Auction of Cricket, Football, Golf & Sporting Memorabilia
Knights Auctioneers last auction of Cricket, Football, Golf & Sporting Memorabilia was held on Friday 4th, Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th July 2025.
The sale included over 1350 lots and we have included some highlights below.
To view the results from the auction click here.
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Date for the diary:
‘Close of Play’ - The sale of a fine selection of cricket items from the stock and collection of Christopher Saunders.
Saturday 13th September 2025
Knights Auctioneers feel honoured to have been asked to conduct the ‘Close of Play’ cricket auction for Chris Saunders on his retirement.
Chris helped and mentored me through the early days of my fledgling business some thirty years ago, he gave his time freely to give advice and I thank him for that! I hope everyone will join us in his last hurrah at the sale in Cheltenham on September 13th.
Lot 253 'Cricket Match between the Australian Eleven and the Earl of Sheffield's Eleven 1896'. A sumptuous silk luncheon menu produced for the visit of the Prince of Wales to the match played at Sheffield Park, Uckfield on the 11th to 13th May 1896. The exquisitely printed silk menu hand coloured and fringed in gold braid shows, to the front cover of the menu, a view of Sheffield Park within a hand coloured gold border entwined with a ribbon in the colours of Lord Sheffield of red, yellow and purple, the title surmounted by an Earl's coronet with the Earl of Sheffield's coat of arms.. To the back cover of the menu, in similar vein, beautifully decorated with the Australian coat of arms within a highly decorated with flowers and floral designs, within a hand coloured gold border entwined with a ribbon in the colours of Lord Sheffield with two roundels at the foot and the head containing crossed cricket bats, stumps and balls, menu, teams and umpire listed to inside page. A truly wonderful item produced for the Royal visit of the Prince of Wales, and almost certainly the Prince's menu, as card menus were also produced for the luncheon. Hammer: unsold
Lot 559 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 1899. 36th edition. Original hardback. Very good condition. A very rare early hardback edition. The fourth issue of the original hard back, which was introduced in 1896. From a lovely run of original Hardback Wisdens 1899-2024. Hammer: unsold
Lot 1131 Edward Mills Grace. Gloucestershire, M.C.C. & England 1870-1896. Excellent early large original sepia studio posed photograph of Grace in full cricket attire and wearing a cap, aged 21. The photograph, taken in 1862, shows Grace standing in front of a wicket holding a cricket ball with studio scene backdrop of a pavilion and spectators. An excellent early image of a young E.M. Grace, previously sold by Knights as Lot 1 in the E.M. Grace sale of 4th July 2015, this image being reproduced on the front cover of the auction catalogue. Hammer: £60
Lot 403 Albert Nielson Hornby, Lancashire & England 1867-1899. Signed Vanity Fair colour chromolithograph of Hornby. ‘Monkey’. August 15th 1891 by STUFF. Nicely signed by Hornby in black ink to lower right border. Some foxing to border otherwise in good condition. Rarely seen in this signed form. Hammer: unsold
Lot 314 Cricket clock circa late 19th early 20th Century. Large and impressive Victorian/ Edwardian clock with plain circular face set in an ornate heavy oak wooden frame consisting of carved floral border set on a background of crossed cricket bats, stumps and ball, surmounted by carved scroll with the latin motto of the King's Royal Rifle Corps 'Celer et Audax' (Swift and Bold) below a Maltese cross. The circular face measures 12.5" diameter, overall 26.5" wide by 27" wide. It is presumed the piece may have been part of a large sideboard, possibly at the regiment's officers' mess or pavilion. Very good condition. An impressive timepiece. Hammer: unsold
