HELP NEEDED: A few Questions for my dissertation research

[dgilder]

Hello everyone,

I am currently studying a BA in Graphic Design at University and am writing my dissertation on what influences collecting Football Memorabilia has had on the Football enthusiast.

I have become quite fascinated with the collections of match day programmes, which has leaded me to this forum! I have come up with a few questions, if any of you could take the time to answer them as full as possible it would be truly great help in the research for my dissertation.

I guess you can either respond with your answers on here, or if your answers are more personal/private, then you can email them to me at [email protected]

Thanks again.


Questions:

How did you start, what had drawn you to this type of collecting?

What were your main influences to begin collecting?

What types of programmes interest you the most?

Is there one specific team and/or era, which forms your collection?

Is there a type of design that catches your eye when looking for new pieces?

What qualities do you look for in a programme?

What makes one program more valuable than another?

Do the programmes you acquire form memories of a specific match or season?

How does your collection of programmes get ordered and presented?

Does your collection create a representation of you as a fan/collector?

Has a relationship formed with your collection, has it become precious/sentimental?

How will you determine when a specific collection maybe of a team or period is complete?

Finally what is it that keeps your drive for collecting programmes ongoing?[/b]

[LCFCmatt]

How did you start, what had drawn you to this type of collecting?
I bought a programme at the first match I attended.
My collection didn't really kick off until the internet was born.

What were your main influences to begin collecting?
Originally a souvenir of matches attended.
I saw an advert in the local paper, in the late 80's I think, where someone was selling about 100 1950's and 60's Leicester programmes for a tenner. An absolute bargain! I then did a list of fixtures season by season and started to fill in the gaps over time.

What types of programmes interest you the most?
Any Leicester City programmes

Is there one specific team and/or era, which forms your collection?
Team: Leicester City
Era: My earliest programme is from the 1913/14 season when Leicester City were called Leicester Fosse so you could say I collect from then to present day.

Is there a type of design that catches your eye when looking for new pieces?
No

What qualities do you look for in a programme?
When buying the earlier Leicester programmes from the 1960's to present day I will only buy those that are in mint (perfect) condition.

What makes one program more valuable than another?
Age and rarity.

Do the programmes you acquire form memories of a specific match or season?
If I look at a programme I do tend to reminisce.
e.g first match attended, favourable scorelines

How does your collection of programmes get ordered and presented?
At the moment my programmes are stored under the bed (my wife gave me permission!) in season order.
When time and house space allow, in the future I will store them in Personalised Programme Binders.
www.programmebinders.co.uk
I have to plug my business given the opportunity!!

Does your collection create a representation of you as a fan/collector?
My collection says "Die hard Leicester fan!"

Has a relationship formed with your collection, has it become precious/sentimental?
Nobody touches my programmes except me!

How will you determine when a specific collection maybe of a team or period is complete?
When I have all the programmes from that particular season including all friendles and cup games in mint condition.

Finally what is it that keeps your drive for collecting programmes ongoing?
A good bank balance, an understanding wife and being a Leicester City fan through the good and bad times.
Foxes never quit!

[dgilder]

Thank you LCFCmatt for you time, your answers are really great!

If anyone else could spare a moment to even answer a few it would be much, much appreciated!

Thanks again Matt.

[DannyRoberts]

How did you start, what had drawn you to this type of collecting?

When my schoolfriend gave me his spare copy of the 1978 League Cup Final programme after coming back from the match.

What were your main influences to begin collecting?

Found a batch of pre-war Crystal Palace programmes in the attic. Sent them off to Roy Calmels. He sent a £50 postal order by return of post (seemed like a small fortune to a schoolboy at the time) and this financed the beginning of my specialist area of collecting - see below.

What types of programmes interest you the most?

European Cup / Cup Winners Cup / Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / Super Cup

Is there one specific team and/or era, which forms your collection?
From the birth of the European Cup in 1955/56 to the present time

Is there a type of design that catches your eye when looking for new pieces?
Modern UEFA big match issues tend to follow a similar format. Things were much more varied and interesting in the early days.

