Categories of collections

[Pacey Winger]

Im pretty run of the mill when it comes to my collection. Home and away of the club i've supported all my life and that's that.

Because I go to Scotland games, i have a few of them but don't go hunting missing back issues.

However, from what I've seen, people have all different types of "categories" of collections.

Outwith the team you support, what other "categories" do you collect and what inspired it?

[martino]

I collect 1950's English football league Christmas Day programmes.

No particular reason: when I was looking for something else to collect many years ago it seemed to be a bit different.

Not easy and I am in no hurry - about half way there and 135 left to go so if anyone has any for sale let me know.

[colchestersid]

Apart from the main West Ham collection of programmes and tickets

- England tickets post war - I now have 90% of these

- First programme for every English and Scottish League club after my birth (March 67). I have all 92 English but still need half a dozen Scottish (and of course several did not issue)

- I still have a collection of about 1,000 football ground postcards. I haven't added to these though in 15 years so not sure why I have kept them

Apart from that I've been pretty ruthless over the last couple of years in disposing of anything else - pictures, season tickets, magazines, books I don't read, all have gone and for surprisingly good prices as well

[Cpfc jim]

Fa cup finals programmes I've got every one from 1923 to now and all the tickets except one got all the league cup finals as well charity shields next I suppose

[Bokbag]

You could broadly split mine in two sections:

Major Finals: FA Cup Finals - I have all the post-war finals, and League Cup Finals (missing 5). The European competitions - only just started really, though Only missing a couple from 2000 onwards


Major tournaments World Cup and Euros - I am pretty much complete from 1966 onwards apart from 1974 final. Though I find it a bit of a rabbit hole when I start debating if I need the Australian version of a tournament programme to feel complete lol.

[Pacey Winger]

Great examples and exactly what I was talking about. Gives me a few ideas!

[Basford United]

Pacey Winger wrote:

Im pretty run of the mill when it comes to my collection. Home and away of the club i've supported all my life and that's that. Because I go to Scotland games, i have a few of them but don't go hunting missing back issues. However, from what I've seen, people have all different types of "categories" of collections. Outwith the team you support, what other "categories" do you collect and what inspired it?

Always had an interest in FA Amateur Cup since first watching at Grays Athletic late 50s. Moved to Chertsey, Surrey and my first game there was a 9-4 win for Town over West Wickham in the AC
Had built up a decent collection of post war FAAC but eventually realised I couldn't complete anything - even the 'proper' rounds difficult with the absence of issues from so many clubs, especially in the North.
So concentrating now on Finals & Semis, including replays there were 108 post war, have 97 so 11 elusive and expensive ones to find!!
Also retaining a 'one per club' home collection in the same competition, have around 260.

[MINSTERMAN]

One of my relatively few side-collections is first and last at League grounds. Sounds straightforward, right?

This collecting set can have lots of different variations, but I shy away from getting the first/last of clubs entering and exiting the League every season. My parameters are any last League/competitive match at a club’s ground (as in the club are moving elsewhere), plus any official closing game, and likewise for a new ground opening, first competitive/League and any ramps ups/official openings.

Clubs can have two or three last games, and maybe four firsts, especially if they are drawn at home in a LC tie before their first league match as Brentford did this season. This can all be quite complex to keep up with, which makes the thrill of the chase even more exciting.

For a bit more of a challenge, chuck in groundshares for good measure, I’m thinking of moves by clubs like Brighton, Chester (when in the league), and Rotherham to name a few who were nomadic for a few seasons. Fulham’s temporary move to Loftus Road in the early years of the millennium included Intertoto Cup matches as first competitive games to add to the mix.

When you slightly extend the parameters to include the rare occasions when a club plays a League match elsewhere, the collection expands a little bit more. Newport used the Cardiff City Stadium twice recently due to pitch problems, but back in 1969/70 Walsall played away from Fellows Park for a few months due to extreme waterlogging. There have also been instances of clubs being banned from playing at their own ground for disciplinary reasons (think of the fan running on at Elland Road in 1971 to have a pop at the referee and Leeds having to play games at Hull and Huddersfield). Then, add a few enforced moves due to fire damage (Bristol Rovers and Forest), and the awful repercussions of the Valley Parade disaster.

It's a fascinating collection, many issues being special editions so a really interesting side line. It’s a limited quantity of issues to collect going forwards (maybe a couple of clubs per season) but a real challenge collecting retrospectively. I have a list of such games if anyone fancies taking it up, just PM me.

