BCM Collection 1881-2007

Provide a description and system requirements and/or condition etc.
Andrew Martin
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BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Andrew Martin » Tue May 12, 2020 4:58 pm

A friend of mine has a complete collection of the BCM from 1881-2007 in good condition and wants to sell it. Please drop me a line with a bid if you are interested. All bids will be confidential and passed on to the owner for review. I know he has a minimum price in mind. This is a pretty unique offer for a chess collector. Thanks.

Andrew Martin
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Andrew Martin » Sun Jun 07, 2020 6:41 pm

The collection has yet to be sold. Some interest, but no luck.

As a rough guide the owner is looking for a bid of £7000 plus. The first volumes are all signed by the then editor, John Watkinson, which adds to the rarity and value.

I have photographs of the entire collection to verify the very good condition of the books.

Thanks for reading

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John Upham
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by John Upham » Sun Jun 07, 2020 7:37 pm

£7K is a very fair and reasonable figure especially with the 1881 - 1887 volumes signed by John Watkinson.

Francis will be itching to come and collect !

J.
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Andrew Martin
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Andrew Martin » Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:03 pm

I have heard from my American friend that his BCM collection is still for sale. The price has come down by over 1000 pounds and is subject to negotiation. Please drop me a line if interested. This has become an exceptional offer.

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Sun Dec 20, 2020 12:04 am

It does sound like a very good offer. Dare I ask why the collection stops in 2007?

Andrew Martin
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Andrew Martin » Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:20 am

You would have to ask him that. Maybe the latest editions are easy to get?!

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John Upham
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by John Upham » Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:50 am

Bound volumes of BCM continued to be produced until 2014.

I also restored the supply of Cordex binders.

Ironically, 2015 was the first year / volume in full colour and we could not persuade the owners (Stephen Lowe and Shaun Taulbut) despite the binder (who lived in Farnborough) being available to do the work.

During one of the years between 2011 and 2014 (probably 2014) the cash flow was so bad that BVs that I had collected from the binder (who was an ex Monk) had to be sheepishly returned to the binder. He would not release them until payment from Stephen had been made.

I could tell you about when I started bumping into people and companies that had not been paid : another time maybe...

The first one was when I met John and Petra Nunn at 4NCL in Sunningdale. Petra told me that BCM owed her money for photographs. I was so embarrassed about it I paid cash out of my own wallet ! Even then it took ages to be reimbursed.

Incidents like this meant I could not continue and I left in December 2015.
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Michael Farthing
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Michael Farthing » Sun Dec 20, 2020 11:47 am

Mmm..

Might be worth making a bid first for one of the ECF's duplicate sets..
It's prime set is a bound set of BCM in the binding style of Chess - [BH Wood's personal copies]. That set is certainly not for sale though!

John Moore
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by John Moore » Sun Dec 20, 2020 5:31 pm

Michael, I didn't know the ECF had duplicate sets it was looking to dispose of.

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Michael Farthing
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Michael Farthing » Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:29 pm

Yes, though I'm not certain of the exact mechanism to be used for selling off. The library is made up from several donations of book collections with inevitable, and signifiant, duplication, (including, explicitly, BCM).

John Moore
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by John Moore » Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:32 pm

Thanks Michael. How would I find out. No rush, obviously, in the current situation.

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Michael Farthing
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Michael Farthing » Mon Dec 21, 2020 11:58 am

John Moore wrote:
Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:32 pm
Thanks Michael. How would I find out. No rush, obviously, in the current situation.
Just ring Gary Willson at the ECF office. He's working two days at the moment - I think its Wednesday and Thursday.

John Moore
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by John Moore » Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:43 pm

Thanks Michael. I'll give him a call in the New Year.

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MJMcCready
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by MJMcCready » Sat Dec 26, 2020 2:45 am

Andrew Martin wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 6:41 pm
The collection has yet to be sold. Some interest, but no luck.

As a rough guide the owner is looking for a bid of £7000 plus. The first volumes are all signed by the then editor, John Watkinson, which adds to the rarity and value.

I have photographs of the entire collection to verify the very good condition of the books.

Thanks for reading
Approximately 10 years ago the asking price at Sotherby's was 15k.

Paul McKeown
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Re: BCM Collection 1881-2007

Post by Paul McKeown » Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:22 am

Andrew Martin wrote:
Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:03 pm
I have heard from my American friend that his BCM collection is still for sale. The price has come down by over 1000 pounds and is subject to negotiation. Please drop me a line if interested. This has become an exceptional offer.
Andrew, perhaps your friend might try to auction the lot at http://www.chesslund.com/?

I have found it reliable.

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