Valuable SAFC memorabilia to go under the hammer

Bob Dixon of Houghton is parting with the treasured artefacts he has been collecting since he was a youngster, because his family wouldn’t know what to do with them if anything was to happen to him.

The most sought after items are expected to be from 1937, when Sunderland won the FA Cup after beating Preston North End at Wembley.

These items, which could go for hundreds of pounds, include a match ticket, a programme signed by record scorer Bobby Gurney, a Football Echo with the full match report and, most unusually, a song sheet that was handed out to fans before the final.

Modern supporters might be surprised to learn that the song sheet includes The Blaydon Races.

The 1973 FA Cup success is also represented with tickets from the cup run, a programme autographed by the team and a signed Ian Porterfield photograph.

There are also programmes from every game Sunderland played home and away in the 1958-59 season, memorabilia from the last days of Roker Park and the early days of the Stadium of Light, and the testimonials of Brian Clough and Charlie Hurley.

There is much more besides and the sale starts at the Boldon Auction Galleries at 10am on Wednesday, January 8.

Bob, 72, is a retired taxi driver who also ran a football programme shop in Chilton Moor.

He said: “I’ve been collecting since 1957 or 1958. It’s all in good condition and the price depends on the condition.

“If something happened to me, the family wouldn’t know what to do with it; about prices. The auction is the best place for this type of stuff to go in. At auction you never know.

“I’m not selling because I want the money. If stuff isn’t sold it’s not a problem to me. I’ll just keep it. But you’ll never get a better collection of 1937 stuff than what’s in this auction. I don’t know of anyone who has the song sheet.”

Bob will keep his first ever Sunderland programme, from a 2-2 draw with Everton in the FA Cup at Roker in January 1958.