Memorabilia connected with the great England footballer Steve Bloomer has sold for £320,000 ($400,000).
The collection included 19 velvet England international caps awarded to Bloomer at the turn of the last century.
Also featuring in the WH Lane & Son sale in Penzance, UK was a gold medal given to the inside forward following a game against Ireland.
“Steve Bloomer was the first ‘football superstar’,” explained the auction house’s Graham Bazley prior to the December 15 sale.
"He scored in all his first 10 international games, which remains a record for the number of consecutive scoring appearances.
“Bloomer became the first player to score two hat-tricks for England and was also the first to score four goals for England twice.
Bloomer netted 23 times in his 28 England appearances. He also bagged 314 top flight goals during his club career with Derby and Middlesbrough – second only to Jimmy Graves.
The 19 caps had emerged from Bloomer’s family in 1994 when they sold for £8,050 at Christie’s. The new auction price represents 18.2% compound growth – an indication of the surging values for high-end sports memorabilia.
During the first world war, Bloomer was detained in a civilian camp in Germany. He had taken up a coaching role in the country three weeks before war broke out.
