A COLLECTION of rare Celtic Football Club programmes featuring matches played during World War II and starring the great Jimmy McGrory are due to go under the hammer.

The 46 programmes have been acquired by Birmingham firm Sporting Memorys Worldwide Auctions Limited who are putting them under auction for the Bothwell couple they belong to.

Robert Adcock, who is managing director of Sporting Memorys Worldwide Auctions Limited, said he was contacted by the elderly couple who had the programmes in their loft.

They belonged to a grandfather and feature details of Celtic games played between 1930 and 1940.

The couple thought the programmes were worth £10 to £20 each but Robert, who has run his firm for more than 20 years, said some of the collection could fetch as much as £500 a programme.

He said: “These programmes are extremely rare because they just don’t come up.

“I had one which was Celtic v Falkirk many years ago and I sold it for £500.”

He added: “I was surprised to see these programmes.

“When they told me they were from the 30s, I wasn’t sure at first because in my game, when you turn up the programme is usually from the 60s. So when I saw them I couldn’t believe it.”

Among the collection, there are four programmes for Old Firm games including a programme for a Celtic v Rangers match on September 8, 1934.

The programmes were published during the era one of the club’s greatest players donned the hoops.

Jimmy McGrory is listed on the team sheet for some of the match programmes.

The former St Roch’s player is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever Celtic players having netted a plethora of goals for the team from 1922 to 1937 before becoming a manager for the Hoops at the end of World War II.

Scottish Football Museum curator Richard McBrearty said: “Club programmes from the pre to World War II era are pretty rare.

“That sounds like quite a hoard as well. To get that number together as a club collection is quite a good find. I am pretty sure there will be a lot of interest.”

He added: “From the 50s onwards you tend to get a lot. But that period, there is not nearly as many.

“Celtic is a big club and there is a real market for Celtic memorabilia.”

The collection will go on sale on Wednesday, February 22 at 12pm at Birmingham’s Holy Souls Social Club in Acocks Green.

Those unable to attend the sale, can register and bid live at www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/sporting-memorys.