Memorabilia from a former English Test cricketer forms part of the Homes & Interiors auction at Sworders on November 26.
Memorabilia from a former English Test cricketer forms part of the Homes & Interiors auction at Sworders on November 26. The cache of vintage cricketing books and ephemera to be offered in seven lots come from sale from the estate of Douglas ‘Doug’ Insole (1926-2017) who was captain of Essex County Cricket Club from 1950-60. An all-rounder who kept wicket, betted and bowled, he played in nine Test matches for England, five of them on the 1956–57 tour of South Africa, where he was vice-captain to Peter May. After retiring from playing, he was prominent in cricket administration, and served as a sometimes controversial chairman of the England selectors in the 1960s and as President of the Marylebone Cricket Club.
A limited edition print titled Essex Captains 1950-94 signed by Doug Insole plus fellow captains of ECCC Trevor Bailey, Brian Taylor, Keith Fletcher, Graham Gooch is offered together with a selection of 30 Essex County Cricket Club Handbooks of various years with an estimate of £50-100. Numerous well-known cricketers from the 1980s and 90s have signed menus, miniature bats, photographs and books that are offered together estimated at £100-150 while a lot comprising 63 cricketing ties plus the tour chest used by Insole as team manager on the 1978-79 Ashes tour of Australia is pitched at £150-250.
No cricketing collection is complete without a decent run of John Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack. The lot comprising a total 74 volumes (54 hard backs with dust jackets) mostly running from the 1940s has an estimate of £500-1000. Insole was himself one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1956.
From all at Sworders, we wish you a very Happy Easter!
17 April 2025
A remarkable collection of 177 lots of rare and historic Bibles feature in our timed auction of Books, Manuscripts and Maps from 17-27 April, offering collectors, scholars and history enthusiasts a unique opportunity to own some of the most significant early English translations of the Holy Scriptures. The collection showcases centuries-old editions that played a pivotal role in shaping religious thought, language and culture.
15 April 2025
Ahead of his upcoming ‘retirement sale’ on 13–14 May, we caught up with the ever-charismatic Paul Atkinson to uncover some of the captivating stories behind the lots on offer.
11 April 2025