Secret origins of rare comics donor

Published on Thursday 14 July 2011 18:00

IT is every kid's, and big kid's, dream - an incredible collection of 5000 comics is up for grabs.

• DAVID HENDRIE, WHO RUNS THE OXFAM BOOKSHOP, WAS LOST FOR WORDS WHEN HE SAW THE HAUL

The haul, which spans four decades, was donated out of the blue to Oxfam Bookshop in Nicolson Street and is set to go on sale next weekend.

A Gilmerton resident, who wants to remain anonymous, had offered the collectibles to staff, telling them that he was moving abroad.

But shop manager David Hendrie, 28, and Tom McAughtrie, a volunteer at the shop, were stunned when they turned up to the man's flat to find just how large the donation was.

Mr Hendrie, who lives in Newington, said: "Shock was the overriding emotion - and 'how on earth are we going to get these back to the shop?'. We had to make two trips in the car.

"This is an incredibly generous donation and just stunning in terms of the sheer quantity of comics. Volunteers have been working hard to sort and price them.

"There are some real gems amidst the collection so it's certain that there will be something to interest all Edinburgh comic collectors."

Mr Hendrie said he hoped the comics would raise "several thousand" pounds for Oxfam to help its work in fighting poverty and hunger around the world.

"Prices will range from 50p or 1 upwards," he said. "One of the more expensive single issues that we have will be on sale for around 25."

Highlights include an extensive run of "Silver Age" Justice League of America, as well as a complete collection of Frank Miller's Batman: Year One, and the UK comic Warrior.

Mr Hendrie added: "Some of these comics feature characters such as Marvelman, which have never been reissued since their original publication and are consequently highly sought after."

The complete collection will now go on sale for the first time during a special late opening at the Nicolson Street shop next Friday, from 5.30pm.

A Comics Fair will take place at McDonald Road Library the following day, where the remaining comics from the collection and others donated to Oxfam shops in Edinburgh will go on sale. A group of leading comic book gurus will also speak at the event. The comics left over from the two sales will be sold in the shop.

Chris Dugan, assistant manager of the Forbidden Planet comic shop on South Bridge, said he would definitely be heading along for a rummage.

He said: "It sounds like there's some good stuff in it.

"With Marvelman, that's been stuck in a court case for ages to do with ownership of the character, so there haven't been any for a while.

"It will be interesting for people to go and have a look through. Stuff goes in and out of fashion. Silver Age was going up in value for a while but now it's dropping again.

"Frank Miller's stuff might start going up as he has a couple of new things coming out.

"This is a lifetime's collection for someone and it's good that he's given it to somewhere like Oxfam so that other people can see them.

"It's quite hard to sell comics unless you really know what you're doing."