Latest news with #memorabilia
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
We tracked down Gilbert Jessop's family... and they never want his record broken
Last summer, two teenagers were taken to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club's museum. There, they were shown one of the most famous pieces of cricket memorabilia: the bat that Gilbert Jessop used to score England's fastest Test century, in 1902. The man is their great-grandfather. 'They were very proud,' says their mother, Lucy, who is Gilbert's granddaughter. 'We have a picture of Gilbert in my hallway, so he's always around in our household. They know all about their great-grandfather.' At The Oval 123 years ago, Jessop scored England's fastest Test century. For the bulk of England's 1,014 Tests since, Jessop's record was a matter of arcane trivia; but since 2022, and the start of the Bazball regime, it has been a perpetual source of fascination. Lucy, Gilbert's closest living relative, has no desire for the family to relinquish the record. 'I'd quite like him to keep it,' Lucy says. 'It seems amazing. There's been over 1,000 England Tests, and it still hasn't been broken. I think he would be astonished that that has happened. 'It is nice that his memory is kept alive by people nearly getting there, but not quite.' Since 2022, 10 England centuries have come in 100 balls or fewer. Yet Jessop's 76 balls remains the magical figure, listed in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and widely accepted by statisticians. Perhaps no longer. A new book – Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record – argues that Jessop is even harder to topple. Piecing together the innings ball-by-ball with contemporary sources, as best possible, Simon Wilde finds that Jessop's century actually arrived in 72-74 balls. At the same time, Wilde finds that Jessop's hundred might have taken a little longer than widely accepted: 80 minutes, not 75. Journalists at the time seemingly agreed upon the 75-minute figure because it sold the story of Jessop's innings as vividly as possible. Not that Jessop's innings needs any embellishment. On August 13, 1902, Jessop arrived at the crease with England 48 for five in pursuit of 263 on a green pitch at The Oval. The bookmakers at the ground judged England's chances at 50-1, which was probably overly generous. For Jessop – nicknamed 'The Croucher', for how low he bent in the crease, and described as possessing 'a barrel of a chest' – the natural response to England's plight was to attack audaciously and embrace the air. Jessop thrashed Hugh Trumble, Australia's off-spinner, straight into the Oval pavilion on three occasions. These blows only earned four runs: at the time, batsmen had to literally hit the ball out of the ground to score six. 'The only man living who could beat us, beat us,' Trumble said after England's one-wicket victory. Jessop's innings was the golden hour of cricket's Golden Age. 'He was very much for taking risks,' Lucy reflects. 'Sometimes he would be out quickly, and other times it would massively pay off.' Jack Hobbs said that Jessop was an even greater draw for spectators than Don Bradman. While Bradman scored runs in industrial quantities, the allure of Jessop was that his innings balanced ferocious hitting with a sense of fragility. 'The man who hits,' Jessop wrote in 1899, 'always possesses one consoling thought in success or failure, that with him goes the sympathy of the great majority of spectators.' Lucy has taken a very different path. Like Gilbert's father, she trained as a doctor, moving to Ireland to be a public health consultant. It is a job that, I suggest, requires a very different attitude to risk to Jessop's on a cricket field. 'I suppose so, yes,' Lucy says with a smile. 'Sport was never my particular strong suit.' Lucy has still followed Gilbert in some respects. Both went to the same college at Cambridge University, Christ's. While Gilbert studied theology, Lucy studied medicine. As a student, Lucy occasionally saw mentions of her grandfather. Gilbert died in 1955, 20 years before his only grandchild was born. But tales of his character were still passed down to Lucy by her father. 'He seemed to be a humble and kind man, and people enjoyed meeting him. We heard stories of when he moved to Dorchester to live with my father in his later years, he would offer tips to the local boys practising in the cricket nets at Fordington vicarage. He enjoyed the fact that cricket was carrying on through the generations. I think he'd be delighted that cricket is still popular, still making headlines.' Despite her own modest interest in the game, Lucy was always aware of her family's remarkable contribution to English cricket history. 