Football Programmes Centre

Stats

About Me

What do you do for a living?

IT contractor, do software and hardware support also web develop for e-commerce and db driven sites

Which club do you support and why?

Grantham, born and bred in the Town, both Grandad's supported them as does my Dad. That's how you pick your club

What do you collect?

Grantham home and away (1st team only), also have a few thousand programmes which I trade with

How did you get into programme collecting?

Basically bought a programme each game, didn't realise I was collecting until I checked just how few I was missing. Then in 1998 decided to fill-in the missing gaps and have continued from there.

Your Collection

What was your first football programme?

Probably a boring Beazer Homes League game during the 1986/87 season at London Road, Grantham

What was the last programme you bought?

Frickley v Grantham 1958 this week from Kavjack off the forum

How big is your collection?

Hard to say really, but at least 2000 Grantham programmes and then about 10,000 programmes to trade with (but haven't done much for a while, until my new site is ready)

How do you store your collection?

A4 ring binders, with plastic sheets and A4 card and paper detailing the match details

Whats the oldest programme you own?

Would have to check when I get home, but 1946 ish (wanting to find something earlier, but struggling at the moment)

What is the rarest item in your collection?

Kidsgrove v Grantham from the 2007/08 season, only 6 produced

Which programme from your club is the rarest and most expensive to obtain?

Anything pre-1962 gets quite rare, although I did pick-up a large collection of 1950's thanks to my brother-in-law

What is...?

What is your worst buy?

Don't think I've got any to be honest

What is your best buy?

The above mentioned 1950's programmes, got about 60 at £2.00 each

What is the most you have paid for a programme and which one?

Only about £20 I think, would spend more if the right programme came along

What is the most you have received for a programme and which one?

Not sure to be honest, don't generally sell rare programmes

What is your most prized programme?

Grantham v Middlesbrough 1974 FAC 3rd round, I personally got it signed by 7 of the squad a few years ago

Whats your biggest regret in collecting?

None

The Hobby

In you opinion, is the programme collectors communtiy shrinking or growing?

Growing on-line, shrinking everywhere else

What do you enjoy most about the hobby?

I think the stats of it all really, it's nice to complete a season, but also using the programmes as a resource for research

Where do you buy most of your programmes from?

Struggle to buy generally, but ebay, dealers rarely and general auctions

The Future

If money was no object, which programme would you most like to add to your collection?

Anything I haven't got from my Grantham collection, although I would like Wrexham v Grantham 1949 FA Cup, just generally want the bigger games in the clubs history to be a littler easier to find. But that isn't going to happen !!

Would you ever sell your collection?

No, not a chance, I'm struggling to think of any reason other than family to sell my collection! If I need money I'll work, not sell my prized 1989 Evans Halshaw Cup final programme :)

How do you wish to develop your collection over the coming years?

I'll get to a point where I filter out poor condition programmes and replace them with better I think, it maybe easier than getting new programmes for my collection, although generally my collection is in good condition.