I used to walk down into town - so saving the bus fare, buy a comic at the stand in the bus station and then read it on the bus home. I even used to forgo lunch and buy DC comics with the money.

I had seven years worth of comics such as the Victor, Valiant, Hotspur, all in pristine condition, some of them from the first issue.

When I went off to University I left boxes full of comics at home, and eventually I came across a shop selling comics for lots of money. I told him what I thought I had, and his eyes lit up. A few weeks later I went home and prepared to tell my parents about the fortune thay had in the loft - only to discover that the boxes of comics had been disposed of almost as soon as I left home.

My parents were really struggling financially at that time, my father had been unable to work through ill health for many years, and it would have made a terrific difference to them.

I was quite shocked that anything had been thrown away - it was not the usual thing at home, everything was kept. I supose it should have told me a lot about my mother's attitude towards me, but it was not until years later that I told my father of the amount of money the comics would have fetched, and he went quite pale and very quiet for a minute or so.