A section of the January 26-27 sale of militaria, coins and collectables in Ipswich comprised a collection of Cardiff City ephemera offered in 48 lots. Estimated at £15,000-20,000, they sold at a little over £44,000 hammer.
The top lot of the day comprised about 35 bound volumes of the club’s directors’ minutes ledgers, wages books, share registers etc. This documented history from 1915-72 had been due to be thrown away before the collector acquired it.
Estimated at £400-500, the books went back to the club at £4000.
The top glory years for City – currently in the second tier of English football – arrived soon after the club joined the English league in 1920.
Getting to the 1925 FA Cup Final, when Cardiff lost 1-0 to Sheffield United, was considered a memorable feat. Greater still was beating Arsenal 1-0 to lift the trophy two years later.
This was reflected in bidding for associated ephemera.
The menu for the civic dinner signed by the 1927 team, estimated at £150-200, made £700 while a rare programme for the great game (with some splitting to the spine and the odd) doubled top hopes at £1100.
Signed by all the 1925 team, a menu of the dinner given for them at City Hall quadrupled the mid-estimate at £650.
Good winner and a good loser
Enamelled presentation cigarette case for the 1925 final – £700.
Also commemorating that match was an enamelled cigarette case by Cardiff silversmith John Pairman depicting Wembley Stadium and Cardiff’s coat of arms. It had been presented by a south Wales newspaper proprietor to the team's star player, Jimmy Gill.
Engraved In Commemorate an Honourable Achievement ... A good winner and a good loser, it went a shade above top estimate at £700.