'In my childhood home there were many pictures and books on cricket and my grandfather in particular. Cricket was always there. And I always knew about my grandfather.' Lucy's father, who was also called Gilbert, played briefly for Hampshire and was a fine minor counties player. In Dublin, where she moved six years ago, her own son plays at school. Since England's embrace of Bazball, Gilbert has gone from being a historic figure belonging to another age to more relevant than ever. Few Tests pass without his name flashing up on Sky Sports, atop a list of the fastest England centuries in Test history. Friends alert her whenever her grandfather's record is in danger. 'When people were getting very close to his record it suddenly put him back in the spotlight. Serious cricket fans would probably have known about him long before, but he obviously came back more into the limelight recently.' On a training course in England, Lucy met another Dr Jessop. 'He was delighted to learn of my surname and he said to me: 'Oh yes, everyone always used to wonder if I was any good at cricket, and was I related to the great man.' 'I said: 'Well, actually, I'm his granddaughter.' He was amazed to finally meet a relative of the great Gilbert.' Gilbert, Lucy is sure, would have relished England's approach under Ben Stokes. 'It would have been very exciting for him. I like the fact that he had his own style, and he kept to his own style. Most people, if you're being taught how to do something, you have to do it in the classic way that everybody had learnt. My grandfather said: 'No, this is the way I'm going to stand, this is what I'm going to do. He made it work for him.''
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark sets new record for most expensive card for female athlete
Caitlin Clark's 2024 Rookie Royalty WNBA Flawless Logowoman 1/1 card sold for $660,000 on Thursday night, becoming the most expensive card of a female athlete sold at public auction. Considered among the best Clark cards created to date, the sale passes the previous record of $366,000 paid for Clark's 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Signatures Gold Vinyl 1/1 PSA 10 at Goldin in March. Sold in Fanatics Collect's July Premier Auction, the card entered extended bidding at $336,000, including buyer's premium, before a flurry of bids drove the price toward a stunning result. Signed and inscribed with her rookie season scoring total, the card features a Logowoman patch seen on a WNBA jersey. Logowoman patches, similar to the NBA's Logoman cards, are among the most coveted pieces of memorabilia in the trading card hobby. The top-selling item from the auction, the Flawless Logowoman was one of seven Clark cards to sell at Fanatics Collect on Thursday night, and one of four cards to sell from Panini America's ultra high-end 2024 Rookie Royalty WNBA set. Rookie Royalty WNBA made a shocking debut in June when hobby boxes sold directly from Panini via Dutch auction with a starting price of $30,000 per two-card box. The product eventually sold out after reaching the floor price of $3,000. Though Clark's Flawless Logowoman 1/1 was expected to challenge her public record, the final price is an impressive result for both her market and the hobby at large. According to data tool Card Ladder, Clark has now had 10 sales top $100,000 or more at public auction. Including Thursday night's results, Clark has now had 14 cards sell at public auction for more than her entire 2025 salary of $78,066 with the Indiana Fever. According to Spotrac, the sale of the Flawless Logowoman 1/1 also eclipses the value of Clark's current four-year, $338,056 contract with the Fever. The record-breaking sale of Clark's Flawless Logowoman 1/1 will be closely followed by a similar example selling at Goldin on Aug. 9. Included in Goldin's July Elite Auction, the Immaculate Logowoman 1/1 is also among the best Clark cards created to date. As of Thursday night, the Immaculate Logowoman had reached $180,000, before buyer's premium, on 17 bids. Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Jordan, Crow-Armstrong, and Clark: Who's hot in the sports card market heading into The National
Two of the hottest names in the sports card hobby appropriately carry Chicago ties given the city will host next week's National Sports Collectors Convention, which is the premier annual sports card and memorabilia show. Even in 2025, Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan still carries the most weight on the planet in the sports card market. And at Wrigley Field, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong stands as the centerpiece of the Chicago Cubs' resurgence with the team transforming into a legitimate World Series contender this season. Advertisement There's no doubt hobby darlings like Jayden Daniels, Caitlin Clark, and Shohei Ohtani should command attention across the National, especially with Clark setting yet another women's sports card record on Thursday night. But what's amazing is that even with so much sports culture caught up in 'the now,' Jordan still remains supreme in the collectibles and memorabilia world. Jordan is the most searched athlete on eBay every month without fail, including June. His card sales in the first half of 2025 rank No. 1 among all athletes at $28.7 million, via GemRate — a website that tracks card sales and grading. 