Devonport history, on postcards up to a century old, is on offer, reports Rebecca Lewis
The son of a well-known Devonport collector is selling his late father's postcard collection for $14,000. Bert Eccles had been collecting postcards of his Devonport hometown since his retirement nearly 25 years ago. He had more
than 430 postcards, some more than 100 years old, before his death earlier this year, aged 89.
Now his son, Peter, heir to the unique collection, has put them up for auction on TradeMe.
A number of people are interested with one serious potential buyer willing to pay more than the asked $14,000.
``But I don't know what will happen yet; he's coming round to have a look at them this week,' he says.
Not much of a postcard collector himself, Peter says he ``thought long and hard' before making the decision to sell his father's collection.
``I have decided to sell them to a dedicated postcard collector. I feel it's important to offer them on the market because I want to find someone who will love them as much as my dad did.'
Peter says Bert, originally from Dunedin, moved to Devonport at the age of 7 and fell in love with the place.
``He lived there all his life and he went to Takapuna Grammar and had a real connection with the area.
``Devonport became his passion. He just took a real interest in collecting postcards on Devonport.'
The collection, made up of postcards issued and photographed by several people, depicts Devonport history. Many are from the early 1900s with original photographs of horse-drawn carriages and Devonport's first cars.
The asking price of $14,000 may seem hefty for 430 pieces of paper, but Peter says the collection is unlike anything else out there.
``Many of the older postcards are one-offs and are worth a couple of hundred dollars each,' he says. ``It's very rare that someone has a collection this large that homes in one one area or theme.'
Do you know of anyone with an odd collection? Contact The Aucklander and let us know at editorshore@theaucklander.co.nz
