Posts by Ian Glen
FIRST EVER: Haynes Manual Collector Ingots just revealed
I expect like me, you get all misty eyed and nostalgic when you think about the memories of owning your first car. What was yours? Mine was a magnificent brown Mini no less! The dream of re-creating the Italian Job was never far away from mine and my teenage mates’ minds!
And again, if you’re like me, a tinkerer, almost certainly there was only one thing you HAD to buy next. The Haynes Manual for your car. It was the home mechanic’s Bible.
The Haynes Manual – British Classics in their own right
Their attention to detail was second to none. Complete with hundreds of accompanying photos in every new edition, the “Haynes” for your car was an absolute must-have.
Fast forward 40+ years, and like many of the cars they featured, the Manuals THEMSELVES have become widely known as British design classics. Renowned for their classic cover designs, and iconic cut-away illustrations.
Today I’m announcing a collecting first
So, over the last few months, I’m delighted to announce that we have been working directly with Haynes to bring you a new and exclusive edition of the Haynes Manual – the FIRST EVER Haynes Manual Collector Ingot.
That’s right, for the FIRST TIME EVER, the classic Haynes Manual covers are being faithfully reproduced in miniature on a series of Limited Edition Silver-Plated Ingots – created using the prized and sought-after ORIGINAL artwork provided by Haynes themselves!
And as you can see from the enclosed photographs, the first Ingot is a perfect limited edition recreation of the Haynes Manual book cover in miniature, including the instantly recognisable strip-down of the iconic (and my first car!) Mini.
Your invitation to SAVE £10.00 when you order today
Today, I would like to personally invite you to own this FIRST EVER Haynes Manual Silver-Plated Ingot for JUST £9.99 – an exclusive £10.00 SAVING. Importantly, each Ingot has been struck to the very highest mirror-shine Proof finish. What’s more, your Ingot has also been plated in 999/1000 Fine Silver. Since the first Manual was published in 1966, over 150 million Haynes Manuals have been sold globally. And that’s when you realise where the collectible significance of this newly released Silver-Plated Ingot lies. Because only 9,995 Ingots have been authorised. Almost certainly, that’s far from enough for all the car enthusiasts and collectors in Britain, let alone the rest of the world.
BIFF! BOP! THUDD! Own an original piece of Beano artwork on the NEW Silver-Plated Commemorative
The Beano turns 80 this year. I’ll just let that sink in.
I still remember running down to my old corner shop every Wednesday after school to pick up the brand new Beano comic for 2p (the mind boggles!), then running home to try and get a read of the first few pages before mum cleared the table for dinner.
Of all the Beano characters, there was one character I looked forward to reading about more than any other – my favourite mischief maker – Dennis the Menace.
And that’s why I have been so excited over the last few months to be able to work personally on an exclusive and highly collectable Beano Commemorative – especially as this year the comic turns 80.
Brand new never before seen Dennis illustration
As a special privilege for their 80th birthday, Beano have given us unparalleled permission to create some brand new Beano artwork.
That’s because, for the very first time, Dennis the Menace has been brought to life on a brand new and exclusive Silver-Plated Commemorative by actual Beano artist – Wayne Thompson.
As you can see, the medal is a perfect limited edition tribute to Dennis in his classic red and black sweater that you, I, and many generations of children have grown up to love.
And as I mentioned, the Dennis the Menace illustration has been specially commissioned exclusively for Mint Editions. No one has ever seen it before and it has come straight from The Beano studios, direct to us from their artist – Wayne Thompson.
A whole collection of beloved Beano favourites
Just as in the comics, Dennis is never far from his trusted companion Gnasher, who is also part of the collection of new medals featuring beloved Beano favourites.
The complete collection of eight medals also includes Bananaman, Plug, Minnie the Minx, Roger the Dodger, Danny and Pieface – and each Silver-Plated Medals all feature brand new never-before-seen illustrations from Wayne.
