ALMOST every school child in the 1980s had to have a collection of erasers.

The novelty erasers came in all shapes, sizes and, of course, smells.

From rubber cameras, through fragranced fruit-shaped erasers to ones depicting pictures of celebrities – every collection featured a wide range of novelty items.

They were purchased from a variety of different places - no trip was complete without a visit to the gift shop.

Many of these erasers would not have effectively rubbed anything out but that did not matter because it was not always their true purpose.

Novelty rubbers existed only to be collected, swapped, displayed and enjoyed as small, cheap and utterly pointless items of kitsch.

Pictured is Davina Marsh, 13, from Millbrook who had a more impressive collection than most – in 1983 she was the proud owner of 623 erasers.