Hansons Auctioneers has welcomed Derby County historian and lifelong collector Andy Ellis to the team as its new part-time in-house sporting specialist.
Andy, who was born and raised in Duffield, just north of Derby, has been a Derby County supporter since attending his first match in March 1969. It was the beginning of a lifelong passion for the club, its history and the memorabilia connected to it.
His collecting started with football programmes, with neighbours helping him build his collection by bringing home away programmes. Over the years, this grew to include tickets, teamsheets, shirts, ties, cigarette cards and a huge range of football-related collectibles.
Andy began writing for the Derby County matchday programme in 2001, focusing on the club’s heritage and memorabilia. His first book, Relics of the Rams, followed in 2005, and he went on to help establish The Derby County Collection charitable trust to preserve and document items connected to the club.
He is now well known as Derby County’s historian, providing heritage support to the club, answering supporters’ questions about former players, advising on memorabilia and helping with heritage displays and media projects.
His work includes the collection on display at Harrison’s Hub and the Legacy number wall, which features every player to have represented Derby County since 1884.
Andy has also appeared on Sky TV, local radio, TalkTV and TalkRadio and has written more than 20 football books, including guides to Derby County shirts, programmes and trade cards, as well as the history of the Baseball Ground.
In 2026, he was also appointed as a football historian to help catalogue a County Football Association archive and support more than 500 affiliated clubs with preserving their own history.
Now, Andy is bringing that wealth of knowledge and experience to Hansons, where he will be helping sellers and collectors with sporting memorabilia and providing specialist advice on items coming to auction.
Andy said: “I’ve been collecting football memorabilia for more than 50 years, so to be able to bring that passion and knowledge to Hansons is something I’m really looking forward to.
Sporting memorabilia can tell us so much about a club, a player or a particular moment in history. Often the story behind an item is just as interesting as the item itself, and I’m looking forward to helping people discover what they have.”
Hansons owner Charles Hanson said: “Andy is a fantastic addition to our team and brings an extraordinary depth of knowledge to our sporting department. He knows Derby County inside out, but our ambitions for the department go far beyond one club or one region.
“We’re a world football department, so whether it’s a piece of memorabilia connected to a famous English club, an international tournament, a legendary player or a football story from the other side of the world, we want to be able to offer our clients the specialist knowledge they need.
“Andy has spent decades researching, collecting and preserving football history, and that expertise is invaluable. He certainly knows his football and I’m delighted to have him on our side!”
Andy’s appointment adds another specialist area to Hansons’ growing expertise and will be particularly valuable for anyone with football programmes, shirts, tickets, photographs, cards or other sporting memorabilia they are considering selling.
And with his deep connections to Derby County, there is perhaps no better person to help uncover the stories, and potential value, behind sporting treasures from the region. Hansons Auctioneers holds regular free valuation events across the country, giving people the opportunity to discover more about the history and potential value of items they may have at home. For further information, call Hansons on 01283 733988 or visit www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk.
