It’s time to get the party started!

 

Five days from now will be Richard’s 49th birthday. And before the milestone birthday happens next year, let’s send him off with a big bang into his 50th year. What better than a big donation to charity that reflects our appreciation of this masterful actor, lovely guy and handsome man? In his words: “I think of the potential that your collective generosity could provide for those who have much less than I do.” The birthday auctions 2020 will do just that: they combine our efforts into a collective donation that will benefit LOROS, a hospice care provider in the Leicester area, which is close to Richard’s heart. I am confident that this is not only a very worthy cause – but also a gift that will find Richard’s approval. And even if it only reaches as far as our small group of people, and ignoring the monetary proceeds of our birthday event for the moment, we will also generate awareness and publicity (within our own ranks) for the charity – an important contribution to the charity.

However, our “collective generosity” is not to be sniffed at. You only need to have a look at Richard’s JustGiving pages. Fans have donated a huge amount of money there, over the years. I haven’t added it all up, but the combined sum raised through individual donations from fans is well over $ 125,000!!! Our birthday auctions have often fed into that, too. Since the first charity auction on this blog in 2014, we have raised more than $13,650 (€11,586 / £10,409) with our auctions (and associated voluntary donations) alone! Thank you for your generosity, everyone, no matter whether you have contributed to *my* charity fundraisers or whether you have donated individually. Those are the best gifts because they will come back to Richard in the shape of karma 😉 As regards our own 2020 RA birthday auction – see it as your chance to indulge in your interests as a fan, while contributing to a good cause. All of the proceeds of this fundraiser will go to charity.

So, for the next three days from today, you can bid on a number of fan items over on eBay. The auctions have been made possible thanks to many donations from fellow fans. (A massive apology here in case I have not credited any donors correctly. I have tried to label incoming donations but my system – post its – has not always stood the test of time. Please let me know if I have failed to attribute your donation correctly! You deserve all the credit!) I have timed the auctions to conclude well before Richard’s birthday in order to have a final donation sum as our collective birthday present ready to transfer on the actual day. An overview over all listings can be seen on my eBay page HERE, and I would recommend you bookmark the page so you can easily find the various listings in case you are following along. For your convenience I have also compiled the listings with pictures, descriptions and links to each individual auction in this post below. Click on the included image to be transferred directly to the respective listing on eBay.

Note: This fundraiser has not been requested, endorsed or acknowledged by Richard Armitage and is not affiliated with him or his agents in any shape or form. These auctions are a fundraiser project organised *by* fans *for* fans.

5 Mini Bottles

Starting off with a bang with a number of fan art pieces from one of our most talented fan sisters. Ani – known for her amazing drawings and cartoons of Richard – has created these tiny mini bottles that represent RA and some of his characters. They range in size from 4 cm to 8 cm and they are just the cutest thing. Click the respective picture if you are interested in one of these intricate pieces of fan art. They are auctioned individually. Also: Ani is throwing in a free print of her gorgeous drawings – you choose which one you want.

2 Pieces of Fan Jewellery

Also created and donated by Ani, here are two unique pieces of hand-made jewellery that would look great on any fan of Mr Thornton and John Proctor respectively. The Thornton pendant measures about 6.5 cm in length, while Proctor needs a little more space with 8 cm in length. You can bid on these marvellous items by clicking on the respective picture below. Also: Ani is throwing in a free print of her gorgeous drniawings – you choose which one you want.

1 Astrov Cross-Stitch

Don’t we all wish we had seen more of Dr Astrov? Rachel has created a beautiful reminder of the environmentally-friendly doctor in the shape of a cross-stitched tree. This gorgeous piece of handiwork comes in an ornate frame and is only 11 cm high!

1 Lego Sir Guy

The one and only Sir Guy… literally. Because this is a tiny Lego figurine that has been individually assembled by Paula to look like Sir Guy. He may be tiny – but this is one of those pieces of fan art that would give you a massive smile every time you looked at it. (Size: 4.5 cm high)

1 film poster for Urban and the Shed Crew (2018)

Following the premiere of gritty social drama Urban and the Shed Crew in Leeds in 2015, the film was shown again in spring 2018 at NIFF. In the run-up to the festival screening, producer/director Candida Brady offered a limited edition of UATSC movie posters for sale as a fundraiser. Priced £50, the posters were a coveted piece of fan memorabilia. This poster was obtained by mail order/donation and is unsigned but in very good condition. Dimensions are 70 x 100cm. Thank you to Deirdre for this donation!

