Collecting Vintage Fireworks

[Escht]

Ever since I was a little kid I've loved old style British Fireworks. For over 20 years now I've been hunting out items that still lurk hidden away in lofts, garages, sheds and old shops. A couple of pictures of my core collection with items ranging from the 1930's through to late 1970's. I'm still finding stuff, or it's finding me. Last picture shows a stash hidden away in an old biscuit tin for 60 yrs and discovered less than 2 weeks ago.






I'm always on the look out for items, blue touchpaper British made pre 1995.

 

[adt70hk]

Wow!

Just hoping you have no ignition sources nearby!

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Ever since I was a little kid I've loved old style British Fireworks. For over 20 years now I've been hunting out items that still lurk hidden away in lofts, garages, sheds and old shops. A couple of pictures of my core collection with items ranging from the 1930's through to late 1970's. I'm still finding stuff, or it's finding me. Last picture shows a stash hidden away in an old biscuit tin for 60 yrs and discovered less than 2 weeks ago.


View attachment 488561View attachment 488562

View attachment 488564

I'm always on the look out for items, blue touchpaper British made pre 1995.

Do not let John Race visit you, seriously, and if you do make sure he wears boxing gloves so that he cannot strike a match or flick a lighter....

 

[Geoffers]

Fantastic

I had no idea these were collectable, looking at your stash has brought back some great memories of past bonfire nights

Geoff.

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Fantastic

I had no idea these were collectable, looking at your stash has brought back some great memories of past bonfire nights

Geoff.

Yep, baked potatoes tasting of burnt wood hot from the bonfire....

 

[rtfoe]

Do not let John Race visit you, seriously, and if you do make sure he wears boxing gloves so that he cannot strike a match or flick a lighter....

I was just about to give a warning but you beat me to it Wibble. I would suggest a straight jacket and a jab from matron to calm Wobble down.
I remember seeing these in comics or illustrations and not the real ones. Really colorful wrappings.

Cheers,
Wabble

 

[Ian M]

A different kind of collection!
Glad I dont pay your house insurance!

 

[Jim R]

Well now that's something different. I didn't realise that old fireworks were collectable or that so many were still around.

 

[boatman]

YES Light up the sky with standard fireworks tatee tatee lol

 

[Escht]

Collection is behind glass, out of direct sunlight to prevent label fade and house insurance includes collection, they weren't bothered once they checked with underwriters ( presumably no records of these ever just catching alight on their own )( they were damn near impossible to get to light back in the day ) They are still out there but not in any great number but they keep on turning up from time to time. Just recently seems to be a bit of a run going on, these were all found in last 3 months. I have a lot of contacts built up over 30 years of militaria and 20 years of firework collecting looking out for stuff for me plus a lot of wanted flyers and cards out there. I don't keep everything, just the bits I remember or like and many go on to new homes with other collectors ( yes I'm not the only one )

 

[Tim Marlow]

Pains Wessex fireworks were made just outside the city where I used to live. The cardboard outers were made by women working from home. A couple of my mates mothers used to do it.

 

[Mickc1440]

What an unusual hobby. Do you need any kind of special licence or insurance as you're storing gunpowder.

 

[Escht]

Not for the small quantities involved in the classic British items. Its not like the modern stuff, there are limits 5kg in powder content but I'm no where near those , fireworks are powder mixtures to give the various effects and not gunpowder in the sense of cannons etc. Bangers have small amounts of blackpowder but it would take a lot . Imagine how much people have around bonfire night if they buy only a small number of the big display cakes that are the norm. Fireworks degrade in efficiency with time and unlike explosives become less volatile. Sometimes we find common old items but with badly stored/damaged labels and people will fire them to see what they are like, in many cases they will burn but don't perform as well as they did back in the day. A lot of collectors own firework businesses doing some of the biggest displays in this country and around the world so there is a wealth of knowledge within the vintage firework collectors fraternity.
It's all about preserving the little that is left of a once thriving British Industry, now all gone. Many items turn up as shop dummies, each company supplied a range of their fireworks without filling that were purely for shop display, like for example these 1937 Standard Display Boards. An idea that was carried on well into the 60's and early 70's. Then once small single firework sales were banned in 1976 and items had to be bought in selection boxes they made boxes with dummy items like these Brocks boxes from the early 1980's.

 

[JR]

Wow!

Just hoping you have no ignition sources nearby!

I'm nowhere near Andy

 

[JR]

Do not let John Race visit you, seriously, and if you do make sure he wears boxing gloves so that he cannot strike a match or flick a lighter....

I was just about to give a warning but you beat me to it Wibble. I would suggest a straight jacket and a jab from matron to calm Wobble down.
I remember seeing these in comics or illustrations and not the real ones. Really colorful wrappings.

Cheers,
Wabble

Wibble and Wabble just because I set fire to dioramas with frequently does not mean I'm likely to ignite Kevins collection. However I feel he would not need any advice on pyrotechnics anyway. Just looking at the fantastic collection alone is enough for me You can tell from my reply I have indeed seen Matron and been administered a sedative .

 

[JR]

Kevin.
A great collection , things like this usually get thrown away once used. To have these unused ones is fab.

 

[Scratchbuilder]

Wibble and Wabble just because I set fire to dioramas with frequently does not mean I'm likely to ignite Kevins collection. However I feel he would not need any advice on pyrotechnics anyway. Just looking at the fantastic collection alone is enough for me You can tell from my reply I have indeed seen Matron and been administered a sedative .

Fingers twitching, got the tick in the left eye, drool starting to appear at the corner of the mouth - we know the signs....

 

[boatman]

Wibble and Wabble just because I set fire to dioramas with frequently does not mean I'm likely to ignite Kevins collection. However I feel he would not need any advice on pyrotechnics anyway. Just looking at the fantastic collection alone is enough for me You can tell from my reply I have indeed seen Matron and been administered a sedative .

Fingers twitching, got the tick in the left eye, drool starting to appear at the corner of the mouth - we know the signs....

HI John did matron use a big needle on you ? lol
chrisb

 

[rtfoe]

Fingers twitching, got the tick in the left eye, drool starting to appear at the corner of the mouth - we know the signs....

Ya, like sweaty palms, beads of sweat trickling down the side of the forehead and constant lying...I'd bolt your doors Kevin.

Cheers,
Wabble

 

[colin m]

I never imagined that anyone would collect these. But so glad you did. I'm guessing most of those have been in my hands at some point in my past. Such good memories. I did and still do love fireworks.