East Layton, North Yorkshire
Comics, original art, and the objects around them.
demeritvivo is a UK dealer for collectors who want condition described honestly, provenance written down, and the chance to sit with a book before they buy it. The gallery is a converted stone cottage a few miles west of Richmond. The stock lives in climate-controlled racks behind it.
What we hold
Four rooms of stock, not a warehouse of everything. We buy slowly, describe in full, and would rather leave a gap on the shelf than take in a book we cannot stand behind.
Pamphlets and weeklies
British weeklies from the 1950s onward, American pamphlets in collectible grade, and bound volumes that still read as objects rather than leftovers. Condition is written in Overstreet language and in plain English.
Original sequential art
Splash pages, process drawings, and complete board stories from working illustrators. Each piece is sold with a condition report and a chain of custody from the studio or estate.
Statues and objects
Limited resin, studio maquettes, and film-adjacent objects with paperwork. We do not deal in unlicensed recasts.
Graded copies
A small, high-grade run of encapsulated books, photographed on all sides before they leave East Layton.
How a specialist dealer should behave
The UK market is full of optimistic grading and quiet restorations. We write the defects in the first paragraph, not the last.
A book that has been loved is not the same as a book that has been abused.
Seen in person
Every listing is handled under north light in the gallery. Colour photographs are taken before packing. If a defect does not show in a photo, it still appears in the written grade.
Paper that travels
Invoices, provenance notes, and conservation records go with the object. UK buyers receive a paper copy in the parcel as well as a PDF.
Packed as if it were ours
Mylar, acid-free boards, corner protection, and tracked UK postage as standard. Higher-value lots go by specialist courier with a declared value.
By appointment
Sit with the stock before you decide.
East Layton is a small village on the old A66, a short drive from Richmond and Scotch Corner. The gallery is open Thursday to Saturday. Write first so we can pull the right boxes and put the kettle on. If you cannot travel, we photograph to order and pack the same week.
Viewings and fairsTell us what you are looking for.
Want lists are welcome. We keep a private register of collectors hunting particular runs, artists, and objects, and we write when something honest lands.
Send an enquiry