Lot 760 Yorkshire C.C.C. annual 1893. 1st year of issue. 100pp. Edited by J.B. Wostinholm. J. Robertshaw, Sheffield, printer. Original maroon boards with tooled decoration, titles in gilt to front board with white rose emblem to centre, gilt to page edges. The rare and elusive first edition. Hammer: £1850
Lot 260 'The Australians 1886'. Original sepia photograph of the Australian team who played Lord Sheffield's Eleven at Sheffield Park, East Sussex on the 13-15th May 1886, standing and seated, in rows wearing blazers, caps and cricket attire. The Australian Manager, umpires and scorers are also featured on the photograph. The photograph laid down to official photographers mount with title and players names to lower border. Photograph by E. Hawkins & Co of Brighton. An excellent image. An early team photograph of the fifth Australian tour of England. Hammer: £2200
Lot 119 India tour to Australia 1947/48. Very rare official autograph sheet with printed title and players' names, fully signed in ink by all eighteen listed members of the touring party. Signatures include Amarnath (Captain), Hazare, Nayudu, Mankad, Gul Mahomed, Sohoni, Amir Elahi, etc. This was the first such official sheet produced by a Test side on tour. A highly sought after official autograph sheet. From an excellent and comprehensive collection of Indian cricket autographs. Hammer: £500
Lot 366 William 'Bill' Voce. Nottinghamshire & England 1927-1952. Original M.C.C. touring tie worn by Voce on the M.C.C. 'Bodyline' tour of Australia in 1932-1933. The tie is framed with a sepia image of Voce wearing his Bodyline blazer at Trent Bridge and printed title and biography of Bowes below. From the Bob Taylor Cricket Collection. Hammer: £150
![Lot 909
'Cricket. An Heroic Poem. Illustrated. With the critical observations of Scriblerus Maximus'. James Love [Dance]. Published by W. Bickerton 1744. First edition. 25pp. Woodcut title vignette. Bound in full brown suede leather with gilt title](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6170539f9de5005591e466e3/484b1739-b70c-4e8c-bffc-07ac03c99a5d/89_0909-1.jpg)
Lot 909 'Cricket. An Heroic Poem. Illustrated. With the critical observations of Scriblerus Maximus'. James Love [Dance]. Published by W. Bickerton 1744. First edition. 25pp. Woodcut title vignette. Bound in full brown suede leather with gilt title to front cover, raised bands to spine, marbled endpapers. The very rare first edition of the first separately published poem on cricket, being the first known detailed account of a match with scores and written in verse by James Dance (1722-1774) who assumed the name of Love as a compliment to his wife. One of the rarest cricket books. Ex-Arlott collection. Hammer: £8000
Lot 171 Australia tour to England 1921. Large album page nicely very signed in ink by all sixteen members of the Australian touring party. Signatures are Armstrong (Captain), Collins, Bardsley, Carter, Andrews, Ryder, Taylor, Mayne, Pellew, Mailey, Hendry, Gregory, Macartney, Oldfield, McDonald and Smith (Manager). Hammer: unsold
Lot 574 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 1916. 53rd edition. Original hardback. Very good condition throughout with gilt titles to board and spine paper bright. A rare wartime hardback edition and probably the rarest of the 20th century editions. Hammer: £3000
Lot 306 'Out for a Duck' Royal Doulton Black Boy miniature bulbous jug, entitled 'Out for a Duck' printed with a boy in red shirt and a floppy hat in batting pose having attempted a big shot, looking back to see the ball hit his wicket to one side and to the other, a crest with 'The All Black Team'. Green floral decoration to outer rim. 2.25" tall. A very scarce and rarely seen 'Black Boy' miniature ceramic in lovely condition. Hammer: £460
Lot 245 Australian tour of England 1893. Earl of Sheffield's XI v Australians 1893. Excellent original folding menu card for the Luncheon given by Lord Sheffield on the 9th May 1893 during the match played at Sheffield Park, Uckfield from the 8th-10th May 1893. The highly decorative and colourful menu with front cover, with titles and dates, featuring a kangaroo and Lord Sheffield's cricket emblem with decorative borders, the rear cover with raised Australian emblem to centre in shield with cricket stumps and to sides and lower border, cricket bats and balls. To inside pages, menu and the players and umpires names. A rare, decorative and exquisite item of ephemera from this early Australian tour. Hammer: £900
