Everyone must have had the dream of finding something valuable in their attic or cellar. But now, with all the TV programmes, from Cash In The Attic to Fake or Fortune, we must have arrived at a time when there can be nothing left to find?
Don’t be too sure. As reported in the past week, an auctioneer trawling through the contents of a dusty old garage in Bath recently came across several treasures: an autograph book dating back around 120 years and containing the signatures of no less a cricketing celebrity than W.G. Grace and other greats from the crease; and several letters handwritten by Grace himself from the mid to late 1890s.
What’s more, the provenance was impeccable: they came from the estate of John Douglas, who played the great game with Grace and his son.
The autograph book also contains the names of players from the touring sides of Australia and the West Indies.
The letters were written to Edward, Lord Somerset and discuss life at the time around Bath and Bristol, hunting, shooting and, of course, cricket.
The autograph book took a cool £11,600, while the letters totalled £1,000.
Still think it’s not worth digging about in the dust and cobwebs?
