Tony Birch

So she allowed me that strict rule of buying one object of those three things each week.

We would go back home and in her house, and particularly in later years when I was about 10 or 11, she had what we call a cocktail cabinet.

She didn't mix cocktails, but her cocktail cabinet, which was this beautiful glass art deco cabinet, she would place the object that she'd brought in the cabinet along with all the other trinkets and objects.

And then she would lock the cabinet and put the key somewhere that you couldn't find it.

And you were never allowed to touch the objects again.

You're only allowed to look at them.

So

her grandkids would spend hours, you know, sitting in front of this cocktail cabinet, looking through glass at these, what we regarded as incredible treasures, incredible, beautiful objects.

And we would occasionally say to my grandmother, oh, can I play with that glass horse?

Or can I play with that teacup?

And she'd say, no, these are just for show, which is a great word that she used.

These are for show.

So these were to show herself off.

These weren't objects that we could play with

So we spent years as kids sitting around this cocktail cabinet... ...admiring these beautiful treasures that she brought over the years.

I wasn't... I suppose there are some people who are just, you know... ...when you think about people who are into comics as a hobby... ...there are people who know comics back the front.

My love of comics was divided pretty simply.

I didn't like black and white comics so I never bought Phantom Comics...

as long as they're in colour.

We collected comics each week.