Your invitation to SAVE £10.00 when you order today
Today, I would like to personally invite you to start your collection with the Dennis the Menace Silver-Plated Medal – for JUST £14.99… that’s an exclusive £10.00 SAVING. What’s more, alongside your second delivery you’ll also receive a free collecting pack to house and protect each Silver-Plated Medal.
The Framed Presentations celebrating the UK’s Music Giants – selling so fast they’ve gone Platinum!
Pink Floyd, David Bowie, the Beatles. Giants of the international music scene, and most importantly, all home-grown talent.
The Official Royal Mail Dark Side of the Moon Stamp
That’s why all of these artists have been commemorated at one point by Royal Mail, with their own set of official postage stamps, featuring a selection of their most famous albums.
But what I, and many others like me, love most about the original albums is the artwork that adorns their covers. The prism on Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. The Beatles crossing Abbey Road – two of the most famous images in British popular culture.
Abbey Road Framed Vinyl Presentation
And I know I’m not alone when I say “they don’t make them like they used to!” But it’s true.
My point is that after vinyl fell out of fashion (it still pains me!), many of these classic albums, these heavyweights of British culture, ended up in lofts, given to charity shops or just binned! Criminal! The fact is they should be presented, shown-off and displayed – like the pieces of art they are.
Framed Vinyl Classics
Aladdin Sane Framed Vinyl Presentation
This was the driving force behind Framed Vinyl Classics. To give vinyl its place back in the home. Definitive tributes to some of the greatest artists and albums the UK has ever produced.
With our background in stamps, we were able to pair together the stamp and matching classic vinyl album to make a genuinely superb wall display. Giving each iconic cover the place it deserves in your home or office.
Multiple Sell-outs
Ziggy Stardust Framed Vinyl Presentation – Sold Out
So we can’t say we’ve been surprised by how popular they have been with collectors. Because we collect them too. Editions for The Dark Side of the Moon, Ziggy Stardust and Abbey Road have all SOLD OUT, catapulting Framed Vinyl Classics from humble beginnings as art for enthusiasts to a genuine piece of must-have memorabilia for the fans.
First Look – Brand New Releases
New: Led Zeppelin IV Framed Vinyl Presentation
Now, after listening to many requests for other albums, I’m very pleased to be able to show you for the very first time, more definitive tributes to some other of the all time classic Brit artists. The Clash, Led Zeppelin, Blur, Coldplay and Mike Oldfield are now available to order – all set to worldwide editions of JUST 250. Click here to see all the available presentations >>>
New: Coldplay Framed Vinyl Presentation
If you click on one the links above or below, you’ll view a gallery of all the past and present Framed Vinyl Classics. Some have sold out of their strictly limited worldwide editions, some are on their way to doing just that, and some, like today, are brand-new – hot off the press.
And what further adds to the limited status of each framed presentation – the element highly desired by collectors – are the official postage stamps. Not only are they among the few issues to feature album covers, but some of the stamps are extremely scarce and are only available on the secondary market – you can’t get them from the post office and won’t see them on your letters.
You see, the stamps for the new presentations were released back in 2010, as part of Royal Mail’s Classic Album Covers issue. Significantly, these stamps were issued before Facebook and Google – and the more effective means of showing these fantastic commemoratives direct to the fans. In other words, many fans of these bands probably still aren’t aware these delightful pieces of memorabilia even exist! Which I guess makes this, a bit of an inside track (no pun intended).
The official Royal Mail Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Stamp
One final point of interest to collectors, many of these stamps are so limited that Stanley Gibbons, the authority on everything stamp related, state that the Classic Album Covers stamps have increased in value by over 100% since their release, whilst the Beatles stamps from 2007 have increased in value by whopping 200%!*
But don’t just take my word for it, nor the hundreds of collectors who have snapped up their own Framed Vinyl Classic. See for yourself by clicking the link here and view the Framed Vinyl Classics gallery.
* Stanley Gibbons, Collect British Stamps 2016.
If you’re interested…