In the 40 years I have been trading as a dealer I have experienced and been very fortunate to deal with an interesting and diverse section of clients and dealers alike, many of which having stood the test of time and are still dealing with me today and for that I am grateful.
However, as time goes by you find yourself that with life there is more behind you and less left infront of you, you can think less of the sales somewhat and think more about the preservation of the subjects you enjoy of which Automobilia and Petroliana is a subject I have become quite passionate about in more recent years and have journed to learn and take on board as much as I can.
This has enabled and given me a new platform to deal and work alongside clients to build on their collections, private or otherwise, to which we respect have to remain anonymous or are quite happy to give me permission to write about.
Jason Arabian from Rhode Island, New England in the United States came to visit me at our premises for the first time a few years ago before covid.
I was instantly blown away by his passion for the British Motorbike and was in the early stages of constructing his own private museum to showcase some of the earliest and most pristine pre World War two motorbikes to which he his constantly adding to along with Automobilia and Petroliana items.
Jason is an astute and a very successful business individual in the States and my first meeting with him made me feel incredibly comfortable as an understated and grounded family man with an incredible dry sense of humour.
It was from there on Jason purchased a quantity of items that was shipped over to United States to start furnishing his private museum to which visitors are now welcome.
A few months down the line Jason sent me an update of the construction of the mesuem and to my amazement and utter surprise he had constructed a street scene of pre war British shops, garages,pub,workshops and more but the one shop that stood out was a confectioner & tobacconist store with my name over it !!!!
Naturally I felt humbled with an outburst of childish giggling but delighted and honoured for all to see.
It is now my mission to source and stock the store with a particular dateline of chocolate advertising and any related tobacco collectable items.
This is what I love to able to do, as a passionate advertising collector myself and all things Automobilia & Petroliana related is to know that the right collectable is being met and matched with the passion of the right collector and is being preserved for generations to come.
The museum booklet is just a small example that I have shown of what Jason is achieving and is ongoing working progress to give visitors a taste of a growing collection that will excite and be amazed by future visitors.
