The NSU Table

I would be interested in trading for any show exclusive cards.

Lots for trade.

I'm on my way home now, having just seen Batman and Harris onto their respective trains, so I will wait to post my thoughts on the show (and a couple of pictures!)
I WILL say this now though - it was a really fun show (despite the absence of David "CSIDave" Brown; catching up with Patdata, Paul Hart, Batman, Harris, Wolfie, Hammer, Graham and everyone else too numerous to fit into my notoriously short memory was great, and the Second Annual Post-Memorabilia Dinner (with Jason and Liza of Cult-Stuff, Carolyn Edwards (who generously donated her time as designated driver!), Patdata, Harris and Batman and a Certain Silly Hat was a great success!
Au Res,.
Paul
More detail later, I promise...)

quote:

Originally posted by FRANK AMICO:
I would be interested in trading for any show exclusive cards.

Lots for trade.

There were no show exclusive cards.

quote:

Originally posted by Quaint1:
I'm on my way home now, having just seen Batman and Harris onto their respective trains)

I can confirm that Batman has arrived at his London residence

After a proper bitter at the hotel pub!

where are all the pictures?

quote:

Originally posted by DaveSB:
where are all the pictures?

I will post some pictures when I get home...probably on the blog.

We missed you at the show Dave.

By the way, someone needs to Photoshop my head in a straight position in Hammer's photo above. I take the worst pictures.

My pictures will be posted after this report!
Apologies in advance if I don't name you - my memory is so short, it's all I can do to remember my OWN name!
Saturday started off grey and misty and wet - which may have been a good thing as, instead of going to outdoor events, people came to the NEC to see stuff indoors - certainly, when I got there the Early Bird queue was long and even when normal entry started, there were reasonable queues for tickets!
NSU was placed quite close to the entrance, which meant a good amount of passing traffic - and it seemed to go well for Harris, who had brought over the much discussed James Bond Memorabilia variant (looks really nice!) Paul Hart was, as always, set up next door, and Patrick Hamill (aka Patdata) had arrived earlier, straight from the airport. A special guest was also present, in the form of Batman, who had flown over specially for the show (and, indeed, skipped the SDCC this year, choosing to visit Memorabilia instead!)
Sadly missed from this years show were John The Hat and the Card Talker formerly known as CSI Dave, neither of whom was able to attend this year - hopefully they will BOTH be back at a future show! (best wishes to both!)
A quick wander around the hall showed several card dealers; too many to name all of them here (my apologies!), but familiar faces could be seen at ATC, RichwithCards and Umbrella, and there were a couple of relative newcomers to the show, which was a good sign! I headed towards Cult-Stuff, one of two card publishers at the show (the other being Anthony Lee's Pop Culture, which I passed on the way!) Jason and Liza were in good form, and had set aside space for artist Carolyn Edwards, who showed some of her art and took commissions (on Sunday, her place was taken by Patrick Hamill!)
The celebrity signing area was extensive but, apart from Eddie McCLintock and David Haselhoff, there wasn't much in the way of a big international 'draw'; very few (if any) Doctor Who cast members (which is unusual), the focus this time seemed to be on the "Only Fools and Horses" and "Allo Allo" reunions, though there were a couple of Red Dwarf allumni there (Craig Charles and Hattie Hayridge). I did try to get an interview with one of the "Only Fools and Horses" guests, Dennis Lill, for one of my other podcasts, Radio Tilling (he had previously starred in the Channel 4 series "Mapp & Lucia") but to no avail.

Usually there are loads of DVD tables set up; I didn't notice many of those this year. I did see several T-Shirt stands, including a couple with shirts similar to those seen on The Big Bang Theory who seemd to be doing a good trade!
Card wise, there were no 'Show Exclusive' promos as such, though a few people had exclusive to them Cult Stuff Sherlock promos (NSU being one, Umbrella being the other).
The show organisers handed out a Spiderman comicbook and some show guides (which contained "Life of Pi" movie bookmarks), but that was pretty much it as far as show freebies were concerned.

Anthony Lee seemed to be very busy at his Pop Culture stand - this is the company he has set up to produce trading cards, with the first release set to be "Misfits", based on the Channel 4 series. I interviewed him at some length for the podcast (which, quick plug, I hope to get online later this week, if not the middle of next!)
There was an artist alley of sorts and in there I found respected British comic book artist Al Davison (who, like Carolyn and Patrick, is working on sets for Cult Stuff) - Al was very friendly and happy to chat (as were Carolyn and Patrick!) and I bought a pair of exceedingly reasonably priced pencil PSC's from him. (I also commissioned Carolyn to to a pair of cards for me and I'll post scans of those when I have them!)