3 RA pocket shrines

For fangirling on the go, we have a choice of three pocket shrines available. There is the largest of the three (11 x 8 cm) – a two-in-one steampunk RAPS with Percy that comes with a tiny baby RAPS inside, making a two-in-one piece of fan art – which you can keep together or use separately. The romantic Thornton RAPS (9.5 x 6 cm) provides romance at the drop of a hat cravat: relive the proposal scene every day – and enjoy the added visual prompt for the sadly omitted honeymoon scene…). Lastly, Sir Guy in a shrine? Well, he’s so bad, he is good, actually. Size of this pocket shrine is 8.2 x 6.2 cm. Check them out by clicking the respective pictures below.

 

1 signed Castlevania poster

It was quite a saga until Kate finally received the Castlevania poster she had won in a raffle. And now she has kindly donated it to our auctions. 60 x 45 cm in size, the poster has been signed by Samuel & Adam Deats and others from the creative team behind the Castlevania animated series. An amazing collector’s item for any fan of the Castlevania franchise. Note: This poster is not siged by Armitage!

1 framed Thornton silhouette

The must-have for your boudoir: A completely unique silhouette of Mr Thornton. This is unique because it is hand-crafted by Kate who has matched the vintage vibe of her beautiful hand-cut silhouette and paper collage with a frilly, ornate frame. This piece of fan art measures 40 cm x 27 cm (including frame).

1 hand-made RA key ring

If you are not a “frilly” sort of girl, maybe this plain but effective key ring will do it for you? Hand-made by Paula, the key ring also features a silhouette, this time of Mr A himself. It is cut by hand from reflective material, so the key ring reflects light if you flash a light at it. Dimensions: 8 x 6 cm.

3 pieces of snow fan art

Need some cooling down? Well, Armidreamer has made the perfect pieces of fan art for you. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow with a snow globe or a snow picture box. These fun fan pieces will actually work in any season – and with Mr Thronton glowering from behind the snow flakes, I bet you won’t feel cold very long… Measuring in size from 7 to 10 cm. The red snow globe is a magnet – and comes with a little bit of extra fun in the shape of a “woolly willy” game. Click picture for each respective snow globe/box.

 

 

 

 

1 Hannibal fan pack

For a truly delicious dinner experience, here is a fan pack for all fans of the series Hannibal. It consists of a DVD of season 3 of Hannibal which featured Richard Armitage as the Red Dragon. Thanks to Flat Richie, the fan pack also contains 10 postcards with 7 recipe cards, Road Kill Seasoning for meat, gorgeous napkins and a matching keyring.

1 Pilgrimage fan pack

Fans of Raymond de Merville as played by Richard Armitage in the 2015 film Pilgrimage might like this little franco-phile offer. The  brand-new and unused DVD of the film Pilgrimage comes with a funky Hello Kitty jewellery holder as well as some pieces of costume jewellery, a keyring with the French tricolour and a pocket mirror with a picture of Paris. It doesn’t get anymore francophile!

1 RA fan kit

Kit yourself out with this fab RA fan kit, courtesy of Flat Richie. It contains a coaster with a picture of Richard Armitage, a matching key ring, as well as a kit for making your own RA pocket shrine, and another key ring that reads “I love British boys”.

1 Love Love Love fan pack

One from the archives of the RArmy, this is a fan pack for die-hard fans. Taking you back to 2016 and Richard’s run as Kenneth in Love Love Love at the Roundabout Theater in New York, this is a set of fan items consisting of a signed playbill and a key ring with the LLL logo design. The playbill features a genuine autograph by Richard Armitage, signed “R Armitage”, as well as his co-stars Ben Rosenfield and Alex Hurt. The signatures were obtained at the stage door of the Roundabout Theater, New York, on a genuine Playbill theatre programme. The signatures are on the cover of the Playbill, with black and red Sharpie. The key ring is unused and in excellent condition. We are also throwing in two LLL flyers.

1 Sir Guy fan pack

Sir Guy never gets old. And surprisingly, there apparently still are fans who have not watched the early 2000s BBC series Robin Hood. And you call yourself a fan???? Well, we can help you, because we got DVD. This is a DVD of season 1, episodes 1-5. Very very precious. And therefore also comes with a jewellery pouch in black Sir Guy leather.

1 Cold Feet fan pack

The Cold Feet fan pack, however, is something for true connoisseurs. The role may have been small, but this is a big package. Um. Donated and made by Rachel, this is a DVD of season 5 of Cold Feet paired with a to-scale felt miniature of those famous Speedos… Not to be missed, if you ask me!

