Old Programs

[Dan Friel]

After searching through my Old Man's attic yesterday... I came across many of his old race programs / cards from many years ago.

One of which was the Witsun meeting at Goodwood in 1951. Also, the British Grand Prix meeting from Silverstone in 1951.. He has a loads more.

Are they worth anything?? Because he has two of some of them.....

[TimD]

Eeek!

In a word, Dan, YES!

If the '51 British GP programme is in good condition, expect a memorabilia trader to be asking punters about £40-£45 for it. If there's a crease or two in the cover, perhaps £25-£35. I've even seen a scruffy '52 with a laser copy cover going for a fiver.

Goodwood programmes? Well, again a trader will ask about £15 for one. Especially that early. From the fifties, anticipate that you can hold out for a fiver for even the most run of the mill Brands Hatch 500cc races.

Also expect decent money for fifties International Trophies, and the real holy grail are Le Mans programmes. Also check them carefully in case they have been used as autograph books. I once bought an Australian GP from a trader for a reasonable £7. When I got it home, I found it had autographs of Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, Martin Brundle, Keke Rosberg and Alan Jones.

Even a humble Crystal Palace programme once revealed Peter Arundel and Alan Stacey autographs, next to their listing on the entries page.

Tell me, are there any Brooklands pieces in the collection? Even if you didn't want to part with them, I would be interested in a copy or scan of the contents, for a research project. NB Brooklands programmes never, ever fetch anything less than £15 if they are even readable.

All of these prices assume that you don't take them to a dealer or someone with a vested interest in taking a cut. If you are prepared to ask around, make their availability known, generally do the work that the dealer reckons is worth his take, then you will realise a better price. Let's face it, if a dealer is going to try to charge £40, he's going to try to make you accept £20 to make it worth his while.

As always, the items are worth what someone else is prepared to pay for them. One of the best buys I ever made was from a brochure collector who had a load of Silverstone programmes. He knew what they were, and he simply didn't want the hassle of carting them around and touting them for sale. The £2 apiece I paid recouped his investment, made space in his shelves, and saved him hiring a stall at an autojumble. It also made me a VERY happy bunny, but that's beside the point.

You've found a wonderful treasure trove, and a fascinating archive to boot. Look after them well.

[This message has been edited by TimD (edited 14 February 2000).]

[allenbrown]

If you have the patience to list them separately, you may get some good prices for the earlier programs on eBay. I've been buying Single-Seat Can-Am programs on eBay for nearly a year and I've seen prices nearly double. The older stuff sells paticularly well as many of the program collectors have now discovered eBay.

However, make sure you take a look at recent auctions and set a minimum price accordingly. Don't let them go for less than they are worth.

The only problem on eBay is that Americans, who are 90% of the buyers, don't like buying things from the UK and will hardly ever buy in sterling. You'll have to get used to dealing in dollars.

If you can't be bothered, a dealer like Darren Banks will give you a reasonable price for them.

Better still, hold on to them. They are wonderful things and may even turn out to be a good investment (not that I can advise you on investments, of course - 1988 Financial Services Act and all that!)

Allen