Lot 285 Cricket themed candlestick. Large ceramic candlestick the centre features two winged cherubs holding cricket bats on plinth, the base with four feet. A very colourful design in pastel coloured glaze in pink, light blue, mauve and yellow with gilt lustre. 15" tall. Number 202 impressed to base. Possibly German. Date unknown. Not seen previously by the auctioneer. An unusual and impressive 'baroque style' item. Hammer: £280
Lot 1079 Bernard James Tindal Bosanquet. Middlesex, Oxford University & England 1898-1919. Early sepia real photograph postcard of Bosanquet full length in bowling pose at the wicket. Nicely signed in black ink to the photograph by Bosanquet. Photograph by E. Hawkins & Co. of Brighton. An excellent image and good signature. Hammer: £180
Lot 298 Doulton Lambeth stoneware tyg. Large and impressive three handled tyg with three moulded relief vignettes of cricketers, a batsman, a fielder and wicket keeper in white on a green cameo background, the sides highly decorated in a small floral pattern in brown, the handles in the form of cricket bats, ball, each with a boater to top. Approximataly 6" tall. Incised to base with Doulton Lambeth and makers marks and dated '1881'. Very good condition. A lovely and rare example of this rare cricketing ceramic. Hammer: unsold
Lot 340 Robert William 'Bob' Taylor. Derbyshire & England 1961-1988. England sleeveless Test sweater worn by Taylor whilst playing for England in home Test matches. The sweater, by Simpson of Piccadilly, with central England emblem of the three lions and crown to chest. Hammer: £120
Lot 1143 Sir Julian Cahn's team and tours 1930s. Two black ring binders, each with leather title label to spine, 'Sir Julien Cahn 1' and '... 2', comprising an excellent selection of original photographs, autographs, letters, programmes, scorecards and other ephemera relating to Cahn's team and tours. 4th- 27th February 1939 (ex A.E. Winder collection), Canadian Australian Line R.M.S. Niagara dinner menu 5th April 1959 etc. Hammer: £4000
Lot 349 Robert William 'Bob' Taylor. Derbyshire & England 1961-1988. World XI Team international blazer worn by Taylor whilst playing for the World XI in Australia in 1971/72. The pale blue blazer, by Philip Joseph' with gold and red 'World' emblem and '1971-72' and 'Rest of the World XI' title below on the breast pocket of the blazer. A rare blazer from the tour, not often seen. Hammer: £170
Lot 456 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 1876. 13th edition. Bound in light brown full leather boards, with original wrappers, title and date in gilt to spine, red speckled page edges. Hammer: £1200
Lot 1202 Sussex v Surrey at Brighton 1855. Very early double sided scorecard printed by 'Lillywhite's Printing Tent for the match played at the Royal Brunswick Ground, Hove on the 25th & 26th June 1855. The scorecard showing the fully completed printed scores for the match. A rare scorecard. Hammer: £440
Lot 461 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 1883. 20th edition. Original paper wrappers. Very good condition. Hammer: £400
Lot 1346 Ernest Prater (Fl. 1897-1914). Excellent original watercolour heightened with body colour of a footballer performing an athletic high kick of a football. The player is depicted wearing a bright red jersey, white shorts with blue belt, green and pink topped socks, and ankle length boots of the period. Signed by the artist to the lower right corner, undated but probably early 1900s. Very good condition with vibrant colours. Hammer: unsold
Lot 750 Kent County Cricket Club Annual 1890. Hardback 'blue book'. Original decorative boards. Gilt titles with silver gilt Kent emblem to centre. Printed by J. Burgiss-Brown, Maidstone 1890. good/very good condition. Rare. Hammer: £220