1 Hobbiton pendant

How cute is this? If you are a fan of The Hobbit, here is a super cute piece of jewellery for you. This adorable little pendant is only 2.5 x 2.5 cm in size. It was donated by Rachel. And guess what? You can actually open the little door, and the pendant turns out to be a locket. Perfect for all Thorin lovers – print your favourite picture of the dwarf king, and carry him around your neck…

5 Magazines

Are you keeping a RArchive? If you are collecting all things RA, we have five interesting items on offer in separate auctions. These magazines are true collectors items, bought and donated by fellow fans. All contain articles about Richard – through various stages of his career from The Hobbit to the most recent The Stranger and Uncle Vanya. Click on the photograph for the respective auction.

2 Audiobooks on CD

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Richard has the most beautiful voice and is a masterful audio book performer. Many of us have listened to him via Audible. But if you rather like the tangible audio book, we have some audio books on CD for you. Donated by Laurie, The Other Queen box set contains the Philippa Gregory historical novel on 15 CDs. For a shorter listening experience (and Guy of Gisborne fans), The Witchfinder is an episode connected to the RH universe, read by Richard. In both cases: Eargasm guaranteed! (Click photo to be linked to the respective auction.)

1 RA mini fan pack

Starting out on your fan journey? Here is your gateway drug. Paula originally made the darling little key ring with RA’s silhouette in reflective material for the Flat Richie parcel. For the fan pack, we have combined this felt key ring with a photocopy of an autograph by RA that was also provided in Flat Richie.

1 Thorin fan pack

Flat Richie proudly presents: The Thorin fan pack. This is a small figurine of Thorin Oakenshield which is only 7cm in height and perfect to adorn your desk or your book shelf. It comes with a holograph book mark (17.8 x 6.8 cm). Both items were part of the Flat Richie parcel.

1 Uncle Vanya poster

Double trigger warning! The fact that Uncle Vanya’s run was abruptly ended, has still got many fans distraught. Sorry if you missed out on seeing the show. However, Ani snagged this poster when she saw the play, and trigger warning #2 goes with any picture of RA, right? Your chance to get your hands on one of the posters, particularly if you saw the play early on when the posters were not yet available for purchase. (Size: A3)

1 Playful Alice Odd Lot

The Playful Alice Odd Lot comes from Flat Richie, too. It consists of an Alice lens cloth, a cute little zippered pouch, a keyring, some cute ceramic decorations and a fun tin containing a few play cars.

1 Inspector Lynley DVD

Richard’s turn in the Inspector Lynley series of murder mysteries is one of his lesser known roles. The episode is hard to find online, so this DVD is your chance to have a look at Richard in 2005. DVD Region 1. Thank you to the donor!

1 Thorin sign

Thorin fan? Here is a piece of unique fan art for you! This is a hand-crafted sign spelling Thorin’s bird. Made by Kate, this is a truly one-of-a-kind piece of memorabilia for a Thorin lover. The sign is made from wood and has leather-cut lettering.

1 Macbeth programme (1999)

From Richard Armitage’s theatre past, this programme is from his time with the Royal Shakespeare Company when he played Angus in Macbeth. The programme contains Richard’s cast photo and a very short blurb about his career thus far. This is an unsigned programme, but it is practically in mint condition. A very exciting, true collectors item. Thank you to Paula for donating this coveted item!

And now…

May the bidding begin…

For all auctions applies the following: Since they are charity auctions, we are charging no postage fees. The item will be carefully packaged and sent anywhere in the world. Please note: No returns possible, I am afraid, as this is a charity project.
All my auctions are private and non-commercial, a fundraiser for charity. I will try and update you on the progress of the auctions as we go along. Items go to the highest bidders, upon payment. In some cases, the items will be despatched directly from the donor and not me. Where applicable, the buyers will receive a tracking number to track the progress of their parcel. The final sum of the proceeds will be posted here on blog, and I will notify you via blog when the donation has been made.
All proceeds of these auctions will go to LOROS via muchloved. If you do not wish to bid on an item but would like to contribute with a donation, there is a Paypal powered donation button here on my blog for easy transfer of funds. All donations given via the Paypal button will also go into the final donation!
So please check out the auctions! Bidding is open for all, anywhere in the world – electronically on eBay.

The donate button is also live now. You can find it in the red side bar of this blog, just above the Mission Statement. A click on it takes you directly to Paypal where you can donate the sum of your choice. *Only genuine with the two typos 😂. Sorry.

Let’s put the FUN in fundraiser and follow the bidding for a good cause – and as a great birthday present for Richard!