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Rare Alton Towers items on ebay

I'm fairly certain that those Haunted House photos will be of much interest to someone we all know :D.

Maybe this could become a useful 'Auctions and items of interest' thread? Would be useful for the geeks (like me) who like getting Towers merch. :)
 
Those Haunted House promo images have been found before but I don't think the construction images of Oblivion have. Looks fascinating.

Here are some of those arty, compelling Haunted House photographs, as posted on the HauntedOne website... (Including the best ever picture of John Wardley.)
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Amazing :twirly:
 
Those 3 video's were free to schools they came with folders full of info to .
I gave Big Al all the footage off them and he put it on utube if anyone wants to watch it. The Henry photo is not for sale now as I emailed the seller to buy it separate
 
There are photo's of Oblivion construction (we have used a few on Talbot Street Tuesday) but not those exact shots.
 
Just in case anyone is bidding on the photo's on ebay the one of Henry and the March Hare at the top of Towers Street he let me buy separate came today and they are 8 inches by 6 inches so a good size.
 
Seller has removed the items from auction. Looks like someone has probably made them an offer they couldn't refuse. Gets a bit tiresome that does when people will let an auction run for around 5 days with loads of bids then suddenly pull the plug. Ah well :)
 
Yep, that's what happened. I contacted the seller and they said all the items were bought by "an Alton Towers collector". I hope that doesn't mean they end up in somebody's cupboard for their own private satisfaction. They were insightful photographs and will hopefully be seen again some day.
 
A shame these items seem to have disappeared, I hope who ever has acquired them is going to allow the material to be scanned and published on-line for free.

Ian
 
To be honest I brought the Henry Photo from him for £12 and it has gone into my collection . I have 16 draws full of Alton memoribillia including 12 original Costume Characters there are photo's of them on the memoribillia feed. And I have given Big Al loads of footage of the shows over the years. But I think if your willing to pay high prices especially for Costumes that took a lot of hard work and time for them to eventually sell its nice to keep them just for yourself. My collection started in 1989 . I used to write to the printers that did all the printing for them in the 90's go straight to the organ grinder to get what you want. The same with pre recorded music for the shows and they used to send it to me. They don't do it anymore. LMC who designed all maps from 1990 to 1996 sent me all the original drafts of park maps to dinner paper tray covers that were put on the trays in the restaurants Alton Towers had no use for them they just wanted the finished product. Most of the original art drawings of costumes from the ice shows I brought that hung in the 3D cinema. And it has taken a long time for me to get all these wonderful items. I would show people but its the owners right to keep something special to themselves .
 
I really enjoying collecting stuff, and its very rare for Alton Towers memorabilia to be auctioned off on-line. What I enjoy more than collecting stuff, is sharing it with others, and seeing the joy it brings to them as well. I would of been more than happy for TST to have created duplicates of any items I obtained, and to publish them on-line for all to enjoy.

As it is now, someone has acquired the material, and it could never see the light of day. While its the owners right to keep something special to themselves, I think its a shame. Evening putting a pay wall (A charge to view the content) in front of the media, would at least allow others to enjoy it, and allow you to get something back for the effort you put in.

It sounds like you have put a lot of effort in to your collection, and I am sure it looks fantastic, and it is your right to keep it to your self, but what are you going to do with it?

Ian
 
The thing is, these were official promotional and construction photographs (the actual first generation prints apparently) that should really belong to Alton Towers and nobody else.

I also think the photo sets have been divided up, since I now there were a lot more Oblivion and Haunted House construction images taken around the same dates that didn't not appear to be included in the auction lot. As has been mentioned, Towers Street posted very similar Oblivion construction images not long ago, but not including those...
 
I do lots with the characters they do the oakamore summer festive and Birmingham carnival . And the Costume designs are framed in my lounge and hall way. All my literature is in clear plastic covers in draws. I have no problem in showing people. Like I said I have sent Big Al loads of behind the magic and full old shows. Its like collecting a figure collection or items say from a favourite show its special because they are one off's and you want to keep it to your self. When I brought 1 of my henry costumes they could not find his shoes so they gave me the company name gamba in London to have permission to have a replica pair made and they cost £450 back in 1996 and I treat them like royalty but to someone else its just a pair of shoes. I once sent someone a copy of one of the ice shows and I got into trouble because they copied it and it got around . So that's why I won't do things like that but if anyone wanted to see my collection they are more than welcome. I'm old school I love the Towers now but I love the magic of the 90's more. And I'm not mean by any means I have sent to members on here park maps to firework leaflets to pins free . I have sent out over 7 enamel fun club badges and will carry on if I'm left with a few. I could go on and on. My mom always said if you don't ask you don't get and I tried every trick in the book to get what I have. I think its a shame now that they don't even let people look in the archive dept like they used to. Any how I'm ranting
 
I have just read the above post and like I said back then when things like oblivion was built after it was built they don't care about old construction photo's and so on. But about 2000 Les Davies who at the time ran the archive dept would advertise in local papers and stoke and such and offer free tickets and such for any items related to the towers as they never kept much. I remember one visit at the end of 1995 and he hadn't even kept a park map from that year and then he remembered and took me just behind the big barn in the farm and there was box's of them all ready for the rubbish men. that's how well they looked after there history.
 
I would love to visit some time Cyberman, I bet you have some special items, and some fantastic stories to go with them. I would love to see a YourStreet (Guest Article) from yourself, along with some photos of your collection, it would be a joy to read.

My earlier post was not meant to come across as an attack on you, like I said, it is personal choice what we do with our collections.

As for Alton Towers, I guess there is no money in it for them to publish or show case this material, which is a shame. I hope Alton Towers continue to let the enthusiast community browse the archives, and duplicate material so it can be publish on-line.

Ian
 
Hi Ian in Talbot Street there is an old merchandise section about half way down you can see some of my collection on there. I know you wasn't having a go and if you pm me i'll glady send you some old maps or such. I don't if you do but every time I go I bring back loads of the same that way you will always have something to have back up on. I bring home restaurant menus to beer mats from the hotel. I even kept paper covers that they used to put over your tea pot on park even burger wrappers just because Henry was on them I'm quite sad really but it keeps me happy.
 
But surely Alton Towers' photographs are not for somebody else to make money from? When I later contacted the seller they offered to sell me digital scans, even though most of those Haunted House promo photos have already been made public on the internet.

cybermen39 said:
I have just read the above post and like I said back then when things like oblivion was built after it was built they don't care about old construction photo's and so on.
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Perhaps at the time once those rides opened the construction photographs became redundant, but decades later (when many of those same rides no longer exist in the same way) they are very valuable in terms of insight into the past. Also I doubt Alton Towers would have thrown these photographs away, since they did pay the photographers to take them after all. So in my opinion it's not the same as innocently collecting merchandise or memorabilia.
 
Well they weren't interested in keeping all the art work done for the park maps and guest services literature and its very detailed stuff layer after layer done ready for copying they just gave it away.
Even the Alton studios don't have proper copy's of audios for the old shows. The people in the shows own better rehersal copy's. They really did not look after things.
 
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