One of Graham Hill’s 1969 Gold Leaf Team Lotus Formula 1 race suits. Est. £10,000-£15,000. Graham Budd Auctions image.
LONDON – Graham Budd Auctions, Britain’s leading name in high-end sporting antiques and memorabilia, will conduct a 900-lot sale of sports memorabilia at Sotheby’s New Bond Street saleroom on Nov. 5 and 6. Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
The auction contains sections relating to football, horse racing, boxing, cricket, golf, motor sports, Olympic Games, racquet sports, rugby and other popular sporting categories. Highlights of the sale include an important archive of early photography relating to professional golf that were originally owned by Old Tom Morris, known as the “father of golf.” More than anyone else, Morris is credited with helping to establish the Fife town of St. Andrews as the world’s “home of golf.”
The archive includes some of the earliest extant photos portraying professional golfers going as far back as the 1850s. The collection of 30 photographs is expected to fetch £120,000-£160,000.
Memories of the 2012 London Olympic Games are evoked by the golden throne that Bradley Wiggins sat in after winning his cycling gold medal. One of the most enduring images of the Games was when Wiggins relaxed in the chair crossed-legged and gave his double-Churchillian V-sign salute. The throne is expected to fetch £10,000-£15,000.
A unique aspect of the sale is an auction of racing colors on behalf of the British Racehorse Authority. Racehorse owners will have the opportunity of acquiring distinctive of historic sets of racing silks. This includes black with white cross belts and sleeves and a scarlet cap identical to the colors carried by the famous 1960s steeplechaser Mill House. The expected price is £10,000-£12,000.
John Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanacks are a staple of any sports sale. First published in 1864 and still going strong, these annuals chronicle every aspect of a year in the world of cricket. By 1896, the readership was sufficient that, in addition to the usual almanack in paper wrappers, the publisher produced a far smaller number in hardback. This first hardback is rare, and examples in fine condition have made over £20,000 in the past. The example in the Budd sale has wear to the covers but is still expected to fetch £8,000-£10,000.
Nowadays Formula 1 drivers wear a new racing suit for every Grand Prix. Back in the 1960s, however, only one or two suits were issued for a driver per season. In the auction is the 1969 racing suit worn by the British driver Graham Hill in the 1969 season. It is believed to be the only one to have survived from that year, as Hill had a very bad crash while wearing the other of his two suits. The expected auction price is £10,000-£15,000.
The highlight of the football section is the gold medal awarded to the Manchester United player Bill Foulkes in 1968, when the fabled team won the European Cup. This was the first time an English club had been crowned European champions – Manchester United beat Benfica of Portugal in the final match played at Wembley Stadium in London.
Graham Budd, owner of Graham Budd Auctions, said the market for sporting memorabilia in the UK encompasses a wide variety of items.
“It includes material relating directly to famous sporting celebrities such as medals, trophies, and honors as well as kit and clothing worn during athletes’ careers,” he said. “Elsewhere, there is thriving interest in artefacts such as programs, tickets, autographs, books, decorative and commemorative works of art; pictures, posters, prints and many other interesting items of memorabilia.”
About Graham Budd:
Graham Budd, founding owner of Graham Budd Auctions, gained 25 years experience in the auction business working for Sotheby’s, where he was a Deputy Director and Head of Sporting Memorabilia. High-profile Sotheby’s auctions that Budd curated include the sale of the Lester Piggott collection, and the auction for the late Sir Stanley Matthews. Graham Budd Auctions and Sotheby’s maintain a close association, and Graham Budd’s auctions are held at Sotheby’s New Bond Street saleroom in Mayfair, London.
Britain’s leading specialists in sporting antiques and memorabilia, Graham Budd Auctions offers a full range of auction, valuation and other professional services.
For additional information on any lot in the Nov. 5-6 auction, call Graham Budd Auctions in London on 011 44 208 366 2525, or e-mail gb@grahambuddauctions.co.uk.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
One of Graham Hill’s 1969 Gold Leaf Team Lotus Formula 1 race suits. Est. £10,000-£15,000. Graham Budd Auctions image. John Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanack For 1896, original, from first year the title was published. Est. £8,000-£10,000. Graham Budd Auctions image. The Bradley Wiggins 2012 London Olympic Games cycling time trial Gold Medal Winner’s Throne. Est. £10,000-£15,000. Graham Budd Auctions image. The 1968 European Cup winner’s medal awarded to Bill Foulkes of Manchester United, .750 Continental gold and enamel, with custom presentation box, est. £25,000-£30,000. Graham Budd Auctions image. From British Racehorse Authority’s sale of racing colors: black, white cross belt, scarlet cap. Est. £10,000-£12,000. Graham Budd Auctions image. A photo from the ‘Old Tom Morris’ collection, an important archive of early golfing photographs, est. £120,000-£160,000. Graham Budd Auctions image.
