MEGAW & HOGG AUCTIONS AND VALUATIONS

DAVID WEBER AUCTIONEER ADELAIDE

A large sporting collection gathered over over 40 years is now to be sold by Auction in Adelaide. Owned by popular sporting identity Mr William (Bill) Blucher. One of the features of this unique collection is it just isn’t sport specific and comprises cricket, baseball, tennis, boxing, golf, football, soccer, American baseball and football, motor and horse racing.
 
Mr Blucher himself a reputable and well rated baseball player who played for Glenelg for quite some time an is a proud recipient of a large number of awards. Mr Blucher stated that this is the time to move the collection on to make sure that other folks can take pleasure in what has been an enthusiasm of his within the last few four decades.
 
The centrepiece on the collection is the cricketing memorabilia, including approximately one hundred and fifty full size and miniature match and autograph bats. A showcase is a 1930 bat signed by the Australian Cricket Team when they played in England. It includes Sir Donald Bradman’s signature and Archie Jackson who died in 1933 at age 24.
 
Archie Jackson achieved his career peak while in Adelaide at the age of 19 he represented Australia against England in February of 1929. He played his first test match and scored a chanceless 164 runs in 368 minutes. He was selected for the 1930 Tour of England where his ill health and the weather conditions restricted him, even though he still scored  1023 runs.   His fourth wicket partnership of 243 with Sir Donald Bradman at the oval in 1930 still stands as an Australian Test Cricket record for the ground. He continues to be youngest batsman to have signed a century in his first test in an Australia vs England Match.
 
This exceptional bat is among few signed by Archie Jackson and along with the ‘Dons’ signature makes this an excellent purchase with a pre sale estimate of $3,000 to $5,000.
 
Sir Donald Bradman’s representation is significant and includes single and team cricket bats, miniature display cricket , signed photos and a lot of frameworked collages.
 
There’s 50 other full-sized cricket bats that bare signatures of Australian and other world squads from the 1930’s right through to present day.
 
A personally signed letter by Sir Alec Bedser C.B.E. accompanies a pair of match Bails that were utilized in the Australia v England test in Melbourne in January 1947. This test was the first played in Melbourne after the 1939-1945 war. These unusual Bails have a pre sale estimation of $300 to $500.
 
There is also an English Willow Internationally signed full-sized bat by Australia, West Indies, England, New Zealand, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka teams with 92 signatures. And this also is rare and will realise $1,500 to $2,500.
 
The Australia Football League assortment incorporates well framed and signed team Guernseys with emphasis towards the Adelaide Crows. You’ll find signed match and display footballs in presentation cases. One being of local relevance that’s a match ball signed by approximately forty players of the South Adelaide Football team celebrating the winning match in opposition to Norwood on the Norwood Oval.
 
A massive collection of American baseball cards total apporx. 56,000 with many rare signed cards represented. There are signed baseball bats and balls and numerous photos of American Baseball celebrities.
 
This amazing and exceptional collection is an absolute credit to Mr Blucher who has had customized display cabinets made with extensive lighting, which will also form part of the sale.
 
The sale will be held on a date yet to be advised and catalogue requests can be made by emailing megawhogg@chariot.net.au.
 
Phone enquiries please call David Weber (Auctioneer) on (08) 8342 1400