The Creation of the CD

The seed of an idea was sown in 1997 when a collector in Quebec, Canada mentioned that she would like to collect photographs of all the Ivorex ever made, which was thought at that time to number around 400 items.  Although this was a great idea, it seemed totally impractical.  How could anyone possibly collect all those photos?

However, the idea was not totally disregarded.  It grew and evolved into the possibility of putting pictures onto a computer disc.  There were many problems associated with this idea, such as would 400 pictures fit on a disc and where all those pictures would come from.

The frustration of being a collector who could find few answers to all those questions that it seems all collectors have led to further thought on the mechanics of the whole idea, and it became clear that, apart from the obstacle of obtaining the pictures, the project would be technically feasible.

A mock up CD label was printed on a sheet of paper and was taken to the IBCS convention held in April 1998 in Nashville, Tennessee.  This spoof label with its imaginative index was all that existed of the idea at that time.  It was shown to a small group of Bossons collectors who were also keen Ivorex collectors in order to gauge whether the project would be worthwhile and of interest once completed.  The idea passed its first test.

The next stage was to formulate the way the disc album would work, making it as easy as possible for anyone with limited computer skills to access.  Ease of navigation had to be a key factor in making a complex program simple and interesting to use.

Contact was again made with those IBCS members, and a core team was formed with the intention of creating an album, the number one priority at that time being the supply of photographs.

The bare pages of the album program were created, and now all that was needed was the placing of the pictures.  These were supplied in large numbers by the enthusiastic core team.  This gave us the bulk of the album and made the whole project viable.  Other pictures were gleaned in ones and twos from collectors around the world, having been requested by e-mails, many letters and personal visits.  Once obtained, they were scanned into the album.

Simultaneously adding the pictures, we edited the list of titles, the ‘Definitive List’.

This list was a combination and cross reference of every list of Osborne Ivorex products we could find, from whatever source.  Some of the titles were obviously incorrect, being a corruption of the correct title. 

Some titles were complete fabrications or merely owners’ interpretations of the scenes and others were plaques made by other companies.

The official Osborne catalogue also proved to be less of a help than it might have been due to some truncating of the actual titles.  This gave rise toa number of titles appearing in various lists that just did not exist.  Osborne also added to our difficulties, having given some scenes several different titles and other scenes just a subtle variation.

The biggest surprise was the discovery of more and more titles.  Old printed material had estimated Osborne’s total output as around 400 titles, but our research shows he far exceeded that number.

An interesting observation that was made very early in the creation of the album is that almost every individual Ivorex collection, even the small ones, had one or more pieces that no other collection has.

By the end of 1998 we had a working album and through 1999 it was further developed, adding more pictures and refining the actual program.  Work through 2000 concentrated on the picture and title content with a very basic history of Ivorex.  We did not expand the history section as it was believed that a couple of books were to be published covering this topic, plus, disc space was at a premium and the pictures were our priority.

However, the books did not materialize, and new software increased our disc capacity, so in 2001 we greatly expanded the history section, taking great care in correcting errors that had arisen in some of the printed articles on Osborne.  Using material gained from professional genealogical research, we added an accurate family history.

Throughout 2002, we added 20 new titles (confirmed with pictures) and 30 other pictures for existing titles.  Work also went on with genealogy research via the 1901 census of England and with a higher capacity disc now available we were able to increase content even further.

Throughout 2003 we added another 22 pictures, greatly increased the History of Ivorex section and provided a print utility to give better control over printing the calendar cards and the Definitive List.

Sadly, in May of 2003 we lost one of our core team members when Andy Jackson, known affectionately as ‘Mr. Ivorex’, passed away.  His collection of over 500 pieces and his collector’s enthusiasm helped ensure this project would succeed and be of benefit to future collectors around the world.

2004 saw the new addition of background information on Faversham for those people around the world who do not know the Kent town.  Further research on the Monk/Osborne family added to our family history information and the family tree.  Although fewer are further in between, more titles have been found and confirmed, and more pictures inserted into the album.

Throughout 2005 and 2006 additional pictures were added.

The publication is provided ‘as is’ without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

This publication could include technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors.  Changes are periodically added to the information therein.

From the core team:

Since John Smith’s passing in  2014, the project remained stagnant.  Talk began about making his work available to more collectors by putting it out on a website.  This site is the result. 

Previously unknown Ivorex pieces are still being added as of 2025.