Retro Ronnie Toyfairs - Newsletter #2!

2015 ended in spectacular style for everyone at Retro Ronnie with a great pre-Christmas fair at Cirencester on 21st December. The historic Bingham Hall was packed to bursting with great stock, and we had more dealers inside the Hall than ever before. It was also good to see visitor numbers improving as well, with numbers through the gate significantly 'up' on the same event in 2015.

There's a full report and a round-up of 2015 on our new website, so if you haven't already done so, then please have an explore. The site is full of useful information about our fairs, as well as news items, helpful advice (we hope!) and photos.

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Didcot & Oxfordshire Toy Fair - Saturday February 6th
It's hard to believe that we're heading into our first full year of fairs at our new venue in Didcot. We launched the new fair in July last year, and we've confirmed four dates for 2016. This Saturday the doors open on our first Didcot & Oxfordshire Toy Fair of the new year. "Live steam was one of the biggest sellers at our last Didcot fair," says Tim Pearson, who organises Retro Ronnie Fairs with Ronnie Davies. "Anything TV related was also popular, and of course Star Wars merchandise has gained a real buzz from the release of the new movie (see below). Obviously Didcot is synonymous with the railways, but our fairs aren't all about train sets, and with this in mind Ronnie and I will be leading from the front with a large collection of Action Figures on Saturday." Doors open at 10:00 am, with full details on the website

Early Birds Catch the Bargains!
Although the doors to Retro Ronnie Fairs officially open at 10:00 am, we've always welcomed early-risers with a special scheme that allows trade buyers and keen collectors to enter our Halls from 8:00 am.
Early Birds entry costs just £4, which is a small price to pay for the chance to be first to grab a bargain. What's more, you can then be at the head of the queue to take advantage of our caterers' excellent all-day breakfast and a hot cuppa!

Cirencester Toy & Train Fair - Sunday February 28th
It's going to be a busy month for us, with the first of what will be five fairs in Cirencester for 2016. Our flagship event continues to grow steadily, and to meet the demand and enthusiasm of our traders and buyers, we've introduced a fifth date to this year's calendar. The first of those takes place at the end of the month - well, not quite the end. 2016 is a leap year, so February gets an extra day, but on Sunday 28th, Bingham Hall will be buzzing again.
There are full details about our Cirencester fairs on the website

Star Wars - Fad or Fade?
The release of the latest title in the Star Wars movie franchise just before Christmas tied in well with our last fair of the year, and interest in merchandise from the series was evident. We'd like to think that such events introduce young collectors to the hobby, and that some will then branch out into other areas as well, but are these tie-ins just a fad, or and will interest fade away?

Well, in the case of Star Wars, perhaps not. This time last year a rare Palitoy 'unpunched' version of Boba Fett from The Empire Strikes Back (c1980) sold for a UK record of £15,000 with auctioneers Vectis, proving that the appeal of the early films is holding strong, but what of the current crop?

Tim reckons would-be investors need to be careful. "Because some of the early pieces command such very high prices there's a misconception today that all Star Wars memorabilia will go up in value, but that's unlikely to be the case. The items that have increased significantly over the years have been the rarities, while the common figures can still be picked up very cheaply, even in pristine condition. The current peak suggests it is probably a fad, but it's certainly very hot at the moment. It doesn't always follow that all the new merchandise will turn into gold, and the chances are that the material that's clearly made to be 'collectable' almost certainly won't be!"

The passage of time has also demonstrated how important condition and packaging is. Don't throw away the box, and don't open the blister pack! This is sage advice, as anyone who has collected 'limited edition' metal figures has discovered to their cost, and now sees them offered for as little as a £1 each at our fairs.

Happy New Year
Better late than never, but here's wishing all our dealers and buyers a prosperous and successful 2016. We hope you find what you're looking for, and if that's a rare collectable and you stumble across it at one of our Didcot or Cirencester toy fairs, then so much the better! We look forward to seeing you at some time during the year.