David Bayliss had two all-important hobbies in his life – football and trains, writes Charles Hanson.
Many Rams fans will be able to empathise with that but I hope they can forgive the fact that David was a lifelong Notts County fan.
Sadly, David died in 2008 at the age of 59 – just before he was due to retire at 60. But he’s far from forgotten and that’s because his passion for his two main hobbies lives on.
In our February 21 Toy and Football in Focus auctions, we’ll be selling The David Bayliss Collection – and we’re proud to honour his name.
As well as Notts County programmes and souvenir shirts, it includes a huge array of railwayana bought over decades.
His collection is sparking interest among railway enthusiasts and rightly so. According to our toy valuer, Steve Fulford, there are several gems.
Rare vintage items include a Wrenn Royal Scot Manchester Regiment loco, boxed and in excellent condition, estimate £150-£200, and a Wrenn Brighton Belle Pullman, estimate £60-£80. There are also items from Hornby, Bachmann, Dapol, Mainline, Lionel, Graham Farish plus Hornby
Dublo vehicles.
The railway collection is currently being catalogued into around 80 lots by Steve while our football expert Alistair Lofley is casting his eyes over the football memorabilia.
The entire collection was once housed in David’s flat. He left it to his brother, Tom Bayliss, who died at the age of 80 last August, and his sister-in-law Lynn Bayliss, 72.
After storing the collection of around 1,000 items for 11 years, Lynn’s decided it’s time to let go of the many boxes of collectables David amassed.
She wants to pay homage to his memory and give other rail and football enthusiasts the opportunity to own objects they will hopefully treasure as much as he did.
That’s a wonderful gesture to ease the sad part of this story. Just six months before David died, he went along to a model railway club and told them he would be joining them shortly.
Earlier in life, David battled leukaemia and recovered but a sudden heart attack struck. He never lived to enjoy his retirement.
I tell you this because I want you to understand that we’re deeply moved by our clients’ personal stories. House clearance is one service we offer and we understand what a difficult and emotional experience it can be.
Inevitably people share personal memories as items are discussed. One story that made me smile about David concerned his decision to bid to be a Notts County ‘professional player’ in a club fundraiser.
David won and became Notts County’s number 55 for the 2002-2003 season. He joined the team for the pre-season photo-call, received documents to prove he was a Football League registered player, had his name and number in all squad lists and was given home and away shirts. I’m looking forward to honouring his name again.
The David Bayliss Collection will be sold on Feb 21 in the Toys, Trains and Railwayana and Football in Focus auctions. Entries invited until February 1. Steve Fulford offers toy valuations at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, on Fridays, 10am-4pm. Alistair Lofley will be valuing sports memorabilia on Saturday February 2, 9am-noon. To enquire about house clearance, call 01283 733988.