What qualities do you look for in a programme?

It's got to the stage where you look back fondly at the smaller programmes of yesteryear. Modern programmes are just too big !!

What makes one program more valuable than another?

The price !!

Do the programmes you acquire form memories of a specific match or season?

Some of the programmes bring back fond memories, eg I was at Wembley in 1992 when Barcelona won their first European Cup. Terrific atmosphere and great fun on the tube back to central London after the match.

How does your collection of programmes get ordered and presented?

Chronological order for each competition.

Does your collection create a representation of you as a fan/collector?

Yup

Has a relationship formed with your collection, has it become precious/sentimental?

Over the last 10 years it appears to have become an increasingly important part of my assets as the traditional financial institutions have been found out to be totally untrustworthy to hold anything of value on people's behalfs

How will you determine when a specific collection maybe of a team or period is complete?

It is never ending until I pass on to the next world I suspect.

Finally what is it that keeps your drive for collecting programmes ongoing?

Would you rather keep money in a bank ??

[PABLO76]

dgilder wrote:

Questions: How did you start, what had drawn you to this type of collecting? A LOCAL AD FOR FA CUP FINAL PROGRAMMES. A YOUNG LAD HAD BEEN LEFT THEM BY HIS LATE GRANDFATHER, HE WANTED £200 FOR 3 OR 4 BOXES, NO IDEA TO THIS DAY WHY I EVEN ENQUIRED, BUT I BOUGHT THE LOT FOR £150 AND SOLD THEM ALL ON EBAY FOR OVER £500, KEEPING THE MAN UTD ONES FOR MYSELF. What were your main influences to begin collecting? LONG STANDING INTEREST IN FOOTBALL, ESPECIALLY MAN UTD What types of programmes interest you the most? PRE 1970 Is there one specific team and/or era, which forms your collection? MAN UTD, 1946/47 TO PRESENT DAY Is there a type of design that catches your eye when looking for new pieces? NO, AGE MORE SO What qualities do you look for in a programme? BETTER CONDITION THAN THE LAST ONE What makes one program more valuable than another? AGE, CONDITION AND PRINT RUN CONTRIBUTE TO A PROGRAMMES DESIRABILITY, AND HENCE VALUE Do the programmes you acquire form memories of a specific match or season? NOT PERSONALLY How does your collection of programmes get ordered and presented? CHRONOLOGICALLY, AND IN OFFICIAL CLUB PROGRAMME BINDERS, ON SHELVES IN MY DINING ROOM Does your collection create a representation of you as a fan/collector? MAN UTD MAD! Has a relationship formed with your collection, has it become precious/sentimental? PRECIOUS IN A FORM OF INVESTMENT, I DONT SAVE MONEY OR HAVE ISAS ETC, MY SPARE MONEY GOES TOWARDS MY COLLECTION, IN HOPE THAT ONE DAY SHOULD I OR MY KIDS NEED MONEY, I HAVE SOMETHING OF INCREASING VALUE (HOPEFULLY) TO FALL BACK ON. I HOPE THAT NEVER HAPPENS! How will you determine when a specific collection maybe of a team or period is complete? NEVER, THERE ARE ITEMS THAT EVERY FAN OF EVERY TEAM WOULD LIKE TO GET HIS/HER HANDS ON, IF I WON THE EURO MILLONS I COULD BUY EACH AND EVERY ITEM THAT CATCHES MY EYE OR I NEED FOR MY COLLECTION, BUT I DONT EVER WANT TO BE COMPLETE, THEN I WOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO! Finally what is it that keeps your drive for collecting programmes ongoing? THE HOPE OF FINDING SOMETHING RARE, OR A BARGAIN [/b]

[dgilder]

Very helpful, thanks again everyone.

[derby1884]

I did my dissertation earlier this year on the effect social media has had on communication between supporters and clubs.
There's no doubt it makes the "hard graft" element of putting it together more interesting if it's a subject you're interested in in the first place.
Good luck - I'll answer your questions later today.
_________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/derby1884/sets/

[derby1884]

How did you start, what had drawn you to this type of collecting?

