“I was about to throw away this particular sweet wrapper, and I suddenly realised that if I threw it away I’d never see it again, and nor would anybody else…” Robert Opie.
Collecting Now’s Harriet Crawley speaks to Robert Opie, who collects ephemera – in his case, he specifically collects anything to be found in supermarkets, including promotional items and advertisements. Robert has kept the wrapping of everything he has eaten since 1964. His collection features packets, bottles, tins and labels from 1840 to the present day, and has grown to include approximately 200,000 items.
Robert believes that his collection documents an often overlooked, but valuable part of our social history. Now he needs to find a museum in which to house it.
Clip taken from Collecting Now, originally broadcast on BBC Two, 30 September, 1981.
This edition of Collecting Now ends with a teaser – we’ve included the answer from the following week’s edition at the end of this clip, so you can play along at home. Good luck!
Credit to : BBC Archive