Charles Dickens memorabilia to be exhibited at Eastgate House

Fraser's Autographs, the autograph and memorabilia arm of the Stanley Gibbons Group (as in stamp collections!) are loaning the Rochester and Chatham Dickens Fellowship a collection of manuscripts and other items signed by Charles Dickens, for an exhibition at Eastgate House.

The collection includes a lock of hair and many items signed by the esteemed author and will be on show during the Fellowship's events week from 6th to 11th February. The Guildhall Museum are kindly loaning the fellowship a state of the art display cabinet for some of the items - according to Fraser's Rare Signatures Index, Dickens autograph has increased in value 426.7% since 1997, so they're not taking any chances with them!

Throughout the exhibition Fraser's will welcome valuation and buying enquiries, as items will be available to buy after the 11th of February from their shop at 399 the Strand, London. In addition to the event at Eastgate, they're hoping to run a raffle with the help of the Fellowship to win a strand of Dickens hair, like the example on display - the exact mechanics are yet to be finalised but they will certainly be accepting entries and selling tickets to raise funds for the restoration of the Swiss Chalet at the Eastgate event.

Fraser's are also finalising plans for a Dickens event at their Strand shop and will also be involved at the Dickens City Day at Leadenhall on a date to be confirmed in the summer. This will involve Dickensian food, a further display of the materials and short Dickens tours of Covent Garden - they're hoping to get Gerald Dickens along to read/perform a selection of Dickens work as well.

Ania Polyniak, Manager of Fraser's Autographs, said:

"Fraser's Autographs are very proud to have been offered the opportunity to exhibit Charles Dickens' autographs in Eastgate House. We are also very excited about working with the Dickens Fellowship on raising funds for the restoration of the Swiss Chalet and Rochester residents have shown a lot of enthusiasm and provided invaluable help to us. We hope that the local community will enjoy the exhibition, particularly those items with links to Rochester and surrounding areas. 

The aim of the exhibition is to bring various original handwritten material and memorabilia closer to the public, who are not always aware that they can see, touch and even 'own a Dickens'. So we are displaying material which is not necessarily academic (and therefore usually locked away in archives and museums, available only to few) but it is very collectable and easily available."

A sample gallery of memorabilia in the exhibition at Eastgate can be found here, including an autographed quotation from David Copperfield, said to be the most autobiographical of all the author's works.