Record-breaking Wisdens

It is common knowledge that a complete collection of Wisden almanacks is valuable but just how valuable became clear when an 1864-1999 set smashed the world record at a recent auction.

An anonymous buyer picked up the collection for £120,000 - around four times the estimate. Although individual almanacks are valuable, auctioneer Graham Budd, who sold the lot, feels that one reason for the success was the decision to keep the volumes together as a collection. "You could spend half a lifetime collecting Wisdens but this was all in one go and I think people are prepared to pay a premium for that," he says.

There is a healthy demand for much cricket memorabilia around the world, but don't go dusting off boxes of old programmes just yet. "Although there is currently a strong market in both England and Australia for a diverse range of cricket memorabilia, in particular for anything dating from the Golden Age (traditionally 1890-1914), the Wisdens are almost a case on their own."

Cricket bookseller Ken Faulkner puts the huge prices down to the sudden appearance on the market of especially rare, prewar hardback editions of Wisden. "This has encouraged a growth in The imitators interest from buyers because of the availability of these rarities and in turn has pushed up the prices. But the number of collectors now exceeds the supply," he says.

"The condition of each individual volume is also important," he adds. "The first 15 editions of the almanack are extremely rare, and more so with their original covers and spine. With its original cover, a single volume can fetch three or four times what you'd get for the same edition rebound."