Bid exterminates Dalek reserve

May 2 2008 Chester Chronicle

A CHESTER man who put a vintage Dalek costume online is celebrating after it sold for more than £3,000.

John Jackson, 45, of Tattenhall, put the Doctor Who toy costume on the internet site e-Bay after rediscovering it in his garage.

The costume was on the site for a week before it quickly sold. Mr Jackson put a reserve of £500 on the item and was “amazed” when it was quickly met.

He said: “I only put a high reserve on it for a joke, I expected about £20 for it.”

The costume went from £500 to £1,900 and then eventually sold for £3,200.

He said: “No one was more surprised than me when it went for that much. I wouldn’t have paid tuppence for it, but it just goes to show that one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure.”

Mr Jackson had the costume given to him as a boy and since then it had been gathering dust in his garage.

He said: “I had it as a boy, my cousin gave it to me in about 1970. I used it to terrorise the neighbourhood for a while and it’s been in the loft ever since. I thought it was a shame it was just on the floor, I wanted another child to have a good laugh with it.”

Mr Jackson admitted: “I wasn’t a mad fan of Doctor Who as a child. I’m certainly not a fan as an adult – well, maybe I am now!”

Mr Jackson and his wife plan to spend the money on a weekend away and split some between the family.