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Back in 1994, I went to north Wales to see the miniature steam trains – I was a fan of railways. On a platform at Rhyl station, I noticed the painted outline of a postbox – it was all that remained of one that had stood there since the late 1800s.

It turns out it had been vandalised, set alight and chucked in a skip. I asked the station manager if I could see it and he jokingly said: “Give me 20 quid and you can take it away with you.”

I replied, “I’ll give you 20 quid, if you can give me a receipt for it.” That’s how it all started.

Now, I’ve got postboxes from all over the place, which I keep in my postal museum on the Isle of Wight. With 260, it’s one of the biggest collections in this country. I’ve got boxes from East Mey in Scotland, Truro in Cornwall, Cork in Ireland and even one from Hong Kong.

I’m not allowed to have a favourite, that would be like having a favourite child, but I do have some amazing ones. One of the standouts looks like a giant tin of baked beans. It came from the old Heinz factory in Park Royal, London: they had their own post office and postbox branded with the Heinz logo.

My collection started in earnest when I wrote an article about my first acquisition for a specialist magazine. After that, a couple of people came to see the postbox. One visitor asked if I was going to start collecting. He said: “I know a bloke who wants to get rid of some in his garden.” I thought, why not?

Another visitor said, “I know a stonemason in east London. He’s had a pillar box in his garage for years. I think he wants to get rid of it. Would you like it?” Again: why not?

I’ve since travelled thousands of miles to collect them. Before I retired, I used to travel around the country for my job as an electrician, occasionally photographing postboxes along the way. Sometimes I’d meet local postal workers who helped me track down old ones. Royal Mail keep a host of items in storage yards before they scrap them. My reputation is such that when they’re having a clear-out, they get in touch with me.
I joined a club called the Letter Box Study Group for people who are interested in the history of not just postboxes but Royal Mail in general. I’ve become the go-to person to find out the details about postboxes. Send me a photograph of one and I’ll tell you everything you want to know about it.

I’ve met some fantastic people through the group. We’re from all walks of life: there are electricians, builders, self-employed business people, but once we get together we’ve all got a common interest.

I’ve also lost some very dear collector friends over the years. Sometimes I end up with parts of their collections. A friend in Somerset left me some of his boxes when he passed. Another, a former postal worker in Cowes, died suddenly and his wife gave me his postboxes. Without them, I wouldn’t have got anywhere.

I started my museum in 2006, because I needed somewhere to store my collection. Before that, I kept it in various sheds in the hope that one day I could display them. Now, anyone can make an appointment to visit. My wife and I have entertained people from the occasional walk-in to parties of 90.

We lost our local postbox last Christmas – it was attached to a telegraph pole and Royal Mail deemed it unfit for use. Now we’ve got to walk a mile to the nearest postbox, which is great fun for the elderly people here. Royal Mail is also rolling out 3,500 solar-panelled postboxes across the country – some will replace the classic ones we’ve come to know.

The way things are going, though, we probably won’t be sending many letters in 10 years’ time – I don’t see modern boxes lasting more than 50 years. I suppose it’s progress, but these things have been on our streets, keeping connections between families far and wide.

I’d like to keep my collection going for as long as possible, but if anything were to happen to me or my wife, I presume it will get cast to the four winds. You would love to think that somebody would take over, but I can’t see that happening. So while I’m still here, I’ll enjoy showing people around.

• As told to Xaymaca Awoyungbo

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