the essential
Collectors’ fair. Only one day: this Monday. A town: Cahors. A single goal for fans of comics and children’s books: to find the first editions, necessarily rare, of Rahan’s adventures, in particular the one entitled “L’oeil bleue”, as well as the “Martine petite Maman”, but also Lucky Luke and old Tintin, even with pages yellowed by time. Objective rare pearls. Who won the moon?
Sixty exhibitors extended their arms, this Monday, to lovers of old postcards, comic strips of yesterday and today, but especially pre-war, then miniature cars without forgetting old toys, figurines of comic book heroes and other treasures that many have had the pleasure of finding in their attic, their cellar or in chests to which they had lost the key.
“Rahan, it’s all my youth”
The collectors’ fair is a bit like the key to all freedoms. First of all, the freedom to fall for the object, the storybook, the miniature on wheels offered by dad who rocked the tender age. Nostalgia is priceless for Stéphane in perpetual quest for an adventure of Rahan, nicknamed the son of fierce ages, hero of prehistory and a bit of Stéphane’s history.
“Rahan, it’s my entire youth. I subscribed to this comic when the albums came out bimonthly. I sold everything. I’m still full of regrets, because as adults we want to to find certain memories, to touch them by rereading these beautiful stories. The blue eye is not found in the first edition in an album in good condition, not torn and with all its pages. It’s a story that had a big impact on me because I believed that, in it, Rahan was going to die. Fortunately, he didn’t die,” he said, still with a sigh of relief 40 years later.
Photo J.-L.G
“Passion is priceless”
No, Rahan is not dead. Nor the ardor of this collector ready to go to any lengths and expenses to get his hands on the adventure he is looking for so much. He refuses to abdicate and communicate the amount he could spend: “You know, passions are priceless. The Rahan I am looking for can go for up to €200.”
Sandrine, his wife, shares this same enthusiasm. Without showing her husband’s determination, she searches for the book “Martine Petite Maman” in the original edition, which is missing from the Cahors salon. “I have always loved the illustrations of these beautiful stories. I am gradually rebuilding my collection. My mother gave me some when I was little. I have the original edition. That is why I want to find the book which interests me in this same period, my intention is to give it to my daughter as my mother did for me. It is very symbolic because this Martine was my very first.
Stones, vintage 1947 wine, pocket watches from 1900 and a book by Don Quixote in the top 4 of the show
If the first editions of Rahan and Martine, which charmed and took teenagers from the 70s and 80s on a journey, constitute rare gems not found at the show, three other highly coveted gems made the public look up.
Photo J.-L.G
These three pearls of the show are the precious stones, the pocket watches presented by Michel Dupas and the bottles of Bordeaux red wine, vintage 1947, still surrounded by a little dust from their cellar.
Apart from watches which can reach tidy sums, rare stones like a very beautiful calcite at €80 and bottles at €10 have not panicked the counters, but are still to be classified among the four most attractive objects of the living room.
Photo J.-L.G
Gustave Doré is worth his weight in gold
Let us add to these three wonders a magnificent book from the collection of works of art and antiques of The Little Bookmakerin Cahors: The famous Don Quixote by Cervantes, with drawings by Gustave Doré at a high price but still accessible. Gold for which we will not say the price, but for which we guess that the most ardent collectors will be able to find the resources to appropriate this treasure. Unless they reserve their budget for “The blue eye” of the one we called “fire hair” alias Rahan.
