Interview Date: 25th August 2008
How did it all start?
Whilst fishing with my Dad in drought conditions of 1976 we discovered a clay pipe, and later on a school friend found a local codd in the same river. We were hooked!
Where was your first dig?
I dug a local 1930's tip near our house and I am still digging it now. Although a late tip, it has produced at least six of the ultra rare Nicholls blue lip reliance Colchester codds and several superb local match-strikers.
What was your favourite digging dump?
It has to be Essex Hall, Colchester. Glass was clean, the dump was packed with gear and we hand dug it only for 3 to 4 years. I dug over 100 lids by hand from this tip and it produced much quality including three farmyard lids, a Daniel Melia lid, several warners and many local rarities.
Have you a funny story regarding digging?
There are two particular stories that stick to my mind:-
-One night we were digging late and it was dusk when a fox calmly walked on the dump - picked up one of the digger's sandwiches and simply ran off with them!
-Another time I arrived on the dump to find a local digger called Dines wrapped in a roll of silver foil paper! He had been there all night and was sound asleep in the bottom of his hole - apparently his hole was so good that he wasn't going to risk anyone getting it before him!
What's been your best find?
I've had loads including an amber lockharts dodds patent codd from Woolmer Green, a mint quart size green warners safe cure from North Station Colchester and a blue lip premier patent from Newmarket plus blue lip Nicholls, reliance codds from Colchester, but the 1oz green Wilsons patent from Chelmsford was my favourite find as I collect posions and had dug several damaged examples before getting a mint one. A close second was an ultra rare London coloured top cream from the company F.J.Hollier of West End Green, London.
Your most unlucky days of digging...
Two digs stand out. The first was when my wife, Mandy, used to come digging with me. We had been digging the Maldon railway site. I was knackered after a day of digging so Mandy was caving in the hole when she put her fork right through a Soho St. Bears lid! I still have the three pieces somewhere!
The second most unlucky dig was at Newmarket when I dug between the late John King and Ralph Catchpole. John had dug a blue codd from his hole the previous day so we were all confident. I started well with a broken green premier patent but managed to miss the hole when smashing down with my sledge hammer and tore my back, leaving me unable to dig. I literally had to watch John and Ralph dig through my hole. Ralph ended up with a blue codd and two warners safe cures!! AARGH!!
Your best boot-sale find...
Dad found a full and labelled cobalt prices soap for a fiver, and two slab sealed Suffolk porters for 50p each but we had loads over the years. Most recently was a huge black glass sealed wine for £1!
Hand digging vs machines
Nowadays I prefer machine digging. I no longer have the time or patience to hand dig unless it is a really good tip. Also, when there is a machine dig, more people attend which makes it more fun. We all end up with something and have a good laugh doing so.This is also based on my fitness nowadays as hand digging has taken its toll over the years!
Your best days digging...
Unbelievably, from a late 1940's tip in Clacton. I was digging with my dad through modern kite-kat tins and screw tops when we found a seam of early rubbish that must have been a war-time cellar clear out. Finds included two named stone pub flasks, a mauve print foot-warmer, a DeGruchy green hamilton, and five enamel signs still wrapped in a wax cover. It was the fact that we perservered in a dump that most would have walked away from, and this dump went on to produce many other rarities.There have been many good days that included 7 or 8 lids per dig,but they came on tips that really produced in the early years.
What now?
I am always on the lookout for potential sites but I enjoy the wheeling and dealing in obtaining new items more than the digging nowadays, but if a good dig comes up locally, i'll be there!!!
End of Interview