The very early days of collecting...

[TheMusic]

Has anyone heard any true stories of any programme collections or collectors in the very early days, say pre-1960 or pre-war?

Having recently heard a story of a former pre-WW1 footballer collecting programmes from matches he played in or went to watch, I'd be fascinated to hear more of collectors and collections gathered before it all became more publicly visible, i.e. the days of magazines with related adverts such as Soccerstar, Charles Buchan...etc in the 1950s...

[derby1884]

There's an article in an early Football Monthly where the author (or the person he was interviewing) mentioned the fact he had kept all the programmes from the thousands of games he'd been at since the turn of the century.

As I recall, these proved a "fascinating read" (too right, they would be).

Not able to check which F/M edition this was in at present but it was definitely 1950s.

Wonder what happened to that particular collection?
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[tackler7]

From my experience in collecting rugby memorabilia there are many collectors who have collecting for longer than since the 1960s.

Personally as for football I inherited my fathers collection which dates back to the 1940s, especially in terms of football cigarette cards.

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

My grandfather watched Croydon Common & Crystal Palace during the 1900's and 1910's, although as he was an active serviceman he couldn't go to every game. He was shot in the arm soon after Mons and was invalided out of the Army in 1915.

After WW1 he watched every Palace home game (and I mean "every"), and a few away, until 1968.

He corresponded with a few legendary sportsmen, including Sir Jack Hobbs, and kept the letters, but when his wife died he burnt the lot.

And he didn't buy one single item of football memorabilia!

[garyspain]

Circa 1954 collecting became popular with boys advertising in the Soccer Star magazine and Charlie Buchans. In 1955 her ein Ireland there was a weekly magazine that lasted for a few months that had similiar adverts.

One current collector in Belfast was advertising back then and some other blasts from the past were advertising too.

I've traced and bought the collections of some of the Irish advertisers although many were discarded. In most cases I wish they'd kept the Irish programmes they sent away.

People were collecting before then but that was the start of organised swopping.

[thegers]

There is a chap at the Rangers games who has been collecting programmes and still does since the early 1960s, could even be late 1950s .

[Jim LFC]

My earliest memories of dealers were David Stacey, Martin Corrie, Roy Calmels and Steve Earl. All of these I believe were based in the South. The Northern dealers, and of more interest to me, were Norman Lovett, David Wiseman, Jimmy Quine, Dave Clarke, Malcolm Dallison and Peter Crilly.

I've heard Roy Calmels and Martin Corrie's names mentioned on here and I've seen Steve Earl is still going strong. I also remember reading about David Stacey passing away about 5 years ago which really saddened me. David provided me with many big match programmes for over 20 years and always provided an excellent service.

Norman Lovett ran the British Programme Club and Reverend David Wiseman I think started the Programme Directory? Dave Clarke specialised in North West progs whilst Peter Crilly. Malcolm Dallison and Jimmy Quine were Liverpool specialists from were I got a lot of my early collection.

Malcolm ran the Northern Programme Centre at Everton before moving to the corner shop at the back of the Kop next to the Albert. I still deal with Pete on Ebay today.

It would be interesting to know what became of Norman Lovett, David Wiseman, Dave Clarke, Malcolm Dallison and Jimmy Quine? Indeed does anyone remember any other eminent dealers from back in the day and what became of them?

[derby1884]

Alan Clegg who was based in Accrington.
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[derby1884]

Pete Butcher - from, I think, Worthing.
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[se20blue]

Pete Butcher started Programme Monthly with John Lister in 1981 and is now secretary at AFC Hornchurch.
Anyone remember Matchday Programmes run by Paul Clarkson ?

[Jim LFC]

derby1884 wrote:

Alan Clegg who was based in Accrington.

Yes! As I remember his prices were quite steep!

[manchesterunitedman1]

derby1884 wrote:

Alan Clegg who was based in Accrington.

Alan Clegg! what a blast from the past-he would be on everyone's black list today-what a character-not a bad lad but you didn't upset him for sure!.
I went round to see him once in the 1990's and I purchased his entire stock, he would not sell his Accrington Collection at that time but he did in the end.

