Some people collect things. Mike Fish (69) collects history.

His extraordinary collection of Manchester United memorabilia is priceless to him, but the resident of Elphin Lodge retirement village in Johannesburg’s east has never been motivated by money.

“It’s all about what makes my heart go boom,” he says with a smile.

That philosophy has shaped a lifetime of collecting.

A historian in his own right, Mike has filled more than 400 hefty albums with meticulously preserved stamps, postcards, photographs, programmes, sporting memorabilia and historical documents. Every page tells a story. Every item has earned its place.

Born in Johannesburg, Mike’s collecting journey began when he was just 10 years old. His father, Myer, took him to a local stamp shop where, using his pocket money, Mike bought his first set, which commemorated the 1934 Fifa World Cup in Italy.

Bought for just pennies, the mint-condition set is now considered a valuable collector’s item, but Mike says he would never dream of parting with it.

While other teenagers spent their money on fashionable clothes, Mike invested every cent he earned in stamps and historical memorabilia. By the age of 12, he had taken a job at a clothing store to fund his growing passion.

His fascination with history came naturally. Mike’s father, who emigrated from Latvia as a young boy unable to speak English, taught himself to read and write before developing a deep love of South African history. This passion would shape his son’s life.

Checkers, Sisulu and Mandela

Before moving to Elphin Lodge six years ago, Mike spent 35 years managing Checkers stores across Johannesburg, finishing his career at the Southgate branch. Even then, history seemed to find him.

While managing the Emmarentia Checkers, he regularly served anti-apartheid icon Walter Sisulu, who was a loyal customer. With the ANC headquarters just around the corner in Yeoville, many prominent political figures shopped there.

One afternoon, Sisulu arrived with his security detail and told Mike: “Come, the Old Man is waiting.” He took Mike to his home and introduced him to Nelson Mandela, a moment he still treasures.

Only perfection will do

When it comes to adding to his collection, Mike has one uncompromising rule. “If a corner is bent, I don’t buy it. Everything must be in mint condition.”

His collection has become so extensive that he reckons it would take months for someone to properly work through every album.

Although his interests span centuries and continents, football remains his greatest love.

A lifelong Manchester United supporter, Mike has amassed what is arguably one of the most comprehensive private Manchester United collections in South Africa. Dating back to 1958, it documents every season since then across 40 jam-packed albums, each containing around 50 pages filled on both sides.

His archive includes signed photographs of club legends, authenticated memorabilia from Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous Class of ’92, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, while a treasured photograph featuring a youthful David Beckham remains one of his favourites.

His sporting hero, however, will always be George Best.

“My father used to say he was rubbish and a womaniser who sat in pubs,” Mike laughs. “I’d tell him, ‘Dad, it’s not the man, it’s the player. His feet are magic’.”

Meeting Best when the football legend toured South Africa to play for Jewish Guild at Balfour Park Stadium remains one of the highlights of Mike’s life.

“I still can’t describe how I felt.”

His collection also preserves one of football’s greatest tragedies – the 1958 Munich air disaster. Match programmes published immediately before and after the crash sit alongside tribute stamps marking anniversaries of the loss of the Busby Babes.

Mike Fish’s ultimate legend is Northern Irish footballer George Best. Middle: Tribute stamps marking anniversaries of the deaths of several Busby Babes players who died in the 1958 Munich air disaster. Right: A fantastic collection of autographed Manchester United trading cards, spanning the early 1990s through to the mid-2000s. Photos: Cathy Grosvenor

His love of the beautiful game extends well beyond Manchester United.

Mike owns albums covering every Fifa World Cup, while his South African rugby collection from the 1990s includes a signed 1995 Rugby World Cup ball from the tournament where South Africa hosted the competition for the first time and famously lifted the Webb Ellis Cup.

He has travelled to England to watch Manchester United in action, even flying there and back over a single weekend to attend one match. He still vividly remembers hearing thousands of supporters singing in unison during FA Cup fixtures against Arsenal and Everton.

Closer to home, he held season tickets and collected memorabilia from Highlands Park FC, where he played as a youngster. “I wasn’t very good,” he admits with a grin.

History, however, extends far beyond sport.

As a member of the Jewish community, Mike feels a profound responsibility to preserve the memory of World War II and the Holocaust.

“You cannot bury history,” he says. “To safeguard the future, we must remember the past, including the Holocaust and apartheid.”

His military and postal history collections stretch back centuries.

They include artefacts from the Napoleonic era and the Battle of Waterloo; an impressive collection of Anglo-Boer War postcards, including a prized 1901 set depicting Boer leaders; and extensive material from both world wars.

Among the most striking pieces are postcards, letters and propaganda material featuring Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, with rare memorabilia from the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games that illustrates how the Nazis used sport as a propaganda tool. One memorable image shows Olympic flags flying while the Hindenburg airship looms overhead.

His aviation collection documents the history of the great Zeppelin airships, including photographs of the ill-fated Hindenburg before its catastrophic crash.

First adhesive stamp

Philately remains another lifelong passion. Mike owns an example of the Penny Black, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, issued in 1840, alongside remarkable collections from the reigns of Queen Victoria and King George VI.

His mother used to joke that because Mike never married, he had instead ‘married Queen Victoria’.

His South African postal history collection traces the country’s evolution from the Cape of Good Hope triangular stamps and the Transvaal era through Union and Republic issues to democracy, featuring figures such as Nelson Mandela, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Joe Slovo.

Among his treasures are stamps produced to commemorate the first modern Olympic Games, held at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens in 1896.

His Johannesburg history albums contain fascinating original photographs dating back to the 1880s, including rare images of Market Square and the young mining town that would become South Africa’s economic powerhouse.

His shelves also hold rare cigarette cards, early football trading cards and beautifully preserved postcards from around the world.

Not every album focuses on war or politics. Mike’s interests range from the natural world to music. His Worldwide Fund for Nature collection celebrates rare and endangered animals, while other albums pay tribute to music legends such as David Bowie and Pink Floyd.

Today, Mike spends one or two hours every day researching, organising and expanding his collection.

Most items are accompanied by carefully written notes explaining their historical significance, turning every album into both a visual archive and a reference book. Countless hours have been invested in cataloguing, cross-referencing and preserving each collection.

Room exudes history

His albums fill wall-to-wall bookcases in a dedicated room at his home, while framed memorabilia covers much of the remaining wall space. Everything is meticulously ordered and catalogued, allowing Mike to locate virtually any item within moments.

For a man who chose a solitary life, these albums have become something akin to family – his greatest source of joy and a legacy preserving countless moments in history.

Although he once bought extensively online, the fluctuating exchange rate and the inability to inspect an item’s condition have made that increasingly difficult. Instead, he eagerly attends monthly stamp fairs at the Edenvale Bowling Club and local auctions, where the thrill of discovery remains as exciting as ever.

“Nothing beats the heart-in-mouth rush of spotting a rare gem that a seller has undervalued or failed to recognise,” he says.

Yet, despite the growing value of many of his possessions, Mike insists their worth can never be measured in money. “It’s about the history.”

Deep roots at Elphin Lodge

His connection to Elphin Lodge is especially meaningful. His parents, Myer and Flora Fish, were among the first residents of Inyoni Creek and spent around 20 years living there. Today, Mike enjoys the retirement village’s friendly atmosphere, excellent security and peaceful dam, where he likes to watch the birds. But sooner or later, the albums call him back.

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