A MAN who collects newspapers from around the world came from Munich to South Wales as part of his mission to collect every newspaper in the world.

Gerhard Riedl, 55, travelled to Newport last week to collect copies of the South Wales Argus, the Free Press series and The Campaign, to add to his collection, along with the other papers in South Wales.

Mr Riedl came to South Wales for the first time as part of an eight-day trip to get a copy of the Argus to add to the thousands of other carefully preserved papers in his collection, which contains titles dating back to the 1600s.

“I collect newspapers and everything about newspapers, including the history of them, books, postcards, and models about them,” he said.

“It is a hobby that started 20 years ago.

“I think it is interesting and I like the fact that I am the only one who collects them worldwide.

The father-of-one works in Munich as management for railway dispatchers and takes holiday to go around the world to collect the papers.

“I have been to Europe, Ukraine, and Arabic countries and even collect the weekly papers, but I don’t collect magazines,” he added.

“Sometimes, though, it is enough just to call up papers and ask them to send them to me in the post.”

Mr Riedl plans to travel to Armenia and Georgia in October, as he continues on his newspaper quest.

“I don’t read them, I don’t have the time,” he said.

“I just check them quickly to make sure that I have all of the supplements.

“In the first 10 years (of collecting) it was very much work and it was quite stressful.

“It is not pleasure, it is work.

“I keep the paper for myself and I have to protect them in boxes as paper is very sensitive.”

Mr Riedl plans to give them to a library in the future.