Comic passion is Dandy for Stafford fan Adam

Stafford comics fanatic Adam Teitge speaks to

about his love for Dandy.

He may be just 25 but Dandy lover Adam Teitge has more than 40 years worth of the popular comic tucked away in his house.

The comic fan from Staffordshire has collected every edition of the country's longest running comic dating from March 1970 onwards – 1,700 comics in total – which he believes are worth more than £2,000.

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Mr Teitge, who works for Enabling Technology in Castlefields, Stafford, began buying The Dandy in 1994 but has now purchased backdated editions from 1970 onwards.

He has odd copies from earlier than that, including one from 1941.

The Dandy started in 1937 and will celebrate its 75th anniversary later this year.

Mr Teitge, of Stafford, said: "I first bought a copy of the Dandy back in 1994 and have been collecting it until the present day.

"I use to have swimming lessons and go to the shop afterwards. I had a choice between that and the Beano and I went for The Dandy.

"My dad just said at the time that I should collect three or four copies and put them in the attic and see what happens.

"Now with this whole collection together I think it's probably worth a couple of thousand pounds – that's along with the free gifts."

It's not just the comics themselves, he is keen on.

"I've also got all the Dandy annuals from 1950," he added.

"My parents were in the Air Force and we came to Stafford in 1997.

"It was then I started going round junkshops in Stafford looking for comics. There's probably been about 3,500 copies in total of the Dandy printed – I've probably got about 1,700 copies.

"If you try to get hold of a copy of the first Dandy it will cost you about £20,000."

The Dandy – which is published by D C Thomson & Co. Ltd – was printed in December 1937 and is the world's third longest running comic. From August 2007 until October 2010, it was rebranded as Dandy Xtreme.

Earlier this year bosses at Royal Mail announced a range of new stamps dedicated to The Dandy and Beano.

The set, which features characters including Desperate Dan, Dennis The Menace and Judge Dread, mark the 75th anniversary of The Dandy.

When the comic first came onto the shelves of shops in early December 1937, it saw the introduction of Korky the Cat on the front page.

The first issue on December 4, 1937, also saw the appearance of Desperate Dan, Freddy The Fearless Fly and others.

Comic experts say the introduction of The Dandy helped change the British comics landscape with its innovative design.

Previously there were just a broadsheet style of comics.