Are you hoarding a sporting fortune?
COULD you be sitting on a small fortune, purely because of your love of sport?
Auctioneer Graham Budd will let you know when he visits the Bridlington area next week.
With more than 25 years experience, he knows which programmes are worth a packet and which are worth peanuts.
Vinatge medals, trophies, paintings and sporting equipment could all bring in big sums of cash if they are rare enough.
Budd runs one of the UK's largest auctions of vintage sporting collectables in association with Sotheby's.
He said money-savvy sports fans were starting to realise that selling some of the items gathering dust in cupboards and attics, could bring them a windfall.
And the market is buoyant, as collectors know investing in assets that can be enjoyed while they appreciate in value is a better bet than having money sat in a bank account with low interest rates.
Budd said: "There has been a marked move out of paper investment and into niche collecting markets like sporting memorabilia.
"Regardless of the credit crunch there is no shortage of money for the rare, unique and important pieces we auction."
He will be at Bridlington Links Golf Club on Thursday, between 10am and 4pm.
Local people are welcome to take their memorabilia along and Budd will be offering free valuations, without obligation, and accepting items for his next auction in London in October.
There is no need to make an appointment, just turn up with your items and hope you get that Antiques Roadshow-type jaw-dropping moment.
Budd's auctions have quite a pedigree. His record is selling the gates to the winner's enclosure at Ascot Racecourse for 280,000.
Other notable sales include.
The 1874 Open Golf Championship medal won by Mungo Park for 48,000
A set of John Wisden's Cricketers' Almanacks from 1864, the first year of issue for 120,000
A single-sheet 1889 F.A. Cup Final programme for 19,000.
Memorabilia with a regional connection, which he has helped to find new homes for, include the bat used by Yorkshireman Herbert Sutcliffe to score his 50,000th run in first-class cricket, at the Scarborough Festival on July 19, 1939, which fetched 5,000
Items relating to the 1949 Ryder Cup held at Ganton Golf Club including a Grand Hotel (Scarborough) dinner menu autographed by 15 of the Ryder Cup golfers plus many other notable personalities went for 700.
Budd added: "Discovering the value of an item of sporting memorabilia and selling it successfully in one of our auctions can be a life-changing experience.
"Whatever your sport, you might have spent a lifetime following your favourite team or player, spending good money in the process.
"Selling some of the vintage souvenirs that you might have picked up and saved along the way is a chance to get some of that money back and the interest in sporting antiques and memorabilia has never been greater."
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Weather for Bridlington
Friday 25 May 2012
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