The ‘treasure trove’ of City legend to go under hammer
SILVERWARE, AWARDS AND MEMORABILIA AMASSED BY THE GREAT RAICH CARTER
SILVERWARE presented 70 years ago to the footballing legend Raich Carter by the Lord Mayor of Hull for services to the city is to be offered for sale in an auction.
The silverware is among a treasure trove of awards, mementoes and memorabilia that was amassed by the great player during a remarkable career that saw him win the FA Cup (twice), enter the record books as the youngest player ever to captain a team to the Football League title – and win the admiration of his international teammates, including Stanley Matthews, who described him as “bewilderingly clever and lethal in front of goal”.
Yorkshire auctioneers David Duggleby will be putting the collection under the hammer in a spectacular History & Memories Auction tomorrow.
Managing director William Duggleby said: “It is a unique collection that charts a quite extraordinary story.
“Despite being a schoolboy international, Raich was initially rejected by several clubs because he was thought to be too small to be a professional footballer. In the end, his hometown club, Sunderland, did give him a chance and he repaid them by captaining the side to the Football League title in 1936 and victory in the 1937 FA Cup Final.
“After the Second World War he had two seasons with Derby County, where was a member of the team that won the 1946 FA Cup Final, and he then moved to Hull City in 1948, where he would lead the team to promotion from the Third Division North into the Second Division. It was the start of a management career that would also eventually take in Leeds United, Mansfield and Middlesborough.
“Raich retired from the game in
1966 and he returned to East Yorkshire, where he resided until his death at the age of 80 at his home in Willerby in 1994.”
As well as the Lord Mayor’s heavyweight engraved silver tray (82 ounces) and the silver tea service, items of particular Hull interest in the auction include two oil paintings of Raich in Hull City kit commissioned by supporters, bound volumes of Hull City programmes from the 1940s and other memorabilia.
Meanwhile, other noteworthy lots going under the hammer include the personal scrapbooks that the Hull City legend kept throughout his career, the gold watch that was given by the directors of Derby County after the team won the first postwar FA Cup Final in 1946 and various sports writers and former players association awards, including the Football League 100 League Legends gold medal that he was awarded posthumously by the Professional Footballers Association to mark the 100th Championship Season in 1999.
The collection, which is being sold on behalf of Raich Carter’s daughter – retired schoolteacher Jane A. Carter – includes many photographs, programmes and other items, autographed by the greats that he played with and against.
The collection is to be sold in 20 lots, which are expected to make a total of £10,000 to £16,000. Pre-sale estimates range from under £100 for some of the programme and memorabilia lots up as high as £6,000 for the silver tray and tea service presented by the Lord Mayor of Hull for services to the city.
■The viewing sessions at the Vine Street Salerooms in Scarborough are today from 10am to 4pm, and tomorrow, from 9am until the start of the auction at 2pm.