Saturday afternoon brougnt a surprise for Harris and the NSU table, which was celebrating it's 10th year at Memorabilia - a few of us had organised a special celebratory cake, which was shared out amongst those present (it was a little bashed in the transport up to Brimingham, but seemed to be enjoyed by all - there was only a small slice left at the end of the day!)

Saturday seemed to be really busy; a few of the people set up at the show confirmed this - certainly it was a lot busier than for the last couple of years.
Saturday night saw a group of us head off to an excellent Weatherspoons in Solihull (The Assembly Rooms) where (courtesy of Cult Stuff) we ate and drank heartily! (thanks are also due to Carolyn, who very kindly drove us there and back, despite having a long drive home!) A subset of the group continued to 'celebrate' the evening at the Cult Stuff hotel until the wee small hours but, as is the rule at Memorabilia, what happens at the bar STAYS in the bar...

Sunday is always quieter, no matter what show it is, but it was still reasonably busy. Harris sold out of a few things, which means he must have done well! A further wander around the show secured me a box for Open That Box Day next year (I won't say what the box was, but it only cost £2 ($3), it's a set I've opened before, but for which I am still missing a couple of cards, and (here's a pretty big clue) old-timers on Card Talk will probably be able to work it out if I say that I hope I don't get a redemption card again this time...

Thanks to Jason at Cult-Stuff, and his friend/neighbour in dealer tables Paul, I managed to get a few of the Character Building Doctor Who Series 3 mini figures - I got a Rory with eye patch (from "The Wedding of River Song") and an Ood (both rare) and an 11th Doctor in a long coat (one of the commons) This is the first time I've seen Series 3 anywhere! I also picked up the CB Tardis Console megaset from Jason for an exceedingly reasonable price (£15) and one each of the Dracula sets, Pulp Detectives (in which I found a Robert Hack sketch AND an Aly Fell autograph card!) and a War of the Worlds preview set, as well as a huge stack of different promos! I'll be reviewing these on the UK CardCast website soon.

After all these years, I've gotten into the mindset of only going to Memorabilia to meet up with Harris and the gang of usual Suspects (Patrick, Wolfie, Hammer, Graham, Douglas, Paul, etc) and this year was no exception; however the show itself was well worth attending in it's own right, and if this is a sign of things picking up, then I look forward to next year!
Au Res.,
Paul

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Quaint1,

Al Davison pencil headshots

Harris and Batman

Anthony Lee of Pop Culture Company

Harris and Cake!!!

Patdata and Cake!!! (also visible, Szym on the far left of the picture!)

Hammer, Graham, Batman and Cake!!! (Caption competition for what Batman is thinking - I'll start: "I came all the way over here and all I get is Cake?")

Carolyn Edwards and one of her artist cards

The obligatory Dalek, which stopped in front of the NSU stand and had a short conversation with the chap behind, some of which I could hear - "See you later, Take Care" doesn't quite sound right when said in a Dalek voice...

And Finally (for now, I have to scan/photograph some of the stuff I got at the show, and I assume other people will be posting pics soon!) here is one from the Saturday night dinner of Batman wearing the Angry Birds Silly Hat I wore at the 2011 Fall Philly!

Au Res.,
Paul

Now that i have sorted myself out i need to make a few thank you's and one merci.

I had a great day at the show meeting up with all the folks i had not seen for, well, since the last time. All the usual dealers and NSU members were there and it was great to see you all again.

I picked up lots of things whilst i was there but was told by security to put them back.

A big thanks to Paul & Dawn at Umbrella Cards who were able to help me with some of my James Bond wants and various other things.

Disclaimer: other dealers are available.

Great to see Harris and the NSU table once again. It is very much appreciated by myself and others that Harris comes over for our show and long may it continue.

We even had 10th Anniversary cake which was very nice. It would have been even nicer if i had remembered to turn up for the presentation, i apologise for that but my mind was elsewhere at the time and probaly still is.

Harris managed to get 9 wolfie pounds out of me for some strange magazine he had made, said it was rare, well they all say that. I shall demand a refund if it turns out not to be.

Batman came over for the show this time round and contrary to what Headless would have me believe turned out to be a really nice chap. A big thanks to him for bringing me a Miami Dolphins hat, very kind, i hope you enjoy your trip.

A big Merci to Frederic who flew in from France for the show and was kind enough to present me with a big stack of promos that he had been collecting on my behalf, it was nice to see you, i wish i'd had more time to talk with you, i look forward to the next time.

Another thank you to Richard who had come from all the way just round the corner with a bag full of cards for me, i really do appreciate it.

