Collectormania 19! Lady Samantha Braves The Cold & Meets Lost Star Henry Ian Cusick! Malcolm McDowell! Bernard Cribbins! Lou Ferrigno! As Well As Gillian Anderson! Billie Piper! And More!

I always say, the one thing that is unique about our hobby is that items hold their value or can make money. People who collect Precious Moments, or Beanie Babies can’t say that. LOL… However, when it comes to conventions… They can be steep!

M-

__________________________________________________________

Well it’s that time of year when us conventionees make a trek to the cold MK Dons football stadium for Collectormania 19. This con is held in a soccer stadium (never in the Summer!) and is usually complained about for its coldness and overcrowding.

This year is it run on a Sat-Mon. I chose to do Sunday as my friend was working Saturday. Apparently Saturday was very crowded as they had a 1st time signer that day only of Jenna Louise Coleman (Dr Whos new assistant). Sunday only they had Billie Piper who also drew a big crowd and was on 400 people within 1 hour. When you arrive at these events in the UK you rush over to the people you want to meet to get a VT, which has a number on it and you always want a low number. They then call you up to get something signed by number so 1-50 or 1-100. So Billie Piper was signing fast to have seen 400 people in the 1st hour!

So was doing no personalization which may have helped. She was seated next to Lou Ferringo so I got to see how she was with people and snap a couple of photos of her. I didn’t need her as I had met her (for free) at theatre a few times.

These events are big money makers for the organizers. I have listed the prices and names of who attended. I know 1 man who had 45 items for one guest at £15 an item!

Alfie Allen…………………..Sat……………………….Auto £15/Photo £15
Amy LITA Dumas………..Sat/Sun/Mon……………….Auto £15/Photo £15
Anjli Mohindra…………….Sun……………………….Auto £10/Photo £10
Ariana Richards……………Sat/Sun/Mon……………….Auto £15/Photo £15
Ben Greaves Neal…………Mon………………..Auto £10
Bernard Cribbins…………..Sun………………………Auto £20/Photo £20
Billie Piper ………………….Sun………………………Auto £30/Photo £25
Bonnie Langford…………..Sun……………………….Auto £10/Photo £10
Carole Ann Ford…………..Mon…………………Auto £10
Charles Dance……………..Sat……………………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Christopher Judge………..Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £20/Photo £20
Colin Hoult…………………Mon………………..Auto £10.Photo £10
Craig Charles………………Sun……………………………Auto £15/Photo £15
Dave Legeno……………….Sat…………………………….Auto £10/Photo£10
Denis Lawson……………..Sun………………………Auto £20/Photo £20
Doug Williams……………Sat/Sun/Mon……………….Auto £10/Photo £10
Duncan Regehr……………Sat/Sun/Mon……………….Auto £15/Photo £15
Ellie Kendrick…………….Sat…………………………….Auto £10/Photo £15
Eric Millegan……………..Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Gethin Anthony……………………………………….Sun……………………….Auto £10/Photo £10
Gillian Anderson………………………………..Sat/Sun……………………….Auto £30/Photo £30
Glyn Baker……………………………………….Sat………………………………Auto £10
Henry Ian Cusick……………………………….Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Jacqueline King………………………………………Sun……………………….Auto £10/Photo £10
Jenna Louise Coleman……………………….Sat……………………………..Auto £35/Photo £30
John Leeson……………………………………..Sat……………………………..Auto £10
John Rhys Davies……………………………..Sat/Sun/Mon………………….Auto £15/Photo £15
Julian Sands……………………………………..Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Ken Kirzinger…………………………………….Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Kenny Baker…………………………………….Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Kid Kash………………………………………………..Sun/Mon………………..Auto £10/Photo £10
Lisa Marie Varon (Tara/Vitoria)……………Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Lou Ferrigno……………………………………..Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Luke Barnes…………………………………………….Sun………………………Auto £10/Photo £10
Malcolm Mcdowell…………………………….Sat/Sun………………………..Auto £20/Photo £20
Mark Stanley…………………………………………..Sun………………………Auto £10/Photo £10
Mary Ellen Trainor……………………………..Sat/Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Mat Irvine………………………………………..Sat………………………………Auto £10
Nabil Shaban…………………………………..Sat/Sun………………………..Auto £10
Neil McDermott……………………………………..Sun…………………………Auto £10
Nick Shirm………………………………………………….Mon………………….Auto £10/Photo £10
Oliver Ford Davies……………………………Sat……………………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Paul Marc Davis……………………………………Sun…………………………Auto £10
Rachel Bell………………………………………………….Mon…………………Auto £10
Richard Franklin……………………………………..Sun……………………….Auto £10/Photo £10
Richard Poe………………………………………Sat/Sun/Mon……………….Auto £15/Photo £15
Robert Llewellyn………………………………..Sat…………………………….Auto £15/Photo £15
Roberta Tovey……………………………………Sun…………………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Rupert Young……………………………………Sat…………………………….Auto £10/Photo £10
Ryan Nelson………………………………………………….Mon………………Auto £10/Photo £10
Sheila Steafel………………………………………………..Mon……………….Auto £10
Shelton Benjamin……………………………………Sun/Mon………………..Auto £15/Photo £15
Sonita Henry……………………………………..Sat…………………………….Auto £10/Photo £15
Spice Williams…………………………………..Sat/Sun/Mon……………….Auto £15/Photo £15
Steven Robertson…………………………….Sat……………………………..Auto £10/Photo £10
Torri Higginson………………………………….Sat/Sun/Mon……………….Auto £15/Photo £15

