While looking into a wardrobe for somesuch the other day,I came across some old Chelsea programmes that kinda brought a tear to my eye.

Not because I'm the nostalgic type mind,but mostly because I dropped the fecking box on my big toe!.

There inside, were all Chelsea's domestic cup final programmes from the late 60's & early 70's which I'd brought from programme fairs nearly 30 years ago.Fantastic stuff to be honest with you.

I haven't been to one since then & my only memory's are of dark,squat halls with a strong musty smell of old paper, (or maybe it was from the old boys flogging the programmes) & a place where the only women present, were the type of girl who can crush a walnut with her chin.

Question is.....does anyone else remember them?.......do they still exsist in this age of ebay?.....& does anyone else have programmes/memorabilia that they brought from one?.

Edited November 5, 201213 yr by alan'82

I used to go to the odd one when I was a kid, late 80s/early 90s. I have so many programmes that I bought in bulk as some kind of special offer type thingies (10 for a quid) Most of them mean nothing to me and I have given as many as possible away to people that support those particular clubs whether they want them or not. Any Chelsea I've accumulated over the years I've kept and I still buy them now on a match-day. Although to be honest I do nothing more have a quick flick through them these days.

I'm pretty sure these fairs still exist. Saying that the last one I went to was about 5 years ago at Pompey in a darkened hall with a musty smell/ I seem to recall my mate saying it was an annual thing and he's spoken since then about going again.

My dad-inlaw & a mate both deal in progs ect, fairs are still going strong, there's one at St Stephens church hall Kensington, 1st sunday of every month, also there's two big fairs, one in June near Russel Sq & the other in Jan not far from Holbon.

I did take a picture of the programmes and one of a couple of early 80's shirts that I found amongst the assorted crap, (err..collectables).But I've no idea how to put them on here, unfortunatly.

Last one I went to was a Ken Bates raises money event under the East Stand, it was just after the MH stand was opened, I got a missing early 70s home against Liverpool programme to complete the set.

Got every home programme from 1963 to 1969,every home and away from 1969 to 1986,then every home up to 1999 when i gave up collecting,most of the older ones up to 1974 was passed down to me by my uncle and then i started collecting myself as i was going to most games.Only programme fair i have been too was the one in russell sq that Cb mentioned last year and i think i had more chelsea programmes than they did.My collection also includes every testimonial and friendly and cup games,some are worth two bob others are worth a bit more like the chelsea leeds cup final replay goes for about £20,and if anyone has the greek version of the cup winners cup 1971 v real madrid that goes for up to £500 maybe more,sadly i only have the chelsea version of it and its only worth about £30.Still my pride and joy though and will probably pass them on to my boy,if he can find the room for them

Don't worry about the size...........feel the quality!.*

(that's not what the missus said)

Edited November 5, 201213 yr by alan'82

Got every home programme from 1963 to 1969,every home and away from 1969 to 1986,then every home up to 1999 when i gave up collecting,most of the older ones up to 1974 was passed down to me by my uncle and then i started collecting myself as i was going to most games.Only programme fair i have been too was the one in russell sq that Cb mentioned last year and i think i had more chelsea programmes than they did.My collection also includes every testimonial and friendly and cup games,some are worth two bob others are worth a bit more like the chelsea leeds cup final replay goes for about £20,and if anyone has the greek version of the cup winners cup 1971 v real madrid that goes for up to £500 maybe more,sadly i only have the chelsea version of it and its only worth about £30.Still my pride and joy though and will probably pass them on to my boy,if he can find the room for them

I've got the Greek and , English versions plus a ticket stub. I've been toying with the idea of selling them for ages but don't want to put them on ebay.

Great shirts, gave mine away to a mate when i was a kid after his dad had f'cked off & left him & his mum, still got my 81/82 home & away shirts though, ruined by the fact i painted a no 9 on the back ffs, made worse by the fact Alan Mayes wore no 9!

Also still got most 80s home shirts, got a few items that my mrs thinks i'm nuts for having, will try to put up a pic.

I've got the Greek and , English versions plus a ticket stub. I've been toying with the idea of selling them for ages but don't want to put them on ebay.

Mate have alook on line & try to get a programme monthly mag, you could either email dealers from there or maybe advertise them yourself in the mag, or just outside f bdway outside the chuch opposite a kebab shop is a stall where my mate works dealing in progs you could have a word there.

Mate have alook on line & try to get a programme monthly mag, you could either email dealers from there or maybe advertise them yourself in the mag, or just outside f bdway outside the chuch opposite a kebab shop is a stall where my mate works dealing in progs you could have a word there.

Thanks CB. If I did decide to sell them I'd want them to go to a Chelsea fan and not just a dealer, obviously they'd probably end up in the right hands but at an extra cost to the buyer. At the same time I recently saw for sale the programmes for the away games at Aris Salonika and CSKA the former being about £165 while the Man City, and Bruges ones seem fairly easy to get hold of as are the home games so I though maybe I might just try and collect the complete lot. For about £300 outlay that would really be some collection.

Thanks CB. If I did decide to sell them I'd want them to go to a Chelsea fan and not just a dealer, obviously they'd probably end up in the right hands but at an extra cost to the buyer. At the same time I recently saw for sale the programmes for the away games at Aris Salonika and CSKA the former being about £165 while the Man City, and Bruges ones seem fairly easy to get hold of as are the home games so I though maybe I might just try and collect the complete lot. For about £300 outlay that would really be some collection.

