An autograph book signed by cricket legends from nearly a century ago has been found in a London loft – and the home owner had no idea it was there.
But now she’s destined for an auction windfall because the sports memorabilia has been valued at £500-£800 by Hansons London and it’s set for auction on February 26.
The book bears the signatures of members of the 1933 West Indies Cricket team which toured England that year. They played three test matches, losing two and drawing one. In all, the side played 30 first-class matches, winning five and losing nine.
The batting was led by George Headley, who scored almost twice as many runs as the next highest aggregate and averaged 66 runs per innings. The bowling was spearheaded by the pace of Manny Martindale, from Barbados, who took 14 wickets in the Tests and 103 on the tour.
In 1934 Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanack named George Headley as Cricketer of the Year alongside English players Cyril Walters, Fred Bakewell, Les Townsend and Morris Nichols. Headley’s name appears among the autographs.
The valuable piece of long-forgotten sports memorabilia was discovered by Chris Kirkham, Head of Fine Art and associate director of Hansons London during a routine house visit. He said: “I was called to a property in Richmond to value some items for potential sale.
“The owner had inherited the house along with its contents. While I was there, we decided to go up into the loft to check for other items. The autograph book was found tucked away in a box of magazines. It was a fantastic surprise, particularly for me as I’m a cricket fan.
“The owner was taken aback when I revealed its potential value. She has no family connections to the item and absolutely no idea how it came to be in the loft in the first place. The opening page offers a clue, though. It bears the name and address of its original owner – Richard Fothergill of Barnes, London. We can only assume he lived in the property at one time and, of course, loved cricket.”
Cricketing memorabilia is hot property at auction. On January 22 an autograph album packed with famous names from the golden age of cricket, formerly the property of Gladys Douglas, sister of renowned cricketer Johnny Douglas (1882-1930), sold for £11,600 in a Cricket Memorabilia Auction at Hansons Auctioneers. It was discovered in a dusty garage in Bath. The auction was a white-glove event, meaning every lot sold, with combined sales totally £50,000.
“I suppose the message for everyone wherever they live is that it’s well worth having a look though the attic, garage or any unexplored cubby holes,” said Chris. “It’s far from the first time someone has come across an item of value they never knew existed in their own home. It’s a bit like digging for gold in the attic – auction gold.”
Auction entries invited | Free valuations
Entries are invited for Hansons London February 26 Fine Art and Antiques Auction. Free valuations are available at The Auction Centre, Normansfield Theatre, Teddington, London on Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am-4pm, and Saturdays, 9.30am-12.30pm. To book an appointment, or arrange a free home visit, call 07469 953077 or email [email protected]. Kate Bliss will be offering free jewellery and silver valuations at the Normansfield Theatre on February 2 and 23, 10am-4pm. No booking necessary.
