Rare Blackburn Rovers album pitches up at Staffordshire auction house…

	Head Auctioneer Ben Gamble holding the piece of Blackburn Rovers history
	In the album a picture of Captain Healless introducing the team to the King

Calling all Blackburn Rovers fans – a rare piece of club memorabilia is due to come under the hammer at Cuttlestones auction house in Penkridge, Staffordshire on Friday, 27th November.

A real piece of Blackburn Rovers history, the item in question is a leather bound book presented to J. Eddleston Esq, Vice chairman of Blackburn Rovers, following the team’s FA Cup Final victory on 21st April 1928 in front of a crowd 92,041 strong.

Including a pictorial record of the story of Blackburn Rovers’ road to Wembley, a special embroided silk badge of the ‘borough coat of arms’ - as worn by the Blackburn players during the cup final - and the gripping story of the team’s route to the final (including the historic victories over Man Utd in the quarter final and over Arsenal in the semis) the album is thought to be one of just 10 created and presented to each of the club’s directors.

This enticing combination of club history and rarity is likely to generate much excitement amongst Blackburn Rovers’ loyal fanbase, as Cuttlestones’ head auctioneer and MD, Ben Gamble, explains:

“This will be a real prize for any Blackburn Rovers collector – it’s a real snapshot of one of the team’s proudest moments and there have probably only ever been nine others in existence; who knows how many still survive! The fact that it has come to market is astonishing – generally limited edition items such as this are retained as family heirlooms so it represents an incredible opportunity.”

The album contains over thirty photographs and pictures, including a shot of the team and the directors; an aerial view of Wembley; the club wreath being taken to the cenotaph; the crowd singing ‘Abide with me’; players taking to the pitch sporting the embroidered badge; the presentation of the players to King George V by the captain, Mr H Healless; Healless receiving the FA cup from the King; the jubilant players with the trophy in the changing room and the team in a charrabang with the cup for the procession into Blackburn from Preston.

The Blackburn Rovers album is set to come under the hammer at Cuttlestones’ Fine Art sale on Friday, 27th November. Full details will be available in the sale catalogue, available at www.cuttlestones.co.uk from Friday, 20th November 2009.

Commission bids, telephone bids and a live internet bidding facility via www.the-saleroom.com are options for those who can’t attend the Penkridge saleroom. For further information call Ben Gamble on 01785 714905.