Auction Finds - Rugby Memorabilia

Unsurprisingly, due the bouts of torrential train we have been experiencing, the local Saturday auction (which is held outdoors) was cancelled. My husband had just settled himself in for a (somewhat boring) day of pricing, when he received a call from a friend informing him of a local garage sale, where he picked up a few items, including this rugby memorabilia.

Rugby collectibles were white hot for ten to fifteen years after the 1995 Rugby World Cup was held in our country, South Africa. Our nation, already obsessed with rugby, were in a frenzy. We had also just experienced our first free elections, after the Apartheid era, and the iconic Nelson Mandela was in the early years of his presidency. This World Cup really seemed to unite our nation, at least for a while. I am the antithesis of a sports fan, but even I watched the final.

Over the years though, the popularity of rugby memorabilia seems to have waned, so I really don't know how well these items will do. My husband paid about R2500 ($210) for the items I have pictured, which I feel is quite a lot, but I am interested to see how they will do. (Hopefully well!!!) "The Sharks" are our provincial team and to me people seem almost evangelistic about them! Though lately they seem to be increasingly slated on local radio.

@onetree