halifax for a couple of days, just last week, as a late Summer treat.
ReplyDeleteThey have a great town centre 'square' called the Piece Hall. It's an old cloth market in the style of an Italian or Roman market, that's been restored and filled with local specialist, craft and antique shops and cafes.
Of note to Moonbase were a comprehensive toy car shop and a large antique shop called Al's Emporium, with glass cases full of die casts, old toys and annuals, like the ones in Hebden Bridge.
As it's near you, you may know of it yourself Woodsy.
We ended up buying a print of Saltaire, where I was born, from The Yorkshire Gallery there.
Yes, Halifax is a great place and the Piece Hall is fabulous. Yes, they did it up a few years back. Glad you enjoyed it Mish. I remember a die-cast shop up on one of the levels too. Al's Emporium sounds good. Good tip. There used to be a good second hand toy shop in Halifax as well, who always advertised in Model Mart and Collectors Gazette. A good place for a mooch too. Saltaire eh! We visit about once a year and wander round the streets full of bakers and antiques and artists. Gorgeous architecture. My daughter lives down the road in Thackley. We can see Salts Mill from her garden! Hope the print looks good on the wall Mish.
DeleteI was brought up near Thackley, and used to walk 2 miles along the Leeds-Liverpool canal every day, past a then dillapidated Salt's Mill, to the Salt Grammar School, where I was a pupil, so I knew that area quite well.
ReplyDeleteSorry, that last reply was from me.
ReplyDeleteWow! Small World Mish! We'll be in Thackley tomorrow returning the Juniors to our Daughter. Have you been in Salts Mill since it was done up?
ReplyDeleteYes, several times, over the past few years.
ReplyDeleteThey've done a great job with the mill 'gallery' and art shop, and there's a pretty good antique shop there too.