[SeasideMark]

Minsterman - you have a PM

[derby1884]

Non-league "one-per-club" though it does take up a LOT of space. Up to 2,494 per my spreadsheet - there's always new clubs springing up/name changes etc so it's something you could start without it being overly expensive. And it's open-ended.

I started on FA Amateur Cup Finals because it was relatively easy to complete a collection back to the war so then I tried to get all the tickets, then basically any paper item that covered any Final. Then any pre-war issue I might afford. Again, it's relatively open-ended if constrained by there being only one game a year.

Less open-ended are my Northampton 65/66 and Leyton Orient 62/63 "side-collections" - started just because they're fascinating stories and two clubs who are unlikely to ever grace the top league ever again. Bit of history and all that. Got all the homes/aways/friendlies - now I look out for reserve games, press photos and press reports that pertain to those seasons.

I think you've got to be at least interested in any subject you choose for a "side-collection".......I tried FA Cup Finals. Acquired them back to 1951 or so - but, perversely perhaps, found them too 'easy' to find. The challenge wasn't there. Still got them in a cupboard somewhere, never look at them.

By the way, "investment" never entered my head. I can see why perhaps buying one random pre-war programme every 2 or 3 months might be fiscally wise, without any collecting parameters such as club or competition, it would just end up a mess. But that's more a comment on me than the validity of collecting like that.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/derby1884/sets/

[EFC_Graeme]

Everton programmes, tickets, team sheets, posters etc from European games and friendlies against non English clubs or English clubs but if the game was played abroad.

[Pacey Winger]

Interesting point made about investment.

This has never really entered my head either. I dont think there is a massive clamour for Stirling programmes right enough, albeit some of the earlier 50s issues can go for between 20 and 30 pounds each but probably more to do with who the opponents are, for example Third Lanark or the likes.

Going to have a think about a side collection.....maybe not say anything to the Mrs though

[stfc831968]

Swindon home and aways are my main collection; i'm also collecting as many programmes as i can from the 1978-79 season.

The reason being that is the first season i got really into football big time, so it's really interesting getting all the programmes and reading all about that time.

Probably won't get them all, but i buy a few a week to fill the many gaps i have.

[Thedoog10]

Think my prog collection is rather unique..... I only collect from games my all-time footballing hero the late Derek Dougan played in been collecting since the early 60s I have around 700 from his six Football League clubs, Belfast Distillery, Northern Ireland Internationals None League Kettering and Testermonials and i am still picking up the odd one recently obtained a Kettering v Wellingborough NSCQF 26 1 77 that I had been looking for fore over twelve years!!!.

[hibernian]

Apart from Hibs
Scottish one per club per season 46/7 to 73/4
Scottish Cup and league cup final 46 to 2000
Scotland home 46 to 2000
Scottish European homes 55 to 70
Scottish first and lasts, ground changes, first/ last in league etc

I used to collect English first/ lasts but stopped a few years ago. Also going to dispose of my Scottish Finals and internationals from 70s to 2000 along with all my various English programmes

[kempo]

Everton and Newport County homes from 1949/50 onwards

[overlap]

My “side” collection is Liverpool 1946/47... met Albert Stubbins once in Newcastle and got chatting about his career and have tried to pick up programmes from that season ever since.
Got most of the homes, I can see some of the aways might be a challenge.

Also used to collect recent World Cup venue posters but they were taking up too much room so stopped after Brazil 2014.

[Popsider]

I have sold my Derby County collection over the course of the last year or so, and I now only collect programmes from the day after I was born -Saturday 21st April 1956. I was born on a Friday so not much point in collecting for that day! I have 45 of the 46 league games (still looking for Crewe v Chesterfield single sheet) and about 100 others - Reserves, Scottish, non league etc. Its largely open ended because for some of the lower leagues its difficult to even find a fixture list, and of course not all sides produce programmes, especially that late in the season. Annoyingly some dealers list programmes on eBay without a date to make matters worse!
Does anyone else collect for a specific date?

[mustard68]

I collect for my birthday as well. It was a saturday [so I`m told] and Duncan Edwards made his Egland debut

www.10footballs.com/dts-birthday-02-04-1955/

[Grumpypants]

I also collect programmes on my birth date. I was born on a Monday, there were a few games played, mainly friendlies and Newport v Q.P.R (which I am still after). So I have started to collect programmes from the the previous Saturday 18th October 1958, still a few to get, as and when.
Also trying to collect at least one programme per season from 1958 to present from any team, league or cup.