Weekly Finds 2004 "Rugby a game for Hooligans played by Gentlemen"                    

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These are the 2004 items from My weekly Finds  

All images are in thumbnail format so click on the image for a better view and use the back button to find us again.

This weeks items - 21/07/04

Picked this postcard-up from eBay this week, invitation to play for the "Welsh Rugby Union" against Scotland Feb 1st 1936. It's funny that 75 years ago you got a postcard asking you to play rugby at the highest level. This invite was for a Mr. E Watkins to travel as reserve, no mention of match fees and very little detail, just let me know by return post if you can play. An E. Watkins played for Wales against NZ in 1936 his club is given as Cardiff. 

This weeks items - 04/08/04

This is a postcard of the 1924 U.S.A. team at the Olympic games opening ceremony. This was the last time that rugby was played at the Olympics, the gold medal was won by the U.S.A. so I assume that the team members are hidden here in the background. Would the modern game have room for an "amateur"  games  at least here the smaller nations would have more of a chance than they do in the Rugby World Cup. I know there are more pictures of the rugby at the 1924 games I have a number, but would be interested in any that may be out there. It would be nice to put a page together to show what is out there, so if you have any scans or images of the 3 teams that took part please feel free to email them in. 

This weeks items - 11/08/04

Two items that I have picked up this week, the first a Taddy Cigarette card Mr. C. E. L. Hammond who played for the Harlequins and England part of the Footballers New Zealand set of 50 from 1905, I paid £35 for this single card the book price according to "Murray's" is £70 so I think this was a steal. The second item is a Swansea & District Rugby Supporters Club badge. In the old style with a pin fastening back this came from eBay and was returned to the UK from a dealer in Israel.

This weeks items - 17/08/04

Found these 3 programmes in an online auction this week, these are not rare but do take a little bit of finding. The heydays of Welsh rugby, when the teams from New Zealand and Australia feared the mid week games against the teams from the valleys.  

This weeks items - 24/08/04

This week I have picked up a number of cigarette cards 

The first is an "Ogdens" card of G. G. Kerr who played for Durham.

Second group are from "Cadle's Cigarettes" two of which have been trimmed, but are in very good condition which is unusual for these  are very rare cards.

Last group are from "F. & J. Smith" Prominent Rugby Players, attractive cards and include a card of Mr. W. W. Wakefield in his Harlequins kit.

This weeks items - 01/09/04

This week I have picked up 21 postcards from the Picture Postcard Show at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Westminster, London which is held between the 1st - 4th September each year.

This is one of my main sources for postcards with over 100 dealers from around the world you can expect something new each year.

The rest of my purchases are in the "My Collection" page a further 17 cards including an unidentified postcard of an England player "Tom or Sam" from around 1939 can you help me find out his details.

Here are just a few from what has been a good but expensive day out in London    

This weeks items - 12/09/04

This week has been very busy and I have not found anything exciting,. I did go to a meeting of the Rugby Memorabilia Society held at Abergiveny  Rugby Club on Thursday night, interesting to see what programs are still creeping out of the woodwork and to hear of other people's "finds". I was given a very nice booklet celebrating 75 years of rugby at Bristol Rugby Club, as it was free it made it the best item found this week. 

I have included the pictures below as I have now been updated as to who the mystery England player is on the card, which I picked up at the card fair in London last week. 

First I would like to thank the two gentlemen for emailing me the details of the cards, once you know who they are it brings both cards to life.

The gentleman in the England shirt is the great Sam Tucker, who hooked for Bristol and then for England from 1922 to 1931. The picture is from about 1922, when he was still a youngster. He played his first England game against Wales at Cardiff in a 28-6 Welsh victory . . . and was then summarily dropped. He returned about three years later against the 1924 "All Blacks", and became a regular fixture in the side and captained England in 1930 and 1931. He won 27 caps, a lot for player's in those days, he died in January 1973. The other gentlemen is his brother Tom, who I believe also played for Bristol. 

I was also sent a picture of the 1922 England team this was captained by L G "Bruno" Brown, the balding guy with the ball. He was given the captaincy the week before the game when W J A Davies, the selected captain, fell ill. You'll recognize Wakefield (second left seated). Tom Voyce (middle of the back-row), Cyril Lowe (between Wakefield and the captain) and C A Kershaw (front left on floor), Sam is the player standing at the back on the left.    

