The announcement of an auction of more than 2000 postcards depicting Grimsby in its Victorian heyday brings into sharp focus the importance of photography as a collecting medium.
They come from a collection of 16,000 postcards amassed by the late David Robinson, editor of Lincolnshire Life and an historian, who died last year aged 89.
Each one is an historical document in its own right, packed with detail about how our forebears lived their lives and, from a market point of view, highly saleable because of their appeal to so many different people, from those who live in the area to local historians and collectors of vernacular photography.
As inexpensive items, they also act as one of the gateway collectables that trigger the desire to explore other fields of collecting, from grander, more expensive photographs to fine art in the form of prints, drawings and, eventually, paintings as individuals become more confident in their knowledge and so happier to spend larger sums.
The big story behind the Grimsby scenes is just how different the town is today. Gone are the fishing fleets crowding the docks; gone too are the trams gliding up Victoria Street. And, of course, the shops, clothes and buildings are largely changed too. I could sit and look at these for hours.
