... and today that St James’ Park programme is set to sell for between £5,000 and £7,000 in London.
The programme for the first wartime England vs Scotland international match is on offer at Graham Budd Auctions.
The game was played on December 2, 1939, at Newcastle and England won 2-1 with Sunderland’s Raich Carter scoring one of the goals.
It was played soon after England's infamous fixture in Germany when they gave nazi salutes (pictured right).
It is rare because the game was played in pouring rain and the paper was "very thin", and most were ruined on the day.
Auctioneer Graham Budd: “It is the rarest of programmes.
“The game was played at Newcastle after the government decided that, for morale reasons, efforts should be made so that life would go on as normally as possible and that international matches should be staged in different parts of the country.
“There was a determination that football should continue.
“This game, sad to relate, is played under an appalling gloom – war.”
The game raised money for the British Red Cross and the St John War Fund.
Source: FOOTYMAD
