Seventy-year-old Tony Howard from Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, has sold his remarkable collection of New Musical Express (NME) magazines for over £2,500, aiming to turn decades of music nostalgia into concert tickets for a global tour.
Howard, who began his collection in 1966 at age 12, opted to part with his 3,000-issue archive to free up attic space and fund his passion for live music.
Auctioneers John Taylors in Louth described the collection as “perhaps the finest ever to be offered at auction,” estimating it could sell for £3,000.
Ultimately, the magazines were sold in three lots, with winning bidders from Lincolnshire, Kent, and Scotland.
A set covering the years 1973 to 2018, rich in articles, fetched £2,000 alone.
Howard expressed satisfaction with the result, sharing, “I was pleased they had been sold for a fair price,” and that watching the auction unfold from the back of the room was a nerve-wracking experience as he wondered if anyone would want the collection.
A former mayor of Mablethorpe, Howard now plans to use the proceeds to attend concerts of his favorite bands.
He admitted it was bittersweet parting with his collection, saying, “It’s strange…when people start talking about events in the music world…I’ve always been able to say, ‘Oh, I’ve got a paper all about that.’”
Reflecting on the unexpected media attention his collection attracted, Howard marveled, “The biggest thing about the whole event has been the amount of people that have come to me and want to find out about this collection…all of a sudden, I’m making the news myself.”
For Howard, letting go of the magazines marks the end of an era but the beginning of new musical adventures.
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