Sporting Memorabilia & Equipment

This sector of the art and antiques market often generates big headlines in the general media – not least when an auction record for 1966 World Cup is set for example. But the market is extremely wide and varied. Here there really is something for everyone at every price level, whether a buyer focuses on football programmes, historic golf clubs or fishing tackle.


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Fist editions: boxing books at auction

25 September 2023

Large group of pugilist-related works was collected over more than 50 years by London couple

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Baseball makes its debut in an early US publication

18 September 2023

The Book of Sports by Robin Carver is considered the first American publication to describe the sport of baseball.

Cuthbert J Ottaway

Pick of the week: Signing the first England captain

11 September 2023

A timed online sale of sporting memorabilia that closed on August 27 at Graham Budd was topped by a photocard of Cuthbert J Ottaway (1850-78).

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Cricket rarities catch attention

11 September 2023

Sporting specialist saleroom highlights include wicket-keeping gloves, bat and even a soup tureen

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‘Earliest international rugby cap’ at auction

28 August 2023

This faded red-brown velvet cap worn by Alfred St George Hamersley (1848-1929) is believed to be the earliest rugby international cap to come to auction.

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Beefy memorabilia reminds England of Ashes triumph

21 August 2023

England cricketer Sir Ian Botham sold a group of memorabilia from his international and club career at auction on July 15.

Ian Botham’s World Cup shirt

Ian Botham’s World Cup shirt stars in our pick of six auction highlights

21 July 2023

ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes memorabilia from the collection of Sir Ian Botham sold at Knight's Auctioneers.

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The oarsman who outraged Henley and a rower later mountaineer

10 July 2023

A group of Victorian rowing memorabilia generated plenty of bidding at Claydon Auctioneers (19.5% buyer’s premium) in Buckinghamshire on June 25-26.

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Print includes a Wimbledon tennis pioneer

10 July 2023

A Tennis Match at Manchester is a very rare print marking one of the first British tennis tournaments.

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Beefy sells memorabilia from when his heroics with bat and ball helped to win the 1981 Ashes

08 July 2023

England cricketer Sir Ian Botham is offering memorabilia from his international and club career at an auction on July 15.

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All my world’s a stage – author Ned Boulting on his Tour de France book inspired by an auction buy

03 July 2023

A chance purchase at auction during lockdown inspired a whole book on a single day of the Tour de France 100 years ago

Tom Wilson's 1922 FA Cup winner’s medal

Pick of the week: Wilson was a first three in a row winner

19 June 2023

While the achievement of Manchester City players in winning three titles in consecutive seasons – with a treble – is certainly admirable, spare a thought for Tom Wilson, a footballer of a much earlier era.

Sir John Hunt’s mittens and ephemera

Everest 1953 expedition leader’s mittens reunited after auction

05 June 2023

Mittens worn by British Everest expedition leader Sir John Hunt in 1953 have been reunited 70 years later following a successful auction bid, it has been revealed.

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Australian cricketer bowls in and tribal art drums up support

05 June 2023

The Abacus sale on June 28-30 in Melbourne will feature an eclectic mix of material.

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Chalmers charmed by tennis book dealer award

08 May 2023

Alan Chalmers of The Tennis Bookshop (established in 1988) has been awarded the United States Court Tennis Association’s 2023 George Plimpton Prize for his “fine work as a book dealer”.

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The web shop window: A collection of fishing priests

01 May 2023

Thousands of items are available to buy from dealers online. Here we pick out one that caught our eye this week.

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Cricket dish catches £4400

10 April 2023

By far the most desirable wares from the Goodwin & Harris ‘Metropolitan Scenery’ series of blue and white transfer printed earthenwares are those featuring cricketers in the grounds of Windsor Great Park.

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Busby Babe Johnny Berry remembered thanks to medal sale success

27 March 2023

In one way, Johnny Berry (1926-94) was luckier than many of Manchester United’s Busby Babes: he survived the Munich air disaster on February 6, 1958, that killed many of his teammates.

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Middlesbrough FC jerseys is ‘possibly the oldest Football League shirt extant’

27 March 2023

This jersey dates from between 1886 and 1890, making it not just the oldest Middlesbrough FC shirt but possibly the oldest Football League shirt extant.

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Photo shows Gunners still south of the river

27 March 2023

With Arsenal still setting the pace at the top of the Premier League as we went to press, several lots offered at Graham Budd’s (24% buyer’s premium) sale on March 7-8 acted as a reminder of the club’s formative days.

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