Exclusive: 'Priceless' David Nish memorabilia found!

Whilst taking a Sunday morning flick through social media posts about another disappointing Leicester City display, I stumbled upon an image of a table strewn with Leicester City memorabilia for sale.

I took a quick glance and then a second, more considered look as a few items really stood out. An England badge, 1969 FA Cup Final memorabilia, programmes, menus, tickets and speeches all related to Leicester City legend, David Nish.

The text showed that the owner didn’t realise quite what she had, so, still from my bed, I started my quest.

A quick direct message turned into a phone call - I was concerned that she was going to sell it too cheap. That was swiftly followed by a visit to interview her and see the memorabilia just two days later.  

On a hot Tuesday afternoon in north west Leicestershire, I walk into the large kitchen where, covering half of a large kitchen table, is a sea of Leicester City memorabilia. Standing next to the table is Jo Bown. Looking proudly at the collection, she starts to tell her story.

“My mum is Jennifer Bown, then Nish, wasn't it?”

“I didn't know until I was about 12 that she'd been married before my dad. I happened to pull out one of her vinyl records and it had a sticker on the back. You could see through it and there it was, another name. So I just asked her. And she's like well, here's a story. So then it all came out.”

I pick up photographs of a young Jennifer. There are countless newspaper cuttings of her and David Nish, modelling photos and a large image of her on the front page of a 1969 Daily Express.

“These are my mum's pictures, Fabulous 208 magazine did an article about her. She was a model, I suppose she was an original WAG, wasn't she? There's the wedding. She had that cape for years. I got a feeling I've got a suitcase in my garage with it in. I used to dress up in it. She had a pink dress and a white cape.”

These are personal artefacts and memories from an exciting life in the spotlight, but alongside her own images, were many with Leicester City’s young captain on her arm.  

“When I had the boys and they were into football, she would get it all out. They'd sit for ages looking at it and she'd be explaining every little thing. Because I wasn't interested, I just switched off.”

Amongst the many programmes - including an immaculate 1969 FA Cup Final programme - two badges stood out: an England three lions badge and a Professional Footballers Association badge.

David Nish won ten England Under-23 caps whilst at Leicester City. The first was ten days before he became the youngest FA Cup Final captain in history, aged 21. His five full England caps were earnt whilst he played for Derby County.

Most of the items relate to the 1969 FA Cup Final, many documenting David Nish and Jennifer Bown's movements that day.

There's an FA Cup Final Daily Mirror special, hymn sheets and the FA Cup Final programme, which is absolutely immaculate.

Also on display is their reservation on the official coach for the FA Cup Final, luggage tags, and a room reservation for the Park Lane Hotel, overlooking Green Park and Buckingham Palace, with the room number. There's even still the hotel's lipstick and razor.

“Oh my gosh. I've not seen any of this because I haven't really dug deep in that. Have you seen that? The Park Lane Hotel, the room number and everything!”

Another gem which really caught the eye was from the Cup Final banquet.

There are three menus - not just one, but three. There are also two copies of the banquet order of service with blue tassels, one of which contains the hand written speech made by David Nish himself, and has also been signed by all the players.

As we continue to flick through, there's a dinner placings list and map with table numbers, and hidden behind them, a ticket for the FA Cup Semi-Final at Hillsborough.

“Mum had her coaching badge as well. I have a boot somewhere. I’ve got the coaching certificate as well somewhere so she's was always into football. She used to be a massive Man Utd fan. She met David at school and they were together through her going to uni.

I continue to find more and more, including inside envelopes that haven’t been opened by Jo.

There's an invite to the Footballer of the Year dinner and presentation. Not only that, but Jennifer kept the programme of arrangements and also dinner placings as well. Then there's another celebration dinner, this time for Leicester City’s Second Division title in 1970/71.

“It’s faded, but that's another speech, isn't it?”

Written in pencil on the back of the banquet service card, is David Nish’s speech.

“So there's a clean one and he's then written on that one. That's amazing!”

More glossy photos are unearthed, including a lovely photo of several wives holding the Second Division trophy.

There’s a Graham Cross testimonial programme, signed, a lovely 1969 West Ham United vs Leicester City programme signed by Peter Shilton on the front cover, and tickets for England vs Wales in on 7th May 1969 at Wembley inside an envelope from City’s Peter Rodrigues addressed to the couple.

Plus, we find a charming Football Association County Youth memento: Leicestershire and Rutland Youth FA vs London Counties Youth FA, 21st May, 1966, Browns Lane, Loughborough, signed by what appears to be both teams, alongside many other programs, tickets, newspapers and artefacts from the era.  

So why has Jo put it up for sale now?

“Mum passed away just before Christmas, so we've been sorting out all of her things. This was sat at the care home for about a year, and I suddenly thought, oh, my God, all that stuff!

"They said, 'can you leave it here because someone wants to look at it?' and I just didn't think twice. But then I was like, oh my God, I need to get that back.”

“She always said: 'You know when I'm not here, if you don't want it, resell it. Let the children have some money from it and enjoy something that they want because it's kind of pointless. Nobody's going to get enjoyment from it here.'”

Well, there was one Leicester City supporter who thoroughly enjoyed hearing Jo and her mother, Jennifer’s story.

Jo couldn’t hide how proud she was of her mum’s own career whilst explaining how proud her mum was of David’s footballing career. It really was a treasure trove of Leicester City’s past, one which the football club should be seriously interested in and have on display.

The signed banquet books, the England and PFA badges, and especially the handwritten David Nish speeches are invaluable.

The next day, I spoke to Leicester City’s official club historian, John Hutchinson. John sounded thrilled with the discovery and thanked me for stopping Jo letting it all go.

John promised that he will keep me - so that means all of you members here at For Fox Sake - updated as the football club take an official look at the collection.