5 replies to this topic

[red terror]

Greets, this is something I've wondered about creating for a couple years, and kinda want to float the idea to see if there is any interest; and also what category to put the section.

One of my great passions is collecting sports memoribilia, particularly Kiwi sports memorabilia - rugby, ponies, athletics are my main priorities, which began when I was a kid in the 70s collecting rugby programs. I'm sad to say I regretably got rid of most of 'em when I moved northward a couple decades ago, but I have been back into it for the past decade.

I was thinking there should be a sort've "antiques roadshow" section or thread where registered users here who collect can discuss various items, prices, shops, auction sites, tips & leads for others, etc. Although finding Kiwi sports collectibles in this part of the world is very rare, when I do find 'em they are generally inexpensive, because people up here don't know their value. And if I knew what others are looking for, and I see it in an antique shop or an online auction, I'd be happy to pass along a lead if I found something of interest to somebody else.

O-kay, first of all - would there be any interest?

If there is, I can get the ball rolling with some cool oddities.

Secondly, where would the section go?

The Off-Topic threads are closed/unavailable to non-registered viewers, and that section is purportedly for non-sports, and ideally I'd like to restrict the section-or-thread to sports, particularly as it relates to Kiwis. (Things like old vintage rugby balls could be included, and I s'ppose I can live with some non-Kiwi exceptions, like posting, say, unusual Gareth Edwards or Don Bradman memorabilia, but would think Mickey Mantle and Muhummad Ali memorabilia would be out-of-bounds, if ya know what I mean. I would leave that determination up to others.)

Also, the Off-Topic threads evaporate into the ether if they haven't gotten new postings for week-or-so, and I reckon the archival value of the threads should mean thay are permanent (altho' others may think differently).

Subscribers and/or administrators, tell me what you think.

Cheers, Dave

[Hooroo]

Dave, Dave??? Who's Dave??

I think it is a cracking idea! One of my treasured articles of clothing is a signed Arsenal shirt by Theirry Henry that my ex wife got me as a surprise. Loooooooove it. Also a signed Waikato poster by Keith Robinson!!! Cheers RedBeard!! eusa_whistle

[Paj]

I keep all the programmes from games I go too, so have a heaps of Hawkes Bay ones, a few Canes and a scattering of All Black ones. Also keep gate tickets pinned to a board as well, god knows why I do this, but I do.
I would say I have nothing of value, but it could be in years to come. A programme from the 1999WC All Black V England might be worth a bob or two later on?

[red terror]

Paj said:

I keep all the programmes from games I go too, so have a heaps of Hawkes Bay ones, a few Canes and a scattering of All Black ones. Also keep gate tickets pinned to a board as well, god knows why I do this, but I do.
I would say I have nothing of value, but it could be in years to come. A programme from the 1999WC All Black V England might be worth a bob or two later on?

I'm not real sure of values, particularly as I am usually purchasing Kiwiana from people up here who are clueless about it, the sellers and the market. My collecting is based more on getting personal things that I like and possibly only valuable to me. Which is to say, maybe nobody else wants Hawkes Bay programmes, but if I ever see any floating around, now I know who'll be interested.

One of my fave items is an official Athletics (track & field) programme from the 1960 Rome Olympics, specifically the day Snell won the 800 m and Halberg the 5000m gold. (Also has Wilma Rudolph's win in the 100m.) I won it on an eBay auction, the cost including postage was only USD$4.50, complete. The programme has handwritten notations of all the final positions, including athlete numbers and times in the margins, which I actually prefer over a mint copy. I've always believed that was probably the greatest day in NZ sports history, and worth something more than the order of a few dollars, but I put in a $10 bid and was shocked to win the thing for 1/3rd that bid.

[Voltman]

There was a Buy, Sell and Exchange forum on here a few years back, but there was a serious lack of interest - and that was based mainly around sports books, programmes etc, so I'm not exactly sure how successful it'd be this time around if Bart/Kirwan were to start it up again.

[red terror]

Thanks Volt. To be honest with you, I'm not too interested in the buying & selling of items. I am much more interested in them as historical artifacts, aka "museum pieces" of NZ sporting history and where they fit into the overall puzzle of nationhood and self-identity. (If that makes any sense?) There really isn't anything out there for my small obsessive niche, I mean, is anybody else out there collecting tobacco cards of Kiwi racehorses from the 1920s, for no other reason than they are Kiwi racehorses, and some tobacco manufacturer thought it worthwhile to produce cards of these racehorses to sell cigarettes? (Puts his hand up.) I'd collect All Black stuff from that era, too - if it was available and if I could afford it. But since I can't, I'm more than happy to see other Ferners photos and stories about their pieces and collections, and share mine, which is admittedly small and patchy. But the pieces inform me about the country and people growing up in (splendid) isolation, and help keep me connected not just to NZ, but also place into perspective the years I spent growing up there, late 1960s to late 70s, then mid-80s. The cultures and traditions underwent a major transformation, and I love collecting the foundational building blocks of that culture, especially sporting paper from the 1920s to 1960s (i.e. before I arrived). Regarding the Rome 1960 Olympic program, I wasn't even alive then, but the story of that day seems so much a part of my life (again, if that makes any sense).