A novelty clock reputed to be a gift to a groundsman at Chelsea Football Club in 1955, following the team’s success in the league championship is for sale at Bonhams on 10th March in Knightsbridge.
A mid 20th century novelty clock in the form of a football with raised Arabic numerals sitting in a painted metal goal on a wooden plinth, the clock is estimated to sell for £500-800.
The 1954-55 season was Chelsea Football Club’s 41st of competitive football, their Golden Jubilee and their 20th consecutive year in the English top flight. It was also the club’s most successful year up to that point, as they won the Football League Championship for the first time.
The success was unexpected; Chelsea had never won a major trophy before and their league positions since the Second World War had ranged from 8th to 20th. Four consecutive defeats in October had left the club in 12th place this time.
But the team lost just three more meaningful league games that season and beat principal rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers twice to secure the Championship with a game to spare. Club captain Roy Bentley finished as top scorer, with 21 goals, and the club attracted an average home gate of 48,307, the highest in the division.
Auction info http://www.bonhams.com/clocks