Rare Wolves, West Brom and Duncan Edwards memorabilia up for auction

Midland Sports Auctions will be hosting the event on Saturday and Sunday.

Lots include a rare programme for a Combined Services XI versus Wolves match, which was played in Hannover, Germany, in 1945.

Another Wolves programme, this time featuring a League Cup match against Walsall, in 1945, is also up for grabs.

Memories of when Wolves played in Europe during the 1960s will be rekindled through 21 autographs, signed after the team’s match against Barcelona in 1960.

There is also a collection of rare Wolves programmes following their matches against a Foreign Teams XI during the 1950s, as well as an autograph by Wolves goalkeeping legend Bert Williams.

And autograph hunters will also be interested in the signatures of Dudley hero and Busby Babe Duncan Edwards, as well as fellow Busby Babe Roger Byrne, who also tragically lost his life in the 1958 Munich air disaster, and Wolves legend Ron Flowers.

An original Albert Wilkes photo of the Aston Villa team, from the 1937-38 season, is included as well as 1949 British Rail handbill that featured during Villa’s FA Cup tie against Cardiff City.

Signed photos of West Bromwich Albion players Connor Townsend, Matt Philips, Ken Zohore, Rayhaan Tulloch and Gareth Barry are up for grabs, along with an autographed ball from the Baggies 1976-77 season, which includes the signatures of Cyril Regis, Brendon Batson and Laurie Cunningham.

Albion fans will also be interest in an another Albert Wilkes team photo, signed by 14 of the players during 1946-47 campaign, and a shirt worn by Giles Barnes during the 2010-11 season.

For Warwickshire cricket fans there is a collection of early scorecards, photos, letters, as well as a signed scorecard from the 2006 match against Durham and a scorecard from the famous 2005 Ashes match between England and Australia, which was played at Edgbaston in 2005.

Speedway fans will be drawn to a vintage ‘homemade’ wooden Birmingham programme board and a Wolverhampton Wolves jubilee 1978 gilt badge.

Tim Beddow, a consultant at Midland Sports Auctions, said: “We are fast becoming the leading auctioneers in our field.

“Spearheaded by Matthew Bytheway, who has a lifetime of expertise in football memorabilia, with a strong emphasis on Wolves, Albion and Walsall material – along with consultant and MCC member Tim Beddow, specialising in cricket, speedway, Blues and Villa, as well as general sport, together they have amassed almost 100 years’ of experience in the buying and selling of sports memorabilia.

“More than 2,500 lots are under the hammer. Local interest is well catered for with an abundance of memorabilia from Wolves, Albion, Walsall, Villa and Blues."

The auctioneers offer potential vendors the chance to either place items in up-and-coming sales or, for those who wish to sell their collections, a free no obligation valuation service is also available.

Mr Beddows can be contacted on 0121 4217117 and Mr Bytheway on 0121 5885733.