I was then buying every club and had binders for all plus United, eventually I had to concerned that I was a United collector only and so sold the majority to Sports Programmes.

I used to visit Sports in Birmingham in 1972 when they had Pre-War and Victorian Cup Finals for sale on a table for a few pounds!.

Those were exciting times for sure.

Eddie Philips in Manchester was dealing in football programmes in the late 1950's with his shop on Claremont Road in the 1960's near Manchester City's ground where I used to go as a kid 40 years ago and then in Didsbury from a newsagent and now his son still works out of a news agency in Altrincham.

Paul Clarkson another blast-got out of programmes and went into cigarette cards had 20 million or something like that he used to boast.

[Jim LFC]

manchesterunitedman1 wrote:

Paul Clarkson another blast-got out of programmes and went into cigarette cards had 20 million or something like that he used to boast

Another blast from the past!!

Does anyone remember the name of the guy who took over the FPD from David Wiseman and was at loggerheads with Norman Lovett from the BPC? I well remember he had to cross out (in felt pen) all the references to "LOVETT'S LOTTERY" from one issue of the FPD!

[Jim LFC]

manchesterunitedman1 wrote:

Alan Clegg! what a blast from the past-he would be on everyone's black I used to visit Sports in Birmingham in 1972 when they had Pre-War and Victorian Cup Finals for sale on a table for a few pounds!. Those were exciting times for sure.

The pioneers?!!

I've actually still got a load of their catalogues from the 70's and 80's which were sometimes like a scroll. I think the first page everyone looked at was the offers section, not that I was hardly ever successful with my meagre resources at that time!

[BAZZABAGGIES]

Some good old names there. When i first started dealing in 1982 other dealers on the scene apart from the ones mentioned were,
Peter Jones Elliott Jackson Dick Fenwick Tony Stanford (Sports) all are now in the Programme hut in the sky.
John Garrad (Midland programmes) Reg Thacker + Gerald Harris (Villa programmes) Tony Matthews (Albion) Tom Gill is he still around ? and suitcase Ellis he used to visit fairs all around the country, coming by bus and train .

[derby1884]

Jim LFC wrote:

derby1884 wrote: Alan Clegg who was based in Accrington. Yes! As I remember his prices were quite steep!

He sold me a 65/6 Blackburn v Northampton LC s/sheet issue for just a fiver.

I think he had a shop, too, back in 1980.
I certainly recall ploughing through boxloads of 50s progs he had (but finding nothing)
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[derby1884]

The first few Sports Progs catalogues I received used to come in the post rolled up like a newspaper.

remember having to lay them flat under something heavy for a day before they were readable!
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[Jim LFC]

derby1884 wrote:

Jim LFC wrote: derby1884 wrote: Alan Clegg who was based in Accrington. Yes! As I remember his prices were quite steep! He sold me a 65/6 Blackburn v Northampton LC s/sheet issue for just a fiver. I think he had a shop, too, back in 1980. I certainly recall ploughing through boxloads of 50s progs he had (but finding nothing)

Quoted me £45 for Dresden V Liverpool 1976 when the going rate was around £20

[Ruud Van Driver]

Does anyone know if Ron Scott is still in his shop in Cockermouth? Not sure if he would be classed as a dealer but I remember buying quite a few from him, possibly his fault I'm now surrounded!
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[BAZZABAGGIES]

Cockermouth

Did you visit my shop in Bloxwich Walsall in the late 1980s . It was a gold mine for picking up programmes it was on the main commuter route into Wolverhampton.
I used to open five hours a day, one day an old chap left a case full of programmes for selling with the hairdressers next door. He said he lived local and walked with the case from his home.
Inside were over 400 programmes pre 1960 forty Pre war Wolves including early 1930s Exeter v Wolves at Trowbridge.
He never came back I kept them for several months i made enquires who he was but in the end i assumed he had died.

I could write a book on the goings on in that shop and with the hairdressers next door... Those were the days..