One retired school teacher from Lichfield has just the opportunity.
Peter Duffell, 82, has consigned his lifetime collection of hole punches to Richard Winterton Auctioneers.
Over his 40-year collecting career he has amassed more than 200 hole punches that will be offered across 10 lots at The Lichfield Auction Centre on September 4. The entire collection is estimated at £200.
Duffell began collecting in 1978, when he bought a punch by the brand Bullfinch for 50p at Lichfield Market and is keeping only one - a Swedish model dating from 1900.
Examples come from Japan, the US, Czechoslovakia and Germany and the grandfather of six believes the collection “covers the whole history of punches from the Victorian era to the 1960s”.
Richard Winterton valuer Sarah Leedham said: “It is an absolutely fascinating collection the like of which we’ve never before seen. There is such a variety of ages and designs – it is a cornucopia of delights for stationary aficionados and collectors of interesting and unique, well-engineered devices.”
Hear Duffell explain his hobby on BBC Radio.
