Exits and Entries
As usual this issue comes out late in the month to catch the last few
membership renewals. As usual some have dropped out but there have also been new
members, whose details will be found in the 2003 membership list enclosed with
this issue or E-mailed to on-line members.
We are hoping for additional membership enquiries consequent upon having
been featured in the “High Society” club promotion page in the UK
publication Aeroplane Monthly, April edition.
by clicking on the picture a readable version will open (1 MB)
The new
members are, in the UK
Chris
Bower, Alan Field, Steve Benz, Paul Gibbons
And
overseas
Peng
Kong Chai in Malaysia, Chris Watts in France and Adolf Draeger
in Germany.
A few members wrote to discontinue their subscriptions but the majority
of non-joiners have just faded away. Given that one suspects that the age
profile of the club is slanted towards the upper half, if not the upper quartile
of life, it is likely that some are, in all respects, no longer with us.
This brings me to the issue of recycling of collections in which we all
have an interest in preventing collections being destroyed through ignorance.
Last year I was approached by a distant relative of a late member, who was
nevertheless his executor. She was asking
for help in how to best realize funds from the collection, proceeds of which had been willed to the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Essentially the options in this case range from investing time to sell
the cards direct, or selling through other collectors and/or dealers.
Having reached a satisfactory arrangement to all
parties, many items from this collection have now passed to other
collectors worldwide, and, additionally provided a lot of source material for
the article on Real Photographs Ltd in this issue. It seems possible that other members with no other plans for their
collections might also wish to suggest that the Club be used in this way.
To
turn from contemplation of the rise and fall of collections, there is very
positive news, at least in the UK, of the Heathrow catalogue.
Three months after issue it is the most successful in the UK market but,
as expected, lags behind the type-based issues in overseas sales.
For anyone put off by the
“airport” theme it is worth stating that, certainly in the “black &
white era” the majority of cards are of aircraft,
not buildings, for the simple reason that the buildings, huts or even tents,
were nothing to be proud of.
There is
no pre-planned Catalogue for 2003. Indeed there may be a problem doing any more.
This is due to the almost 100% increase n the price of colour ink.
Heathrow could only be produced at a sensible price because over 50% of
the cards were black and white – which had the additional bonus of allowing
print-from-CD with enhanced quality as in the Newsletter.
Of the subjects canvassed in the past, Handley Page Airliners 1919-1960s
would meet the 50% criteria as long as there was limited representation of the
Herald. A decision will be made by June
and one factor would be the willingness of Imperial collectors to list their HP
holdings.
Lastly
some reminders to those who access www.aviapc.com to see newsletter images in
colour and also pick up on inter-newsletter news.
Firstly, a new quiz has been posted from which one can win free
membership – the results of the last are shown also.
Secondly, with the membership renewals closing, the password will change
shortly. The user-ID will remain as “member”,
but, if the 2002 password “year10” no longer works, then you should use the
2003 password “Wilbur” - with a capital "W". Now you only have to remember which Wright brother
it was and how to spell it.
Doug Bastin March 2003