That's a Wrap On 2024
Well, where did that one go then? That was 2024, apparently. It’s been and gone in one blur, and here we all are now, looking at nativity scenes, hanging stockings on the wall, and getting ready to fabricate some more New Year's resolutions that we will quite possibly never keep.
One of mine was always 'ease off on the collecting'—well folks, as we all know, for those of us who have that particular gene in the pool, that isn’t happening any time soon, is it? I have been packing away some of the stuff 'on display' in the living room to, basically, find more room for trimmings if and when they actually go up, and also to replace it with yet more clutter after Santa has visited. When you have the bug, this can’t be a safe industry to work in, really, can it? Imagine a chocoholic working for Cadbury’s.
For Graham Budd staff, this year has constantly presented us with a veritable selection box of goodies at every drop of the hammer, quite literally. We have seen the company go down new roads, if you will pardon the intended pun, by staging its first-ever F1 Motorsport sale at Silverstone, followed closely by another timed sale. These sales brought legendary pieces of motorsport history to the auction floor, including the trophy awarded to Nigel Mansell after his victory at the 1992 Portuguese Grand Prix and countless items straight from the pit lane, signed by F1 heroes. We're excited to offer collectors more opportunities to get their hands on F1 memorabilia in 2025 and are thrilled to welcome Andrew to the Graham Budd team as 'Head of F1' as we continue to expand our presence in the F1 memorabilia market.
Once again, the brand went out on the road in our quest to prove that auctioneers don’t live in the screen of your computer and are, in fact, real, full-size people. We took a valuation day to Bramall Lane, Sheffield, which brought to light a few wonderful items from the birthplace of the modern game, then held a Q&A session in support of the Sheffield - Home of Football charity in the evening.
We crossed the border into Scotland for a sale in the location where, in footballing terms, the sporting auction world really took its first steps—in Glasgow. We saw some wonderful lots pass on to new ownership, with my particular favourite being a programme described as 'A Unicorn'—a never-before-seen Benfica v Rangers match programme from just after the war, fetching a record price.
Manchester was another undoubted highlight for me. The wonderful Viv Anderson collection, along with Gordon McQueen’s incredible items, were just some of the delights taken over the Pennines in a sale held at Old Trafford—the cricket ground, not the football one, but just as historic and impressive. The podcasts we did with Viv and Gordon’s daughter, Hayley, were easily amongst the best we have ever done. It was a real pleasure to be entrusted with handing over the memorabilia from their careers to their next owners, who will undoubtedly cherish it in the same way as their previous owners and families have for many years.
Graham’s passion is horse racing; he lives and breathes the sport of kings. He curated another fabulous day at the Museum of Horse Racing in Newmarket, and what a sale it was. It was a real pleasure seeing key lots from luminary names in the sport reach incredible prices in the most fitting of venues imaginable—a perfect setting for what was a perfect sale at the hands of one of the very best in his field. Wonderful.
Growth in the business has seen new colleagues join the Budd team, adding that extra depth, knowledge, and efficiency we pride ourselves on. Although he has been with us a little longer, Mark White, the Man with the Van (and plan), gets the stock collected, delivered, and also moves the business out on the road during our travels, which, as we have seen, is constant. Ted Arblaster came on board, bringing his photographic skills in-house (along with cataloguing as we move forward), with Paul and Corey also coming in to run warehousing, distribution, and stock control, alongside the backbone of the GB team that has already been together for a number of years.
The back end of the year saw Dave Bassett choose us to help him downsize in anticipation of a move, and, once again, he helped produce a fantastic podcast that could literally have gone on and on. His encyclopaedic knowledge of his career was a real treat, and, once again, we were delighted to play a part in finding new homes for some lovely memories from an incredible career.
Vinyl made a comeback in the form of a timed sale that once again saw items from the Rick Sanders collection made available, including some rare and wonderful Pink Floyd publicity shots and the manuscript he wrote for the first definitive book on the band in the mid-1970s. Many rare demo singles, etc., also found new homes as we work hard to better understand how we position ourselves in this fascinating, vibrant, and quickly growing market.
I could list 1,000 items that have stood out and set my pulse racing as they’ve passed through our hands and still not do them justice. There are just so many. I would heartily recommend that, as you try to digest your turkey, trimmings, cheese, port, trifle, and anything else lying around over the festive period, you log onto our site and have a perusal through the results of the year. Also, if you find yourself with some festive cash to spend on scratching off your list, check out the sporting timed sale that goes live on the 23rd of December—what better way to invest your Xmas pennies in something to grow the collection!
Across our 14 auctions this year, we spent over 4,200 minutes on the auction floor, dropping the hammer over 9,000 times. Plus, we received an incredible 12,000+ valuation requests throughout the year! We thank each and every one of you who has consigned, bought, bid, and taken part with Graham Budd over the last swift year. Have a pleasant holiday, reflect on what has passed, and look to the future, which we assure you will feature yet more sales under our famous banner.
The happiest of Christmases from the Graham Budd team.