It turned out to be the first really sunny weekend of the summer and Eastbourne
was certainly the place to be as hundreds of members and collectors converged
on the staid seaside resort for this year's Convention and annual meeting.
The newly invigorated Sussex branch took charge of the admission for the non-members
- and as a result they were rewarded with a goodly sum for their branch funds.
They also ran a successful raffle on each day.
The "yellow perils" (wearing their smart new branch sweatshirts) also
managed to filter the large number of locals who turned up with collections
so that only those that had something worth selling ran the gauntlet of dealers.
Most of those diplomatically disappointed handfuls of grubby Senior Service
cards or a few stuck in books. Others did take their wares into the hall and
turned their cards into cash.
Friday was by far the busiest day. Most dealers reported good takings, but Saturday's
crowd was down on previous years. Perhaps the fine weather had its downside
- golf, gardening or outings with the family appealed more to the sun-starved.
Attendance at the annual meeting was slightly up. George Hoare, Derek Jenkins,
Alan Stevens, John Walton and Vernon Young were all re-elected.
Gordon Howsden took top honours in the Cartophilic Cup again followed home by
John Drapkin with his riveting article on Major Drapkin.
The Set of the Year contest was scrapped through lack of interest. It remains
to be seen if it will be revived, but it is true to say that there are less
significant card issues since Imperial and Brooke Bond left the field.
Granville Elliot, for the Sussex branch, headed the branch report line-up. He
believes that up to 10 new collectors could now be attending the monthly meetings
in Hove as a result of Eastbourne. Supporting and helping the branches is of
course one of our main aims in staging the event in different parts of the country.
There were a few hiccups and there were complaints at the annual meeting from
members including "the usual suspects". The Council is to have a full
inquest into the event to see what changes may be necessary -but it would be
helpful if some of the critics would join the Council rather than just knock
from the sidelines. Robin Short has now run five conventions - more than anybody
else, He deserves a campaign medal for his efforts!
Click on the images to see larger versions.
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| Welcome to the convention! | General view of the hall. | |
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| A brisk trade in reference books. | The recently re-formed Sussex branch on duty at the entrance. | |
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| The President, Derek Jenkins presents his report at the AGM | The auction lots on display. | |
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| Report from the Lincolnshire branch. | Gordon E. Brayne was made an honourary life member of the society. | |
| Some of the other tables: | ||
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| Peter Wright visits the Card Mine. | Martin Murray | |
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| André Mettilion from France with some fine continental cards. | Gerry Elmer | |
Click here to see pictures of previous conventions.
(C) 2004 The
Cartophilic Society of Great Britain Ltd. 