This weeks items -  26/09/04

It been a hectic couple of weeks so I am sorry but have had little time to update the web, I have at least picked up a few nice items, to me the cards below are one of the nicest. They are 2 postcard size pictures that may have been joined at one time and form a fixture list for "Plymouth Albion 1901-02" season. On one side is the fixture list with an advert for football boots, sold by Parker & Sons, 85 Treville Street, Plymouth. On the other side is a detailed description of the Union Jack. Very Victorian coming from the end of her era, well made with great artwork.  

The fixture list shows the games for Albion and for Plymouth, was it two clubs or one at this time? They played all the top English and Welsh sides and include on their fixture list the "Welsh Barbarians" as a Home game. 

This weeks items -  03/10/04

Sometimes you need to look it the strangest places for items, this week I have found a verity of items, some from auctions, a few from ebay and other sent in as payment for some books I have sold. 

This weeks items -  10/10/04

This has been a busy week with a number of good finds and a few new additions that have arrived from eBay. There have been two big sports auction in the last couple of weeks but both where very thin on rugby items. The Dominic Winters auction in Swindon contained a number of old prints, but the nicest items was a complete set of Rothmans Rugby Annuals the number 1 in the series was in mint condition a rare find, but unfortunately the price went to high for me. 

I did however get these nice fixture cards from New Zealand, which are getting increasingly more difficult to find in such good condition.

This weeks items -  26/10/04

I have picked up a large number of item both from auctions and from the web this week, the best for me are these Cardiff and district rugby medals from 1921.

I have also  acquired a number of programmes, including 15 French home programmes from the 70's and 80's click here to find them > Programme-list-2 

This weeks items -  03/11/04

These are a couple of trade cards that I obtained from a recent auction the card on the left is from Pears Soap dated around 1900 shows the rugby player D. Jowett in his England cap. The card on the right is a Baines (Gold Medal Football Card) again from 1900-04 a nice card but most likely relates to a Rugby League incident.

Note:- The Pears card has at some time in the past been repaired, a hole in the card has had a stamp-hinge placed on the back and the hole filed with Tipp-Ex, the missing lines then added in pencil, cleverly done and not so easily spotted when you look at the card quickly.  

Four more Baines cards arrived today, even in poor condition these are nice items, the card for Barnstaple with the remark on it "Tax That Flat Face" gives a good insight into the approach to rugby of the South West. I know very little about the "Tonge" card as it has a blank back, may have been part of a game or quiz. 

This weeks items -  10/11/04

Obtained this very nice card of R. Read. Masters from the 1924 All Blacks, Signed in ink by Masters to card with message ‘at Sea’ to reverse dated 2nd August 1924. Dear Harry, I thought you may like one of these photos. We are having a great trip- not one of the boys sick so far..... Initialed by Masters.

Front of card  Back of card

Also picked up these two nice Punch prints

Barbarians at Play.....1888... and a comic tackle....1912... 

This weeks items -  18/11/04

This is a recent find on eBay, I have only ever seen one other Rugby related card game, that came from @1900, this is dated 1970 and comes from Australia. The back of the cards are plain which spoils the overall look of the game, but the 3 points for a try, dates the cards to the 1970's. I have tried playing the game but I would imagine that the youth of today would find their computer version a lot more exciting.

This weeks items -  24/11/04

I recently visited a local antiques shop to check and see if there was any odd items of rugby or sporting memorabilia and was surprised to find the following books hidden away in the rear of the store. The books cost me around £3 each, but I believe could be worth a lot more if the autographs in then are genuine. It's worth a visit to your local antique and charity shops as I have found many a rare book or oddment hidden away there.

This weeks items -  06/12/04

More book finds this week, a copy of the 1914 Boys Own Annual and enclosed within 3 rugby articles:-

1. My Career In Rugby Football, a chat with Edgar R. Mobbs by George A. Wade

2. On The Rugby Game by A. W. Angus tips on the game for the junior player

3. Some "Rugger" Tips by W. A. Millar Captain of SA 1912-13  

This weeks items -  16/12/04

A variety of items this weeks picked-up over the last few months, many have come of eBay others from collectors fairs and markets. My postcard collection has now grow to over a 1000 pre 1940 cards and every now and again another item pops up to add to the collection.

This weeks items -  30/12/04

Most years the gap between Christmas and New Year is a time for eating and drinking not adding to the every growing collection of postcards. Yet looking through my local paper I found a postcard fair at the Cheltenham Pump Rooms so took the chance and drove over for a few hours postcard picking.

I found a number of cards but there is one that made the trip worthwhile, the " Scrumming  Machine" was a unique find and one that opens up the world of old rugby equipment. This is a subject that I hope to cover in "My Collection" pages in the new year.