Best place to buy zoo memorabilia?

Hi all,

As most of you do, i collect anything to do with zoo history. Most of my stuff I get on amazon or ebay but Where is the best place to purchase zoo memorabilia?

I was hoping to go to to Zoohistorica this year as it is being held in the UK, however I am unable to go now for the very good reason that my son has been born

So the question is, where else do you get your zoo guides, postcards etc from?

Thanks
Stu

 

Congratulations on the birth of your son.

The Bloomsbury Postcard Fair is held most months (normally the fourth Sunday of the month) at the Royal National Hotel, Bedford Way, London WC1 (near Russell Square).

I've been going the Bloomsbury Postcard Fair regularly for thirty years and that is where I've acquired the bulk of my collection of old zoo postcards.

 

A new son is clearly even more exciting than a big pile of old zoo guides - but the annual Zoohistorica event is the place to go to gather zoo memorabilia. It's possible to spend hours trawling through second-hand book shops only to find a single old guide for Paignton Zoo; go to Zoohistorica, with a box full of things to swap and a few quid to buy things for which you can't swap, and you'll go home with a suitcase full of stuff.

 

This is why I hoped to go, I wanted to come back with a pile of guides lol funny you should mention book shops, that is where I found my first old London zoo guide and also where I found my first zoo postcards that sparked this hobby! I still get the odd zoo book from book shops but at amazon I can buy them in bulk!

Thanks Tim, I will deffinatly add the postcard fair to my to do list

Are there any other sites online where this stuff is traded regularly?

 

I haven't got anything to swap but I'm quite happy to buy if I can afford it, how likely am I to come away with a small bundle?

And congratulations Stu!

 

I agree with "Sooty" - ZooHistorica is definitely the place to acquire zoo guides and it is thoroughly recommended; I would hate to miss this event.

However, I've never found ZooHistorica particularly good for historic zoo postcards so I really do recommend that you go to the Bloomsbury Postcard Fair sometimes.

(Incidentally, my earlier post in this thread appears to have been corrupted; apostrophes have been replaced with question marks; I definitely typed an apostrophe. Something similar seems to have happened with one of my other recent posts on another thread - and the system will not let me edit the posts to correct them.)

 

Not just your post, the whole site has gone a bit scatty over the past 15 hours.

 

I'd far rather exchange than sell, but will happily take your money off you (or even give you stuff)! I was sorting it all into boxes last night, and I've got lots of old spare guides and magazines - and one or two postcards too. Anything particular you're after?

 

Any old UK zoo guides would be great, Twycross, Chester, Dudley and Paignton in particular.
I'm not too fussy though, I'm quite interested in bolstering my collection.

 

Just to reiterate...Bristol is placing its archive of old zoo guides into the auction at Zoo Historica-over 200 lots including 15 Belle Vues,the first Paignton and many many more.Its a unique opportunity if you collect this stuff.In addition there are about 20 tables of zoo memorabilia from around the world,not all of which is expensive by any means[check my F.O.C. box!].

 

I don't think it will be a small bundle!!!

 

Well, I just thought I would say have fun all and happy collecting over the weekend