The 1st is the price of the auto on either your item or one of their photos supplied and the 2nd is of the photo shoot with the guest with a professional photographer.

The main guests I wanted to meet were Lou Ferrigno, Malcolm McDowell, Henry Ian Cusick and possibly Bernard Cribbins. I managed to get low numbers for all the ones I wanted and set off to meet Henry first. Henry was very quiet all weekend which I found a surprise as Lost guests have been a big draw at the cons in previous years and this is his 1st one that I have known to be at. I had brought my own photo to get signed and asked him to use a blue pen as I am not a lover of black sharpie. He then proceeded to sign on the blue part of the photo. Why? I paid £15 for a signature I can hardly see. Oh well.

Some guests won’t allow photos at all at the desk as they are doing paid photo shoots, some will let you take photos in the queue whilst they are signing, some will let you take ones of them only and some, if you are lucky, will let you take one of you and them but in the most ridiculous pose contorted across the table! Henry was kind enough to let me have a photo with him. Nice fella but very quiet and not very talkative.

Next onto Lou Ferrigno. I had heard how rude he is blanking people who tried to make conversation with him while he was signing. Maybe they should realize he is hard of hearing and needs to lip read which he can’t do with his head down! People are quick to judge people without researching the facts.  

I was torn between 2 photos and eventually plumped for this one and the assistant with Lou asked me if I wanted it personalized and I said to Sam please and she told Lou it was for Sam. He then shook my hand and smiled at me.

I didn’t really have anything to ask him and didn’t want to hold his queue up as he had quite a few people wanting to meet him even though he has done these cons before. 

Next was Malcolm McDowell who needs no introduction. Most famous for “Clockwork Orange”.  I was getting him for a friend who couldn’t attend and decided to get him as well as he had a photo from “The Artist” and I loved that film so thought I would get one to. He was very friendly commenting on my Arsenal top and then tried to tell me there were 10 Uggies used in the film with a mischievous glint in his eye!

Malcolm surprisingly was letting people have photos with him at the table. So I asked if I could. This photo was the worst for contorting over the table.

His queue was the longest for me that day. Though the 2 biggest over the weekend were Piper and Coleman. Even Anderson wasn’t as busy as she made her con debut here last year. 

My final meet was Bernard Cribbins, who was a bit steep at £20. The reason being he is in the recent series of Dr Who apparently. When you look at the prices they were charging for Coleman and Piper you will see how they cash in. The next one is the LFACC in July at Olympia in London and Peter Dinklage is there at £35 and a joint photo shoot with him and Lena Headey is £60 yet separate photo shoots is £5 cheaper! Lena Headey last year at CM18 was £20 and this year is £25 for an auto. All due to GOT popularity. Anyway, I have gone off course.  

I was only going to get him if he had a photo from the Wombles as he narrated it. Now for anyone who doesn’t know what a Womble is, they were a tv prog in the 1970s for kids and the lived on Wimbledon Common and would collect litter from the common. They had many songs in the music charts – The Wombling Song

Remember You’re a Womble, Wombling Merry Christmas and I Wish It Could Be a Wombling Merry Christmas Every Day. All good sing a long songs in their day no doubt!  

He had many Dr Who photos, a couple from the Carry On films and 1 Wombles photo. So I went to meet him and he was pleasant enough. He said hello and that was about it. 

Managed to get a photo of Ariana Richards from “Jurassic Park” as she was next to Craig Charles (Red Dwarf) who my friend was getting.

Then after 2 hours of walking round I popped into McDonalds and had this alien behind me trying to pickpocket my bag!