A grandad has been buying the Beano nearly every week since he was a 10-year-old paperboy. Kevin Payne, 60, bought his first copy for 2p in 1975 and now owns over 2400.
He has almost every edition from the 2000th onwards stashed in his attic and once paid £160 for a super-rare old one. Tesco worker Kevin said: “I decided to start collecting seriously when I was a paperboy. I said to myself I would keep collecting until I was old.
“To be honest, I don’t really read them much now. I think I’m too grown up for them. But as long as new issues keep coming out, I’ll keep buying them.”
Kevin believes the Beano is the most iconic British comic of all time as it has outlasted rivals such as The Dandy, which no longer exists in paper form.
But he is less likely to go looking for rare old editions these days. He said: “My collection won’t get much bigger now, apart from the weekly new ones.”
Kevin, of West Heath, Birmingham, intends to leave his collection to his three children and six grandchildren. He said: “I’ve already told my family I want to do a big celebration for the 5000th issue but that’s 15 years away.”
The Beano, which features Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, started in 1938.
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