Our last auction was held on 25th, 26th & 27th November 2023
Knights Auctioneers last auction of Cricket, Football & Sporting Memorabilia was held on Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th & Monday 27th November 2023. The sale included over 1500 lots and we have included some highlights below.
To view the results from the auction click here
Lot 365 W.G. Grace. An unusual and rarely seen life size bronze hand of Grace holding a cricket ball. The stump of the arm impressed with Grace's signature. The hand and arm measure approximately 11' long. The hand and ball, which was apparently produced to commemorate W.G. Grace's 41st Birthday, July 18th 1889, is beautifully and very skilfully sculptured showing the finger and thumb nails, the wrinkles around the finger joints and palm, the knuckles and veins in the back of the hand with a lovely patina to the bronze. An intriguing and exciting discovery which appears 'fresh' to the market after all these many years. Hammer: unsold
Lot 1294 George Parr's team to North America 1859. First England cricket tour overseas. '11 of England v 22 of the United States'. Two very rare scorecards, printed by Fred Lillywhite from the third match of the tour. One, dated 'Monday, October 3rd, 1859' lists the teams for the start of play, subsequently filled in with scores in pencil that appear to be complete up to the close of the second day's play. The other scorecard, dated 'Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, October 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 1859', lists the complete printed scores at the close of the match. Both laid down to page. Very rare original scorecards from this pioneering inaugural tour. Hammer: £9000
![Lot 10
'Hobbs' 100 Centuries'. Large original newspaper poster for the 'Late Extra' edition of the [London] Evening News, dated 8th May 1923. From a selection of three original newspaper with significant cricket interest.
Hammer: £200](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6170539f9de5005591e466e3/b11d0a4a-d7ab-4e73-bf3f-2f8c80fc9513/83_0010.jpg)
Lot 10 'Hobbs' 100 Centuries'. Large original newspaper poster for the 'Late Extra' edition of the [London] Evening News, dated 8th May 1923. From a selection of three original newspaper with significant cricket interest. Hammer: £200
Lot 485 John Berry Hobbs, Surrey & England 1905-1934. Surrey brown county 1st XI cricket cap, by E.C. Devereux of Eton, with silk crest of the Prince of Wales feathers above the county emblem embroidered to front. The inner label inscribed in ink 'Hobbs’. Hammer: £2600
Lot 493 Charles Burgess Fry, Sussex & England 1892-1921. Original Vanity Fair colour chromolithograph of Fry in athletics attire entitled ‘Oxford Athletics’ and dated April 19th 1894 by artist SPY. Beautifully signed by Fry in black ink to the image. Very rare to see in this signed form. From a selection of rare signed Vanity Fair chromolithographs of cricketers. Hammer: £340
Lot 359 Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji. Sussex & England 1895-1920. A Victorian stoneware cream coloured tobacco jar and cover with a sepia transfer printed full length image of Ranjitsinhji in batting pose at the wicket with name 'K.S. Ranjitsinhji' below. A rarer tobacco jar, not often seen. Hammer: £650
Lot 220 Australia tour to England 1930. Don Bradman's first tour. Lovely original and large sepia press photograph of the opening match of the tour, Worcestershire v Australians, 30th April- 2nd May 1930. The scene depicts the match in progress with spectators around the boundary in the foreground and background, with the impressive Worcester Cathedral behind. Nicely signed in black ink to the sky area of the photograph by fourteen members of the Australian touring party. Ex Joe Goldman collection. Hammer: £700
Lot 363 Victorian cricket loving cup. An extraordinarily large 19th century Staffordshire loving cup with double transfer printed decoration in to either side of a cricket match in progress, with tents and church to the background with some hand colouring in red, green, yellow. Circa 1850/1860. The loving cup stands approximately 8" tall and has a diameter of 7.5". This huge loving cup may well have been made as an exhibition piece to advertise the Staffordshire wares. A rare and fascinating item. Not previously seen by the auctioneers. Hammer: £4800
Lot 1289 'State of the Match of Cricket played at West Malling, Kent... between Kent & England’ 1841'. Early original single sided scorecard for the match played at the Old County Ground, Town Malling, 29th- 31st July 1841. Printed to stiff card by 'Windsor' at the the Cricket Ground, Malling. The card measures 7"x7.25" with slight uneven trimming. From a large collection of rare, early and significant scorecards being sold in this sale. Hammer: £580
Lot 367 'The Boss' A very rare Royal Doulton 'All Black Team' series candlestick, entitled 'The Boss', printed and painted with a boy cricketer in red shirt, wearing an unpire's coat and a floppy hat holding a cricket bat to side Green floral decoration above and below the top rim and to the base rim. 9" tall. A large and impressive candlestick, a rarely seen 'Black Boy' shape and title. Hammer: £2100
Lot 193 Gentlemen v Players. 'Tea Interval Scarborough 1931'. Lovely original mono photograph of seven members of the Gentlemen team standing on the outfield during a break in play in the match at Scarborough, 5th- 8th September 1931, The photograph has been nicely signed in black ink by four of the featured players, Kemp-Welch, Jupp, Robins and Stevens, also by David Denton who was one of the umpires for the match. Walker's Studio of Scarborough. Ex J.W. Goldman collection. Hammer: £100
Lot 710 Ernest George 'Ernie' Hayes. Surrey, Leicestershire & England 1896-1926. Sepia real photograph postcard of Hayes standing full length at the wicket wearing cricket attire and Surrey cap, leaning on his bat. Very nicely signed in black ink to image by Hayes. Blind embossed stamp for Foster of Brighton to lower right corner. Postmarked 1907. An excellent signed postcard from a very large selection of signed and rare postcards being sold in this auction. Hammer: £100
