PG: How long did it take you to put the toy collection together?
DP: It took about 25 years, it could’ve been 26 or even 27. I must admit, my wife Linda put up with a lot through it all. I’d go to a toy fair with £500, and she would ask how much I had left, and I’d say £50!
PG: What makes people keep collecting?
DP: Even if a toy is a small bit of plastic, where are you going to find another one? When is another chance going to come along? You can’t take the risk of waiting ages for another opportunity. If you really want it, you have to buy it!
(At this point a middle-aged lady came upstairs to where we were talking and was shocked the toys were no longer on display. She made a point of telling Derek how important they were to her and how they helped her to relive her childhood).
PG: What did you keep from the original collection?
DP: I kept a space scooter because it was the logo we used on our business cards, a trike my wife Linda bought me and some toys the kids got me for special occasions. I also kept an R2D2 firepit bought by my daughter, some Serenity ships and a robot my son bought me. That’s all that was left from more than 5,000+ items. Aside from five costumes from Star Trek, everything from the collection up here went at the auction!
DP: I obviously miss them, I’ll miss people like that lady who came up and asked us what’s happened to the toys and the excitement on the kid’s faces.
PG: What are the things people need to know when collecting toys?
DP: I think you have to buy something that you like. I don’t think you necessarily have to buy it in a box which seems to be the big thing now. A prime example is someone will say: “I’ve got 700 boxed Lledo cars, how much are they worth?” I have to tell them, “To me, about 25 pence each!” Anything that’s past the mid-1990s and in a box, I’d forget about.
Buy what you like, don’t be scared if it has a little crack in it. If you’re buying for investment, that’s where you want the mint condition on the card or in a box. If you are truly a toy collector, you really can’t be thinking about how much you paid for it.
PG: People often think the older the toy, the more valuable it is…
DP: Sometimes that works, but that’s more for something like a Lehman tinplate toy. It depends on the manufacturer, most of the time it’s like handbags, the brand name determines the value.
DP: I’ve been all over the place for toys. I once went to America to collect a large rare Marx robot. It took a lot of effort putting the collection together. People would ask if the collection was donated? I’ve only ever had two toys donated: a large doll and a hand-made dolls house. I can count on one hand how many toys have come through the shop door. I didn’t even get people coming in trying to sell me toys!
Although Derek is still collecting toys, he and Linda need the museum space for their ever-expanding collectables and antique business. It’s likely we won’t be seeing the return of the toy museum any time soon. They still have a decent display of toys in the main shop so collectors won’t be disappointed.
Lothlorien Antique & Collectables Emporium
22 Well Street,
Moffat
DG10 9DP
Phone: 01683 221144
Website: www.lothlorien-antiques.co.uk