An obsession with hoarding records, photographs, old in-voices and payslips for many years frustrated businessman John Delia’s two sons, but today, Patrick Delia says he will be forever grateful for his father’s collections.

To honour his father and mark the royal visit next week for the CHOGM, he is holding an exhibition, opening tomorrow, at the Malta Chamber of Commerce to showcase one of his family’s private collections.

The decorated facade of the Ferreria Palace on the occasion of the coronation of King George VI in 1937.

The Delia family founded the Gio. Bart Delia enterprise in 1901 and were for years renowned for their fine bone china imports.

Simply entitled The Royal Family, the exhibition will include limited edition fine china, porcelain pieces and a number of photographs which showcase the Delia family’s undying interest in the monarchs and their families.

“We still have the banners from when our façade had been decorated to celebrate the Coronation of King George VI in 1937. Anything that we came across when going through my father’s collections which had to do with the royal family, we have included,” Mr Delia said.

Friday would have been my father’s birthday, which is already quite fitting

When he was younger, Mr Delia said he did not always fully appreciate his father’s passion but today he takes great pride in the collections.

While the collection of photographs stemmed from Mr Delia’s father’s habit of not throwing away anything to do with his business, his passion for collecting fine china and porcelain pieces was a hobby he shared with Mr Delia’s uncle.

“Together, they would import a number of limited edition pieces for customers, and when they came across any on the royal family, they would keep one to add to their own private collection,” Mr Delia said.

While such pieces have always been quite unique, as only limited numbers were produced, today they are regarded as being of greater value since their manufacturers no longer exist. “Most factories in Stoke on Trent are no longer producing English bone china and so we now take even greater pride in being in possession of these pieces,” he said.

The exhibition is marked by a number of coincidences, making it even more special to the Delia family.

“Friday would have been my father’s birthday, which is already quite fitting. But another interesting coincidence is that in November of 1949, around the same date, the Chamber held an exhibition to celebrate its hundredth anniversary, and Queen Elizabeth, who was still a princess, visited.” A photograph of that visit will be among the many items on display.

The Royal Family will be open until November 30 from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, and until 12.30pm on Saturdays.