Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

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stevezodiac
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Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by stevezodiac »

I only have the Gifford pages so not sure of the date but have managed to ascertain that it is (i think) from the Sunday Times magazine of 19 July 1987. it is large sized so have had to scan it in bits as usual. Not just an article on a comic collector but something that might intrigue a psychologist.

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Jonny Whizz
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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Jonny Whizz »

Now that is a special comic collection - it makes my collection pale into comparision!Not bad either that he was comissioned by the Dandy to draw Pansy Potter. Really interesting article too, a great find.

EDIT: Pansy Potter was in the Beano, so that's a mistake.
Last edited by Jonny Whizz on 26 Aug 2009, 17:42, edited 1 time in total.
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Digifiend
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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Digifiend »

Except that he wasn't - that's a mistake. Pansy was only ever in the Beano and Sparky. Sounds like it's talking about Pansy Potter in Wonderland, the second Beano series from the late 40s.

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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Kashgar »

BTW it should be Denis Gifford not Dennis a la the Menace.
Denis was indeed a unique individual, sitting there in his cramped, Krookesque eyrie surrounded by his ever-expanding collections. It really is hard to imagine where our knowledge of much of comic history would be without him. Sadly he died before sites like comics uk were up and running. I'm sure he would have made a great blogger.

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stevezodiac
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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by stevezodiac »

I always thought it was Denis, is it the same for Denis McLoughlin as well? Wonder who decides how many 'N's you'll have in your name. Parents probably.

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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Lew Stringer »

Kashgar wrote:BTW it should be Denis Gifford not Dennis a la the Menace.
Denis was indeed a unique individual, sitting there in his cramped, Krookesque eyrie surrounded by his ever-expanding collections. It really is hard to imagine where our knowledge of much of comic history would be without him. Sadly he died before sites like comics uk were up and running. I'm sure he would have made a great blogger.
Indeed he would. It was always a pleasure to see a new Denis Gifford book in the shops. They always revealed facts of our comics heritage that would otherwise have long been forgotten, - and it's a shame that a lot of that info isn't available now for newer generations.

I'd heard about that article but never saw it at the time so thanks for posting that, Steve. Shame it focuses so much on the oddities of being a "hoarder". Denis was a regular presence at the Westminster Comic Marts in those days and was always happy to chat. I got the impression he never cared much for comics of the Eighties though. His comfort zone was very much the comics of WW2 and earlier, in the same way that some modern collectors see the 1980s as the peak of British comics.

I remember Denis hosted a slide show on the history of British comics at one of the UK Comic Arts Conventions in the 1980s. It didn't interest most of the attendees, who were only there for American comics fare, but those of us who appreciated comics from both sides of the Atlantic enjoyed it.

That article makes depressing reading in a way, for what it couldn't predict, but perhaps was inevitable, was that Denis would die alone in that house, surrounded by his collection, and not be discovered for a few days. A somber thought for those of us who are hoarders. With my house beginning to mirror that photo above I already have stacks of books I haven't read yet, and comics I'll never get around to reading again, and I suspect that's true of a lot of us here. Is there a point when we need to just call it a day on collecting and sell off everything except our most treasured items before it's too late? :(

Lew
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Digifiend
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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Digifiend »

Yes Steve it was the same spelling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_McLoughlin

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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Kashgar »

Lew Stringer wrote:
Kashgar wrote:BTW it should be Denis Gifford not Dennis a la the Menace.
Denis was indeed a unique individual, sitting there in his cramped, Krookesque eyrie surrounded by his ever-expanding collections. It really is hard to imagine where our knowledge of much of comic history would be without him. Sadly he died before sites like comics uk were up and running. I'm sure he would have made a great blogger.
Indeed he would. It was always a pleasure to see a new Denis Gifford book in the shops. They always revealed facts of our comics heritage that would otherwise have long been forgotten, - and it's a shame that a lot of that info isn't available now for newer generations.

I'd heard about that article but never saw it at the time so thanks for posting that, Steve. Shame it focuses so much on the oddities of being a "hoarder". Denis was a regular presence at the Westminster Comic Marts in those days and was always happy to chat. I got the impression he never cared much for comics of the Eighties though. His comfort zone was very much the comics of WW2 and earlier, in the same way that some modern collectors see the 1980s as the peak of British comics.

I remember Denis hosted a slide show on the history of British comics at one of the UK Comic Arts Conventions in the 1980s. It didn't interest most of the attendees, who were only there for American comics fare, but those of us who appreciated comics from both sides of the Atlantic enjoyed it.

That article makes depressing reading in a way, for what it couldn't predict, but perhaps was inevitable, was that Denis would die alone in that house, surrounded by his collection, and not be discovered for a few days. A somber thought for those of us who are hoarders. With my house beginning to mirror that photo above I already have stacks of books I haven't read yet, and comics I'll never get around to reading again, and I suspect that's true of a lot of us here. Is there a point when we need to just call it a day on collecting and sell off everything except our most treasured items before it's too late? :(

Lew
I think it would make sombre reading if Denis had been crushed beneath a pile of Radio Funs and then not been discovered for a few days. Then we could equate his hoarding directly with his demise. As it was Denis was just one of those guys who, for whatever reason, was ultimately fated to live alone and then, as a consequence, die the same way.
I'm sure there is a point when collection culling is advisable, but where that point lies I haven't got the faintest idea.

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Digifiend
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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Digifiend »

Gradual sale to supplement the old age pension maybe? It doesn't buy much these days, we've all heard stories of over 65s being virtually on the poverty line. And definitely sell it all if you're diagnosed with a terminal illness, god forbid. Trouble is, you could die in a car crash tomorrow, and what would happen to your collection then? There is in truth, no right time to dispose of a collection.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I'd love to have owned Denis' collection...but only if I had a house big enough to keep these piles of comics in and still live normally......wonder what happened to his collection? Ideally, it perhaps could have been put on an online database for others to appreciate.

I only have a few hundred comics, and even this takes up noticable space.......accumulating what amounts to clutter does not bring true spiritual happiness, and this is an extreme example.
Denis' fate at the end was a bit macabre, however, he [likely] chose to end his time on this world surrounded by his cherished artefacts, whereas many others are forced to leave this world in conditions and surroundings they do not choose......depends how you look at it, I suppose.

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Digifiend
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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Digifiend »

That collection was almost certainly split up and sold off.

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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Phoenix »

Digifiend wrote:That collection was almost certainly split up and sold off.
Martin Hamer was entrusted with the task of auctioning off Denis's collection. The sheer size and scope of it required him to set up a good number of auctions over many months.

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philcom55
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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by philcom55 »

I think Denis always envisaged the Gifford Collection being preserved intact by a museum or library as a permanent memorial to his lifelong passion. Sadly it's since been split up and scattered to the four corners of the world - to the extent that many of us are likely to own remnants of it without even realizing where they came from. :roll:

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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Earl »

Thanks for posting this. Other kids idolised sportsmen and pop stars but Denis was one of my childhood heroes.

Earl.

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Re: Dennis Gifford article from 1987.

Post by Earl »

Digifiend wrote:That collection was almost certainly split up and sold off.
I don't suppose anyone has copies of the auction catalogue. I would love to see a few scans detailing what was in the comics part of the collection. The auction did not seem well promoted at the time I remember keeping an eye out for news of what was happening with Dennis' collection but never saw any details at the time.

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