Lot 292 'M.C.C. Tour to South America 1926-27 (G.O.B. Allen)'. George Oswald Browning 'Gubby' Allen. Middlesex, Cambridge University & England 1921-1950. Large original photograph album comprising approx. two hundred and thirty original mono photographs of various sizes. Handwritten title to first page, 'M.C.C. South American Trip Dec. 1926- March 1927' to first page. Allen compiled the album himself, the contents cover the entire tour, which comprised ten matches of which four (all against Argentina) were designated first-class. Photographs include good cricket content including team photographs and match action. An excellent comprehensive and very nicely presented personal record of the tour. Hammer: £4400
Lot 177 M.C.C. Australian Touring Team v C.I. Thornton's XI, Scarborough 1928. Original mono photograph of K.S. Duleepsinhji (Sussex) and Wilfred Rhodes (Yorkshire) walking side by side on the outfield at Scarborough with crowds in the stands, for the match played 5th- 7th September 1928. Very nicely signed in black ink to the photograph by both Duleepsinhji and Rhodes who both played for Thornton's XI. Ex J.W. Goldman collection. Hammer: £110
Lot 447 William Gunn. Nottinghamshire & England 1880-1904. A Warsop 'Conqueror' cricket bat used by William Gunn in making 228, the highest individual against the Australians in England, for for the Players of England team who played the Australians at Lord's in 1890. The bat formed part of the Charles Pratt Green of Malvern famous cricket bat collection The face of the bat has the standard Warsop wording impressed to it and back of the bat has been painted gold and inscribed in black painted wording to the width of the top of the blade 'Players of England v Australians. The highest individual score ever obtained against Australian bowling in England viz 228. Played at Lord's. June 10-20-21 1890’. Hammer: £5000
Lot 1272 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 1899. 36th edition. Original hardback. Very good to excellent condition throughout with bright gilt titles to front board and spine paper. A rare early hardback edition in beautiful condition. Hammer: £4000
Lot 103 'Indian Team. Winners Prudential World Cup 1983'. Official autograph sheet with printed title and players' names. Fully signed in ink by the fifteen members of the Indian team. Signatures are Kapil Dev (Captain), Amarnath, Azad, Binny, Gavaskar, Kirmani, Madan Lal, Sandeep Patil, Sandhu, Srikanth, Shastri, Sharma, Vengsarkar, Valson and Man Singh (Manager). Hammer: £750
Lot 479 Joseph Ravindran Ratnayeke. Central Province & Sri Lanka 1992-1990. Sri Lankan sleeveless Test sweater worn by Ratnayeke whilst playing for Sri Lanka in Test matches. The sweater with trimming in Sri Lanka colours of tangerine yellow and dark blue to neck and waist with the national emblem of a golden lion with a sword bearing on the right arm. A rarely seen sweater. Hammer: £180
Lot 352 Ian Botham. Hudson's Hollywood XI cricket blazer worn by Botham during his brief dalliance with Tim Hudson as his agent/publicist in 1985. The very colourful vertically striped blazer, in the most garish colours taken from Rastafarian culture, of red, green, gold and black with 'Hudson's Hollywood XI' gilt buttons. An ‘iconic’ cricket blazer. Hammer: £340
Lot 449 Arthur Shrewsbury. Nottinghamshire & England 1875-1902. 'Arthur Shrewsbury's last bat...'. A Shaw & Shrewsbury of Nottingham cricket bat used by Shrewsbury in his final season of cricket in 1902. The face of the bat has the wording 'Arthur Shrewsbury's last bat. Given by him to W.F. Grundy. With it he scored:-' then follows a list of matches and scores finalising in his last match. The scores recorded include 106 v Leicestershire, 101 & 127no v Gloucestershire (same match), 108 v Derbyshire etc. The last entry for late September is the 31 he made in a minor match for Lenton United v F.L. Browne's XI'. An historic cricket bat. Hammer: £4400
Lot 137 England v Australia. The Oval 1909. Early original photograph of Warren Bardsley walking out to bat for Australia. Ink signature of Bardsley on piece laid to the lower right corner of the photograph. An excellent image. Ex J.W. Goldman collection. Hammer: £100
Lot 967 William Gilbert Grace. A copy of 'Cricket Notes, with a letter containing Practical Hints, by William Clarke...'. William Bolland. London 1851 presented to Mrs Martha Grace by William Clarke renowned bowler and player for Nottinghamshire and player and secretary of the All England Eleven. The book was presented to Mrs Grace after the All England match against West Gloucestershire Club on the 8th August 1855. Inscription in pencil to front end paper 'Presented to Mrs. Grace by William Clarke, sec [retary], All England Eleven' by Clarke. Hammer: unsold
Lot 403 M.C.C. ivory Life Membership badge/token presented to and used by Cyril Stacey from around 1888 onwards. The badge/token has the M.C.C. emblem to one side with membership number 32 to lower border and to the verso his name 'Cyril Stacey' and 'Not Transferable' to outer border. In 1888 Mr William Nicholson, one of the club's great benefactors, advanced the sum of £18,000 to purchase the freehold of the Lord's Ground. In order to pay part of this debt it was agreed on the 8th February 1888 to elect 100 life members at £100 each. As more than twice that number applied and to meet further expenses, 200 were eventually elected, the last two in 1892. A rare early item. Hammer: £350
Lot 755 Albert Edward Relf. Sussex & England 1900-1921, Robert Richard Relf. Sussex 1905-1924 and Vallance William Crisp Jupp. Sussex, Northamptonshire & England 1909-1938. Excellent mono real photograph postcard of all three players and a further person in casual group image, the two Relf brothers sitting and Jupp and the other standing, all dressed in suits and ties. Nicely signed by all four to the image in black ink. A rare postcard. Hammer: £80