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O O L D S T O R E # 1
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OLD STORE #11
OLD STORE #1
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Last month a collector sent me a couple of dozen photos of Busts from Old Store. I decided
to use them for an article in this edition but events have made this almost prescient.
The owner of the Old Store brand was Elvio Alessandria who died earlier in July. Elvio’s
original company, Alpa (micros and Warner Bros), is even better known to miniature
collectors than Old Store, a label started to cash in on Scotch collectors. A fact unknown to
most collectors is that Alpa also made the mini cans usually identified as from Argentina (as
well as Alpa cans of course), and a vast number of (official) Coca Cola mini bottles.
Elvio reputedly also made 'knock-offs' of other Italian company's minis but nothing was ever
proved as far as I am aware. He did get into serious legal difficulties with Alpa’s Lowenbrau
set of cans that were made without permission (as I suspect many more were). The Last
project, a series of micro mini magnets of drinks, groceries etc. were not good sellers as
they were too expensive (retailing €6.50-€8.00)
You might describe him as a loveable rogue, one that will be missed. RIP Elvio.

Onto the Old Store Busts.

Abraham Lincoln, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Lenin, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Junior

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