'Is anyone going to touch Jordan? I mean that's a level of iconic that's hard to match,' said Brandon Crawford of COMC, a card consigning company. Mark Laird of the Las Vegas based Paradise Card Breaks said anything featuring Jordan receives huge demand, ranging from insert cards in sets from the 1990s to autographed cards only found in Upper Deck products. Laird also points to the scarcity of Jordan autographed cards since Upper Deck hasn't printed licensed NBA products for many years. 'He's set forever,' Laird said. 'Is Jordan ever going to sign again? He doesn't want to sign any cards. And Upper Deck having a (exclusive) license of Michael Jordan cards, they're not all of a sudden gonna be flying out in Fanatics products. So it's rare air. Jordan cards are always going to stay that way.' As for Crow-Armstrong, he'll be among many Cubs players signing autographs next Thursday during the show's first full day. Other Cubs standouts like Kyle Tucker and Shota Imanaga will attend Thursday, but Crow-Armstrong's hobby popularity currently challenges some of the staples. The value of PCA's 2020 Bowman Draft 1st autographed card with a gem mint 10 grade from PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) last sold for $900. That's up 847 percent from one year ago. 'He has absolutely just skyrocketed as far as in the hobby and in the sport itself,' said James Morehead of the Iowa based Topp Tier Breaks, 'He's an MVP candidate in my opinion. His stuff has absolutely gone nuts.' For those looking outside a Chicago connection, cards for Daniels and Clark should be heavily displayed and transacted throughout the show. They rank second and third, respectively, behind Jordan in eBay's June global search popularity. Advertisement Clark has been among the top five most searched athletes each of the last 12 months, dating back to when she made her first WNBA All-Star team in July 2024. Her new Indiana Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham even received a bump in hobby notoriety recently after Cunningham notably defended Clark during a skirmish against the Connecticut Sun in June. Searches for 'Sophie Cunningham rookie' increased more than 400 percent from May to June. 'The market is super hot like nothing we've ever seen before,' Laird said. ' Between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, I'm talking about freight trains like some of these guys like Ohtani and (Paul) Skenes. It's in the same boat.' Like C.J. Stroud last year at The National, collectors will likely flock to all things Daniels this year after the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year guided the Commanders to last season's NFC Championship game. Daniels ranks third in card sales volume through the first half of this year at $17.6 million according to GemRate, only behind Jordan ($28.7 million) and Ohtani ($20.3 million). That said, Laird expressed hesitation with Daniels' market heading into the 2025 season. citing Stroud's sophomore slump in 2024 following an outstanding 2023 season. He feels snagging cards from more proven quarterbacks without Super Bowl rings, like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow could be a better direction to turn. 'To me, it's almost like fool's gold,' Laird said. 'I'm a little fearful there for the Commanders, but I would rather invest with those star quarterbacks, the ones that are right on the cusp. Generally, there's just too much risk with those like Year 2, Year 3 quarterbacks.' One player Laird, Morehead and Crawford said buyers on their eBay Live streams have recently clamored for has been Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who's on pace to challenge the single season home run mark. Advertisement In June, where 'The Big Dumper' hit 11 home-runs and won American League Player of The Month, eBay searches for 'Cal Raleigh rookie card' increased more than 980 percent within the collectibles category compared to the month prior. According to Market Movers, which tracks online card sales, Raleigh's 2022 Topps Chrome rookie card was one of the 10 most heavily transacted cards across all sports in June. 'Not very many people knew of Raleigh because of Julio Rodriguez,' Morehead said. 'JRod was the big rookie for the Mariners in 2022, and so nobody really cared about Cal. And then as time goes on and all of a sudden he starts doing this, it's like, 'Oh, man! Look at this dude! Who's this dude?' I love seeing a catcher do this, too. You could probably lump them in a little bit with the pitchers in the hobby. You can only name a few catchers that have solid value. It's fun to watch. It's great for the sport.' The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