I started by seeing an ad in Goal magazine circa 1972 and thought it might be good to have one programme from each English club. I still remember the first parcel coming through the post (from Steve Earl) and spending hours + hours going through them.

What were your main influences to begin collecting?

I think collecting anything is a trait you're either born with or not born with. I was. As it doesn't run in the family, they all think I'm a bit crazy.

What types of programmes interest you the most?

Derby County home/away, Non-League one-per-club, FA Amateur Cup finals.

Is there one specific team and/or era, which forms your collection?

Derby County, any era

Is there a type of design that catches your eye when looking for new pieces?

Well, in terms of modern-day issues, too many of them appear the same....so anything "different", I suppose. I have a circular-shaped programme somewhere - that caught my eye!

What qualities do you look for in a programme?

Historical articles, easy-to-read statistical pages.

What makes one program more valuable than another?

The basic rules underpinning supply and demand apply here as much as anywhere else.

Do the programmes you acquire form memories of a specific match or season?

Very few of them as I live so far away from my team.

How does your collection of programmes get ordered and presented?

I'm in the process of doing just that!

Does your collection create a representation of you as a fan/collector?

Good question. I thnk collectors of anything, especially those who keep it up for any extended length of time, are, on the whole, introverts by nature. Also quite happy in their own company.
So, in that case, the answer would have to be "yes".

Has a relationship formed with your collection, has it become precious/sentimental?

Nature's hoarders find it easy to acquire items but difficult to dispose of items.

How will you determine when a specific collection maybe of a team or period is complete?

For an individual season, when all the issued programmes have been acquired.

Finally what is it that keeps your drive for collecting programmes ongoing?

Well, I kinda lost that drive 10 years ago when I moved more into record collecting but over the last 12 months or so the old urges have returned
_________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/derby1884/sets/

[Eck]

How did you start, what had drawn you to this type of collecting?
I had attended matches for 10 years and never bought a programme, my brother in law gave me a Cup Final match programme,the night before it took place. I bought a bundle from Steve Earl who advertised in the programme. I gave up and started in earnest just under three years ago after spotting the first match I attended on ebay.

What were your main influences to begin collecting?
A strong interest in football,my own club and their history.

What types of programmes interest you the most?
I like Cup Finals

Is there one specific team and/or era, which forms your collection?
Yes, Rangers, any era.

Is there a type of design that catches your eye when looking for new pieces?
I do like a good colourful, or action picture cover but it doesn't influence what I buy, the only influences are condition, price and rarity

What qualities do you look for in a programme?
Anything I don't have in reasonable condition.

What makes one program more valuable than another?
rarity

Do the programmes you acquire form memories of a specific match or season?
Not all of them of course because I own many from before I was born. I do have memories of how I aquired some of my programmes though, i've heard some great stories of others who have finaly obtained a special one unexpectedly.

How does your collection of programmes get ordered and presented?
I have a full list as a draft on google mail and i'm currently uploading my collection on flickr. I have them stored in boxes and plastic crates.

Does your collection create a representation of you as a fan/collector?
Yes, both I not only have an affinity with other fans of my club but also collectors of other football clubs.

Has a relationship formed with your collection, has it become precious/sentimental?
Very important to me and has become a big part of my life, precious is maybe a bit strong a word, sentimental - no.

How will you determine when a specific collection maybe of a team or period is complete?
As one above said complete and mint but, I am aware that you can think a season is complete then some obscure item surfaces so maybe never.
Finally what is it that keeps your drive for collecting programmes ongoing?
I enjoy what I do, I enjoy reading them, I enjoy the buzz of a new addition coming through the door, getting bundles, making a sale, helping another collector etc.

[bisphamseasider]

Only 2 years late eck.

[BAZZABAGGIES]

Eck you have just replied to a University chap doing a project over 2 years ago.
Its a waste of time replying to him now he now works in the Local McDonalds tossing Burgers.