HE was the town's first, and possibly only, black doorstep trader. A tall, smartly dressed character, he's still fondly remembered for his beaming smile and a friendly handwave for everyone he met.

Memories had come tumbling back for a middle-aged reader who spotted a passing reference to this man with the 'treasure trove' suitcase on this page a couple of weeks ago.

Asking to be identfied by his nickname of Rigger, our 55-year-old informant writes: "I well remember him selling wares door-to-door around St Helens.

"He was simply known to all his customers as John, and he used to call at our house about once a month during the early 'fifties."

Rigger was then a kid of about eight or nine but his impression of John remains indelibly etched in his mind.

"I used to stand in awe at this six-foot coloured gentleman who would be greeted with a firm handshake from my father.

"He always looked immaculate in smart suit, shirt, tie and overcoat; and his manners were impeccable."

John was on first-name terms with his regular customers who invited him in for a cuppa.

"Then, without further ado, John would place his huge suitcase on the living-room table and proceed to lay out all his wares."

Rigger remembers the fine silk scarves, handkerchiefs and items of haberdashery . . . "all of the highest quality."

But what remains clearest in mind was a woven piece of fabric measuring about two feet by 18 inches and featuring a leopard among a stand of trees.

When John noticed Rigger's wide-eyed interest he then began to weave tales about the leopard . . . "and all the other wild animals that roamed his native land."

Rigger adds: "I was completely captivated - standing there gaping, eyes popping and enraptured by his tales."

Rigger's dad asked the price of the tapestry.

"Then the haggling would start. John took great delight in all the hand-slapping and haggling over his wares.

"I can still remember that my dad managed to get the price knocked down from ten bob (50p in today's money) to seven-and-six (37p). Not cheap in those days!"

But for a long time after, Rigger received endless pleasure from gazing at that beautifully woven leopard and recalling John's jungle stories.

"With the deal finally sealed with another firm handshake and a beaming smile, John would then struggle off down the street, lugging his huge suitcase and waving and turning his head with a farewell smile."

The last time Rigger saw John was around 1952.

But he still remembers him as "a wonderful bloke and a great character."

ANYONE else got a memory to share about the door-to-door traders of bygone decades? If so, please drop me a line at the Star.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.