Ian had thousands of unknown 45's that were impossible to play due to the moment in time, hence the famous 'last hour' where he and Colin would be playing obscurities such as The Montclairs on Arch, Celeste Hardie, Delilah Moore, Connie Laverne on GSF, Keni Lewis-What's Her Name etc.
The reason they took years to be re-discovered/matured is due to the way the scene changed in the mid 70's(Wigan Pop heavy '75, Mecca more Disco and 70's friendly.). As he started to sell off his collection in 1979, the sheer volume of 60's 'newies' started to emerge.