A rare picture of the Watford Football Club first team from the 1920-1921 season was sold in an auction in Suffolk for £850 recently, after being valued at £150.
The photograph, which is the size of a postcard, was taken in 1920 long before the introduction of digital printing and full colour printing, and depicts the Watford team in their striped kit with their coaches who are dressed in the era’s traditional attire.
Found amongst a collection of cigarette cards, it is believed to have been produced by the English football club and sold to fans on match days at the stadium. The photograph is catalogued with the caption ‘Watford AFC 1920-1921’.
The owner of the image is not known, although the picture had been used in the Watford Observer in 1969, which reported that the owner was Mr E. F. Morton of Jaywick, Essex.
Auctioneers in Ipswich had valued the item between £100 and £150 prior to the auction, although they admitted that football memorabilia is hard to value due to the nature of fanatical collectors.
The experts also described the card as “very, very rare” and, due to this, had listed it as a premium issue. It was found to be in good condition, with just a single horizontal crease. The item was auctioned on Sunday, 13th September and drew in a much higher than anticipated sum of £850.