Yeah mate that'd be good if you could add to your collection, i've untold progs that i havent really got the room for i've stopped buying them now for that exact reason, i havent bought a final programme since the Villa final in 2000, i will buy them eventually but not until i get some more space for them.

I used to have the white Le Coq shirt and still have the blue one which my son wears to matches these days. How I ever got into them I'll never know.

My memoribilia,

West stand seat taken after Chelsea v Leeds in 97, bit of shed terrace barrier workman cut some of for me during the demolition , wembley seat taken after the Villa final.

my 81/82 shirts

85/86

Hats, scarves wear your colours,

My battle worn Union Jack, bought this in 88 from an army stall in the borough market, seen on the shed fence v Boro, i changed the lettering in the early 90s as the original had gone pink

i've got every programme home and away that i went to from 79-81 but i stopped buying them when i started smoking still at school couldn't afford both,what i have got is loads of fanzines chelsea independent, red card ,weststanders, carefree ,sw6 a couple of blues brothers and that slightly odd one cockney rebel which if i remember right was sold by a bloke who must have been in his late fifties early sixties.i've got some stuff that i'd like to put up as well my inner celery firm t shirt ,chelsea headhunters one and a chelsea and england one and also i've got the old red away top with a number 9 on the back

i've got every programme home and away that i went to from 79-81 but i stopped buying them when i started smoking still at school couldn't afford both,what i have got is loads of fanzines chelsea independent, red card ,weststanders, carefree ,sw6 a couple of blues brothers and that slightly odd one cockney rebel which if i remember right was sold by a bloke who must have been in his late fifties early sixties.i've got some stuff that i'd like to put up as well my inner celery firm t shirt ,chelsea headhunters one and a chelsea and england one and also i've got the old red away top with a number 9 on the back

Chelsea Independent was a great fanzine, I missed Issue No.1 but got them all after that, Red Card was OK, not quite as serious.

I had When Saturday Comes from the first issue and then there was another really good early 'zine from the Midlands which I can't remember the name of (Off the Ball?), I think the editor has become an established journo. I used to go to Sportspages and come out with loads from different clubs, I must have had first issues from many of them as new ones appeared every week.

All long since turned to pulp.

Edited November 6, 201213 yr by Peckham Blue

This makes me feel very sad..As i said eons ago, my earlier prize progs approx , ten years worth, 68 -78,were slung out by a very angry ex wife...I did buy all the away ones again, and bought 1 prog to represent each year of home matches,but what i HAD and what i HAVE from that particular time is not the same..Pass the tissues somebody...I have something in my eye

Top quality Carshalton,I'm kinda jealous of your pieces of the Bridge.

Wish I'd grabbed one of the wooden benches from the West Stand to rigg up somehow in the back garden.

Mind you,there were plenty of pieces laying on the ground after the '85 Milk/league cup semi-final vs Sunderland!.

I just didn't fancy a good shoeing from mr plod at the time to be honest,losing the tie was bad enough.

And I simply never thought things would change so much at the time, unfortunatly.

Still,what can you do?.

Here's a question though................

If they do decide to relocate (& I hope we don't),is there a piece of todays Stamford Bridge your would like to add to your collection?.

I always thought a George 'gattling gun' Hilsdon weather vain would look mustard on top of my garage!.

Didn't Uncle Ken try and sell of some pitch squares when we were re-turfed about the time the underground car park went in? anyone but a bit ?, I hear not much was sold?.

I had a bit of a rivals turf after we secured promotion but lost it on the way home, to many cans of Tartan with old grouse chasers.

Top quality Carshalton,I'm kinda jealous of your pieces of the Bridge.

Wish I'd grabbed one of the wooden benches from the West Stand to rigg up somehow in the back garden.

Mind you,there were plenty of pieces laying on the ground after the '85 Milk/league cup semi-final vs Sunderland!.

I just didn't fancy a good shoeing from mr plod at the time to be honest,losing the tie was bad enough.

And I simply never thought things would change so much at the time, unfortunatly.

Still,what can you do?.

Here's a question though................

If they do decide to relocate (& I hope we don't),is there a piece of todays Stamford Bridge your would like to add to your collection?.

I always thought a George 'gattling gun' Hilsdon weather vain would look mustard on top of my garage!.

That leeds game i had a mate over from Adalaide after the game he also ripped out a seat, we both done well considering we were in the mhl where my st was! lol!

he ended up taking the seat all the way back to Australia, so somewhere in Queenstown Adalaide is a part of our original west stand.

The only part i'd take now would be a piece of the shed wall, or maybe something from the east stand as its only the original stand left standing.

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Didn't Uncle Ken try and sell of some pitch squares when we were re-turfed about the time the underground car park went in? anyone but a bit ?, I hear not much was sold?.

I had a bit of a rivals turf after we secured promotion but lost it on the way home, to many cans of Tartan with old grouse chasers.

If they do decide to relocate (& I hope we don't),is there a piece of todays Stamford Bridge your would like to add to your collection?.

I'd like to have the safe (and its contents), but other than that there's nothing from the current stadium I'd want.

I would love to have had one of the crush barriers from the Shed or North Stand - I'd have erected it in my local pub and leant on it while having a pint or twelve and daydreaming of Ossie & Hutch.

I'd like to have the safe (and its contents), but other than that there's nothing from the current stadium I'd want.

I would love to have had one of the crush barriers from the Shed or North Stand - I'd have erected it in my local pub and leant on it while having a pint or twelve and daydreaming of Ossie & Hutch.

Pick up a scaffold pole and a couple of concrete posts. No one would notice the diff.