A big thank you to Steve J for bringing me the final card i needed to complete my disney set, very much appreciated.

Onto the Cult-Stuff stand where Jason was in full flow dealing with everyone who was demanding his time and his promos, he loves it really.

Cult-Stuff had all their latest product available at the show and i got sets for Dracula, Titanic, Pulp Detectives and War of the Worlds which are all superb, anyone buying these will definatly not be disapointed.

But wait, what is this vision coming towards me, it's Mrs Cult-Stuff looking stunning in her show outfit ( that should put me in her good books for another six months ). Lovely to see you again Liza.

But wait, not finished yet, my fave artist was at the show or she would have been but could not make it so instead we had Carolyn Edwards.
Hang on, i'll do it myself.

It was great to see Carolyn again and i hope she had a nice day. Whilst she was missing for five minutes i stole her pencil and did a wolfie sketch which was a true work of art but she seemed unimpressed and Liza promised to send me the standard artist rejection letter. Don't you just hate critics?

As usual i did not have enough time to spend with all the people who were there and i'm sure i missed loads of things i should have been looking at but it was a great day anyway.

When i left the show in the pouring rain it was good to see my car was still where i had left it and i drove home, rather slowly, along the motorway dodging all the big trucks which seem intent on getting me.

So another show is done, roll on the next one i say. Ta Ta for now.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wolfie,

Excellent Show this year. The only shame is that the whole weekend flew by in no time. It was great to see lots of the CardTalk regulars even if, as it was often, only briefly.
Paul B. was excellent company as always (strange not having Dave there). The other notable absence was John the Hat and Lyn – best wishes John and hope to see you both back at the show next year.
Many thanks to Jason and Liza of Cult Stuff for their support and generosity throughout the weekend. Their passion and enthusiasm for cards is brilliant - my apologies to anyone who came along to the Cult Stuff table early on Sunday morning if that passion and enthusiasm was slightly dampened by the hangovers I feel at least partially responsible for......
It was great to meet Bob. I only wish I could have spent more time talking to him, Harris and Paul Hart. I got very little time this year to catch up with Harris . Although it was a very economical trip flying in early on the Saturday morning and back out on the Sunday evening, I think next year I will go back to spending the long weekend over in Birmingham as the best part is always the socialising.

My thanks to everyone who bought sketch cards from me, making it a profitable as well as fun weekend.

Looking forward to next year already!

I turned up with an early bird ticket even though the M50 was shut and I had to take a detour. Stopped firstly at Dereks table who quickly took £70 off my wife, while my back was turned (she collects Heroes you know!)

The NSU table was next - said Hi to Harris before Jason from Unstobble stopped me. (Well he is unstoppable). We discussed bits and pieces, Blake 7 and all that and returned to the NSU table. Handed Wolfie a Morrison Disney card, bought a War of the Worlds (Cult Stuff) preview set from Paul Hart (which included a sketch). Paid for my NSU subscription for another year, then moved on.

Craig Parker was at the show, both my wife and I wanted to meet him, due to his part in LOTR. What a good chap he was, really chatty and friendly. We talked for a good time, he signed a photo after taking pics and we moved on again.



I caught Quant1 (Paul)at Rich for Cards stall and had a chat. I mentioned his "Life in a Cardboard World" to him, although probably not used now, was useful when I first started collecting. Rich announced to me that this was probably his last show, and I found that very sad. I know things move on and I wish him well. It was always good to talk to Rich about all things Cardboard.

I picked up a nice sketch from Enterprise 1999 Trading cards aka Alan Brown from the Avengers 50th Anniversery (will post when I get the chance)

We also visited Jason (Cult Stuff) who handed me some promos (as he always does) and announced that the Seeber set will be issued, don't know when, but it will be issued. The lovely Carolyn Edwards was with Jason as she was in the Spring, exhibiting her wares. Time was short and I had to dive off.

The wife wanted to get into the Christmas Gift Show. In contradiction with what Wolfie had to say I didn't take home a Christmas tree.



We returned to Memorabelia to say goodbye to Harris and Patdata who were at the NSU stall

Bought a Fringe box and binder from Derek and left.

Although the journey home was horrific, it was good to meet old friends at Memorabelia.

That tree was missing when i went past so i know you took it home.

Thanks once again for my Disney card.

It was good to chat to you too, Steve - thanks for reminding me about "Life in s Cardboard World"!
In case anyone is wondering, it is/was a trading card blog I used to write, but it'x been neglected since I started doing the podcasts. I may well revive it!
Au Res.,
Paul

It looks like it was a great show.