Monday, 4 February 2019

Where’s my frozen yoghurt?

We were in London over the weekend for some R&R. Finding myself in Camden Passage on Sunday I couldn’t resist nipping along to take another look at the old Hinton Hunt shop.


The last time I was there in 2011 (click here) it was a frozen yoghurt shop but now it’s something rather different.

22 comments:

Rob said...

Aaaah... but did you go in and browse?

Stryker said...

Rob, I knew someone would ask, but no!

Mark Dudley said...

I used to enjoy my visits to the HH shop using a Red Bus Rover ticket that cost 3/6. A HH figure cost shilling each but if you bought a 100 they cost 6d each.

mojoworking said...

Mark, you should've bought as many HH figures as you could afford at 6d/figure for a hundred. At current E-bay prices they've probably out-performed Microsoft shares.

Stryker said...

Mark - a Red Rover, now that's another memory!

KEV. Robertson. said...

Hi Ian. Good to visit old haunts like the Hinton Hunt shop- lots of good memories. My Hobby Shop as a youngster is no longer here - Mr Barnes Cycle & Hobby Shop has long been demolished- he had lots of good things like Airfix, Humbrol, Hornby, Scalextric and kits by an assortment of manufacturers...- back in the late 60's- early 70's -not a big shop- but he had all the essentials. Bought my first packet of AIRFIX OO/HO American Civil War- Union Infantry at the Shop...for 48 cents? Great memories there. Cheers KEV.

Wellington Man said...

I'm sure there's a joke about the Netherlands lurking about here somewhere, but I will desist.

Stryker said...

WM - ah go on, I was hoping for at least one joke!

Independentwargamesgroup said...

I think Marcus Hinton would have rather enjoyed perusing the shop.

'Lee. said...

I remember the previous post Ian. What a wonderful little shop that is now, love the sign board, speaking as the Father of three daughters of course!

Stryker said...

Lee - It really made me laugh when I saw what the shop is now! Looking forward to my next trip, maybe a Tattoo Parlour?

MSFoy said...

That's an excellent nostalgia trip - very nice! I really didn't understand WM's Netherlands reference, but I look forward to more details. I was going to suggest that changing the stock from miniatures to "smalls" over 45 years is not unreasonable, but I'm having severe misgivings now.

Stryker said...

Thanks Tony, that was an uplifting comment!

lewisgunner said...

Well Inlation since 1970 has made a £1 now ‘worth’ £15.30. So a Hinton Hunt figure that cost sixpence then would cost 75p today. I checked with a comparable current manufacturer (SHQ) and their figures are four for £3 ....which is, amazingly enough, 75p.

However, many HH were bought in smaller quantities, so if they were purchased at the higher price the player woukd have paid the equivaleht £1.50. and given that many were young and on limited means that was likely the situation.

The revolution in figure price was Minifigs who determined to undercut the old manufacturers through being efficient producers and maintaining casting ‘quality’

As to HH prices on Ebay, don’t go using your collections as collateral on that holiday home yet.
The prices on Ebay are set by the willingness of two of us to bid up and up. Stryker once commented on the years in which you could get HH as bargains on Ebay..hard to do now and that is at least in part because of his, Clive and Matt’s sterling work in promoting cataloguing and depicting the figures as things of beauty. However, high value depends on having two keen bidders , so prices are already, I feel, becoming more reasonable.
I used to reckon ,nwhen I had grade A , energy, hands and eyes that averaging out the time taken to paint a faurly standard HH unit it took me 20 minutes to paint a figure. Lets assume that someone can do a reasonable job at that rate and was paying thenselves £12 per hour taking all the other costs into consideration. They would have to charge £4 a figure to make a fairly low level business of doing so. Stuff that has been painted years ago and played with many times should really have depreciated that expense years ago, but figures are more like houses ir antiques and so do not decline as much in value. Moeover it is much more difficult to compare because the vast amount of figure painting is free.
Anyway, I am not quite so sure that Hinton Hunts have increased hugely in value or are a better investment than Microsoft shares!
Roy

Simon said...

I remember going to the shop in the early 70's. So many soldiers and so little money. I think I bought my first battalion of British line there which are on the gaming table as I speak. They are about to take on mostly vintage Old Guard bought by post (eventually) from HH. Thanks for the memory.

Stryker said...

Hi Simon, thanks for leaving a comment. I only went to the shop once around 1974-ish but they didn't have any 20mm figures at all which was a great disappointment!

the Archduke said...

My paranoia is now complete. In 1969 I was paying 1/11d per foot figure and I had to buy 100 figures to get that down to 1/-. And I thought Marcus such a decent cove.......rumble, rumble....and yes, WM, what have the Netherlands to do with the price of yoghurt?

the Archduke said...

Zum Teuffel, I've just cottoned on, WM. Who knew that dementia started with frozen yoghurt?

Stryker said...

Archduke - that sounds about right - my 1974c price list has the price for 100+ figures at 6p each (25p painted), now what have I done with my time machine?

Stryker said...

Actually that was for quantities of 150+ foot figures!

Mark Dudley said...

Hi Archduke

My early comment was inaccurate. Infantry were a shilling (5 New Pence) and Cavalry were 2 shillings (10 New pence) if you bought a 100 figures.


lewisgunner said...

So today , on the volume deal nfantry would be 75p......makes an HH on Ebay not so expensive.
Particularly for a genuine original.