10 things to know before going to the National Sports Collectors Convention
The National Sports Collectors Convention should be a bucket-list destination for sports fans. Even if you don't collect sports cards, it's the type of place you should go to at least once in your life. Yes, the convention is filled with cards. But it also has history, athletes, celebrities, memorabilia and so much more. This year's National is the 45th installment and will be at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., which is next door to Chicago, July 30-Aug. 3. Here are 10 things every sports fan or collector should know before attending the National. Bring snacks and water: You will be surprised how quickly time goes by at a show and how you can sometimes forget to eat. Bring snacks and water to stay fueled and hydrated throughout the show. Then, get a nice dinner. (I hope you've already made those Gibson's reservations). Cash is king: Even though we all use cards and apps to pay for items these days, cash is still king at a show like the National. There are also more deals to be made with cash. More than 150 autograph signers: Athletes and celebrities are signing all five days at the National, from all-time greats like Johnny Bench and Bo Jackson to modern stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Pete Crow-Armstrong. There are also celebrities like Spike Lee and Randy Quaid. If you're planning to get any autographs, plan your schedules early. Get your cards graded: The National provides the unique opportunity to get cards graded at the venue. Normally, collectors have to send their cards to the grading companies to get them encapsulated. At the National, you can get your cards back in as quickly as three hours — it just depends on how much you're willing to pay. Visit the corporate pavilion: The corporate pavilion has changed over the years at the National and has become bigger and much better. Companies like Panini, Topps, Upper Deck and Fanatics put up huge booths with plenty of different experiences. You can spend an entire day having fun in the corporate area. Prices may drop on Sunday: It's not a guarantee, but in past years prices have come down on Sunday. Often, there are deals to be had because dealers don't want to bring inventory home. Many of them want to get rid of as much as they can at the show. Bring your own supplies: If you're opening boxes of cards, there's no worse feeling in pulling a big hit and having no way to protect it. Bring your own supplies so that you can make sure that your cards are always protected. That means, penny sleeves, top loaders and team bags, at the very least. Wifi Issues: The WiFi and your phone service may not work during peak hours at the show. This has been an issue at all major shows, including the National. Consider there are tens of thousands of people who are trying to connect to the internet and it essentially creates a digital log jam. If there's anything you need online, do it before heading into the show. Content creators galore: There are going to be a lot of people with cameras and microphones. Content creation is part of the scene now. It's not just people walking around the show, but also dealers, as everyone is trying to get the next viral video. Not sure there's a way to avoid it, but be warned of what you're getting into while at the National. Trade shows in hotel lobbies: The National doesn't only take place at the convention center. Many times, hotel lobbies or other gathering spots turn into an impromptu trade night. Some of the very best deals happen in these moments.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
On This Day: Spice Girls fan with world record collection showcases her treasures
On this day in 2016, Liz West, a dedicated Spice Girls fan from Manchester, proudly showcased her impressive collection of memorabilia at Watford Colosseum. Holding the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of Spice Girls items, Liz possessed nearly 5,000 unique pieces, including personal items like shoes and costumes. She reflected on her journey as a collector, stating: "I first started collecting mostly because I was a fan. "Like everyone else I loved listening to their music and swapping photographs in the playground like football stickers." Read more On This Day: Golf star unveils statue at prestigious club On This Day: Viewers left baffled as bizarre blunder appears on BBC On This Day: 'Serious' fire breaks out in field after record-breaking temperatures Liz's passion for collecting began in her childhood, where she preserved items in their original packaging, unlike her peers. Her most significant purchase was a green dress worn by Geri Halliwell during The Spice World tour, which cost her £2,500. Now, her ambition is to meet all the Spice Girls and acquire the iconic Union Jack dress currently displayed in a Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas. [From the Watford Observer of July 22, 2016]
