Midlands collector, i would ask you this, how on earth would a collector of checks obtain an example of say a colliery from the fife area! pop up in the car & start door knocking!! this goes for the rest of the country! is one expected to exchange checks with NMMA members only. I would suggest theres a bit of jealousy. Good luck to Peter & the rest i say & as Charles says these checks that are unearthed would almost certainly never see the light of day!!
As to yor other "argument" re pre 47 checks that dont have NCB or a company name well yes of course this is a grey area, but most collectors & especially those who worked at different collieries & who have had chance to speak to the older miners have i would suggest enough information & knowledge to know the difference. Any chance you worked in the pits??

here here, well said, every man for themselves, if the person or persons, including myself put the effort in sending out these letters to newspapers it good luck to us i say,

Yes it is everyman for himself.Its a dog eat dog world we live in and collecting is no different.If anybody can pick a check up for next to nowt who in their right mind would not buy it.Do people think the well known antique dealers on TV are any different ,If they found a rare painting on a car boot sale they would only pay what the car booter was asking for it .Its upto people to do their own homework and research on the subject ,knowledge is key to the matter.Lets face it a check is only worth what a collector will pay for it.You only have to see what as happened with the Birchenwoods & Kidsgrove Checks ,once more than half a dozen turn up there value plummets.

So what exactly is the message some of the guys on here are trying to get over? What you appear to be saying is that its OK to -

a) get your checks for nowt from con artist adverts in newspapers
b) advertise an NCB check on ebay as a pre 47 if it hasn't got NCB stamped on it (As you say - its a dog eat dog world out there and why not con a newbie collector if he hasnt got the nowse to know better)

But it not OK to –

c) try and con a more experienced collector if your names Mully or the like

Some of you on this forum say your trying to protect the hobby from the likes of Mully but your not much better yourselves. As you recon its ok to try and rip off new collectors on ebay that aren’t in the know plus Joe Public with adverts asking for rare checks for the price of a return postage stamp. Its all the same kind of thing but if yours names Mully its dishonest whereas if it happens to be you or one of your NMMA mates it more or less ok.

At least we know where we all stand now.

Rob

Hey Robert,
Your entitled to your opinion, but you are seeming to be as bad as the persons you are commenting on, by branding everyone in the same boat!!!!
As I have said before, those collectors that put in the distance, time, effort, ads, etc deserve to get what they get. I would hope that they would be fair and honest with the people that respond to their efforts. If not, they have to live with themselves and their actions.I know Peter well for instance, and these allegations against him have caused him great distress, and it is unfair, he is a very fair, nice and sensitive man. What he does in advertising his wants is proactive and brings checks out to the light of day. He does not have pots of money, and manages to expand his collection slowly with some of the responses.
I do not advertise in the way that you mention and I hope I conduct myself in a proper manner, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time. At the end of the day, dedicated collectors will bring together a unique selection of very personal objects of history in a special industry, which powered our Country in the past and by the look of it, will do it again!!!!!!!
Now the likes of Mully! He really does rip off new and old collectors with out and out fakes, made deliberately to fleece money out of people for his crap rubbish - how can you compare his criminal actions with with collectors methods of getting REAL checks which you disaprove of?
But keep up the dialogue, because when we stop talking about our passion, it runs the risk of losing interest for old and new collectors alike!!
Regards
Charles

WITH REGARD TO ADVERTISING AND GETTING ITEMS ON THE CHEAP, WHAT ABOUT THIS THEN....A LADY HAS CONTACTED ME ABOUT LETTING ME HAVE HER LATE HUSBANDS COLLECTION OF BADGES WHO WAS A WELL KNOW UNION REPRESENTATIVE IN THE SOUTH YORKSHIRE COALFIELD, SHE ISNT BOTHERED ABOUT THE MONEY, (ALTHOUGH IV OFFERED A FAIR PRICE) SHE JUST WANTS THEM TO GO TO A GOOD HOME WHERE THEY WILL BE APPRECIATED, IV GOT MOST OF THESE BADGES SO ILL HAVE TO SELL MOST OF THE SPARES ON EBAY, SO WHAT DO, TELL HER THE TRUTH, OR GET THEM AND SELL ON?. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

I would do the same as you Pete.You ain't done nothing wrong.Good luck to you.