Arundel Swap Meet Report 1998

The second Wade Swap Meet arranged by C&S Collectables was held on Sunday the 5th July in Arundel. The first person began queueing 10am the day before eager to ensure he did not miss out on purchasing the special editions available on the day, Arthur Hare and the Arundel Bunny.

By the time the meet opened there were long queues which set the pattern for an extremely busy day. The queues for the C&S and Official Wade tables remained for the entire swapmeet. The marquee used this year was far bigger than the previous years but still seemed cramped with the number of visitors. There were over 30 dealers present as well as lots of pieces available outside in the car park and around the marquee from collectors and swappers.

Some new commissions were on display including Bam Bam and Pebbles from the Flintstones collection of UKI Ceramics, Sid the Sexist from Blyth Ceramics, and there was a proto-type of a scarecrow from Key Collectables. There were plans for a whole family of scarecrows which looked promising. Also on display were the upcoming special events Catkins for the Winter Fair (Cook Catkins) and next years Annual Wade Fair (Gypsy Catkins). Pat Murray was also there signing her book.

There was some confusion on the day over the Arundel Bunny. It was available for pre-order which many people did not know about. This led to a few upset people who had queued and then thought that would not receive a piece as they had not pre-ordered. There were also a few complaints that no washroom facilities had been arranged. The nearest ones were quite a distance away. Overall the day was very well received and extremely well attended. With a few improvements, next years should be excellent.

Darryl, World Collectors Net