Question

[Footiebadgebloke]

There's alot talked about the pros and cons of fairs, as an organiser of several venues, I 'm going to ask you the collector. what you are looking for when you attend a fair ?

Club
Season range
secondry collections
other memorabilia

Another thing that seems to be overlooked is the word "networking" it really does help your collection if the dealers get to know you, plus you get to meet other collectors as well.

[Diamond Matt]

PRICES ON BOXES!

Massive pet hate of mine and dads. I want to just have a nose through programmes and maybe pick stuff up randomly and know how much it is straight away. I'm sure I'd spend a lot more if prices were on the box/film-fronted bags or whatever the programmes are in. All our stuff is priced like this and we feel we sell more at antique fairs etc because of this.


At programme fairs I look to buy bargain bundles really.

[Auchinleckian]

Footiebadgebloke wrote:

There's alot talked about the pros and cons of fairs, as an organiser of several venues, I 'm going to ask you the collector. what you are looking for when you attend a fair ? Club Season range secondry collections other memorabilia Another thing that seems to be overlooked is the word "networking" it really does help your collection if the dealers get to know you, plus you get to meet other collectors as well.

I'm looking for a decent bed, real ale, edible food, and decent music...and that's only the night before.
On the day I'm looking to network with a full English before battle commences.
England does seem bereft of a lot of my requirements nowadays.

[Footiebadgebloke]

Crikey John Lad,
Haggis, Deep Fried MarsBars and salt in the porridge.. no we aint reached those standards quite yet.
seriously I'm interested in the answers to my question ... so people get typing please

and Diamond - I would hope all items were priced at my fairs

[smk06]

Names of dealers clearly displayed behind/on their stalls plus contact details. Some dealers did this at Sheffield/Altrincham but not all.

[Footiebadgebloke]

smk06 - I usually put a list of the dealers on the door, plus most prog dealers have business cards or catalogue lists..... always best to speak to every dealer as you go round they are only to happy to direct you to the clubs your looking for ,,,,, and if you want later stuff they may have further stock at home - always good to ask (suprising many don't!)

[efcbluenose]

when i go to a fair i expect to find programmes there priced up some reasonably some that are rarer at expensive prices.i think you do have to move around and sample every single stall that is there and endulge in conversation i've done that over the years at manchester fair and go to know michael hewitt well alan benedick who i know from here and meet up with this year is now a dealer i know as well.tony and roger coombes that their last name the welsh lads they are top blokes to talk with and know their stuff.friendly people.mick hewitt always brings quality with him and i know him now so i have a chat with him.i dont mind the memorabilia stalls there either with signatures on of players its an interesting take at fairs badges also i can take and look at happily,just a thought from me personally and this is a personal opinion id like to see a stall with pennants on of teams from all over the world and id also like to see a stickers card stalls there at fairs.variety is the spice of life as they say.most dealers are very approachable freindly and want to help and know their stuff.its buy and sell.we buy the goods the dealers bring to sell.supply and demand.its not fair to name names of dealers who i think are trying to make money out of people at fairs but i do always spot one .and hes a well known dealer and another guy is one who sells memorabilia. 500 quid for a signed 66 cup final programme from both sides is just wrong.

[sharrowblade]

A nice venue, (Pudsey, stafford, Lincoln, Wolves etc), first impressions are important, with a good spacious layout, (not a stairwell at the Walkers), with good lighting and a controlled temperature (not the concourse at the Britannia where it was so dingy that the doors had to be kept open so you had half a chance of actually seeing what you were actually looking at, consequently, the temperature was about freezing, so you couldn't actually hold anything without shaking).

VARIETY in the type of memorabilia.

A balance of stalls, programmes, books, collectables etc etc
(I enjoyed Stafford last year, but it did seem a little top heavy with badges. Sorry)
I don't expect dealers to vary too much from teams with local connections, because that's just business sense. From a personal point of view, a few more teamsheets & reserves wouldn't go amiss.
Tickets better displayed and with price, I went through a box of about 600 at Stoke, and not one United ticket.

Programmes come in team sections, why not tickets?

'Networking' cannot be under-estimated, over the last couple of years have met the likes of Alan Benedick (Ab Programmes), smashing bloke and a good laugh, auckinleckian, smashing bloke and a miserable git.
posh1959, lincolnredman, and any number of others at fairs. Tcno10 has been a godsend, all lads who I have met at fairs.

Add to that all the local lads I see at Sunny Sheff make it a fair which is unmissable if only for a few swop deals.

I appreciate the time and effort, the travelling, and costs incurred by dealers, and personally as a collector who is willing to travel to fairs, it can sometimes feel counter-productive.

However, it won't stop me going in the future, when possible and therefore everyone should 'keep the faith' SB

[Auchinleckian]

Footiebadgebloke wrote:

Crikey John Lad, Haggis, Deep Fried MarsBars and salt in the porridge.. no we aint reached those standards quite yet. seriously I'm interested in the answers to my question ... so people get typing please and Diamond - I would hope all items were priced at my fairs

Trouble is with the haggis is that most people have only eaten the "factory farmed" haggis. In Dumfries where the local haggis population, by an large, are free range - and usually organic as well - taste far superior to the usual supermarket fare. It's like chalk and cheese. Keep an animal happy and healthy and it will repay you in kind when it comes to eating it.
I don't partake in porridge, so can't comment on it. My wife eats it most mornings, but is strictly sugar, not salt.
Deep Fried Mars Bars - now here's a conundrum. if they had been invented by Heston Blumenthal and served at the Fat Duck restaurant with a £95 price tag everyone would have marvelled at his genius. Here in Scotland, where you can get said delicacy with a good poke of chips for less than £2 it's considered a health risk? Wise up guys and realise that culinary excellence doesn't stop at north of Watford Gap!