Dr Craig Courtney’s amazing collection of sports memorabilia adorns the walls of his home and his practice, Courtney Dental in Townsville, Queensland
“I wouldn’t call my collection of sports memorabilia an obsession—I’m more of an opportune collector. If I come across a nice piece that appeals to me then I’ll buy it. Unfortunately, most of the collectibles available on the market today are rubbish. Basically, it all comes down to who the person is, the age of the piece and if it carries a signature. A piece of memorabilia related to Sir Donald Bradman or Muhammad Ali is valuable but a 2007 Brisbane Lions poster signed by their physio is worth nothing.
“I’ve been collecting since the mid-1990s and used to keep all of my collection at home. Then, a couple of years ago, I renovated my practice—a Queenslander that’s more than 100 years old. There were some scenic landscape paintings on the walls that I had never seen a single person pay the slightest bit of attention. One day I replaced one of the paintings with a boxing glove signed by Muhammad Ali and a photo of his rematch with Sonny Liston. The response was amazing. Everyone noticed the photo and every second person told me where they had been when that match took place.
“So, I started displaying more of my sports memorabilia at the practice and many of my clients responded to it very positively. I have some NRL stuff—mainly the Cowboys—and a lot of pieces from the Crocs, our local basketball team.
“I also like collecting boxing memorabilia and am particularly drawn to anything related to Muhammad Ali. I have some signed Donald Bradman bats in good condition and a range of Darcy Doyle cricket prints. In fact, the majority of my collection is cricket related.
“Since I’ve had my three daughters, I’ve had to pack away a lot of the sports memorabilia I keep at home. A Bradman bat hanging on the wall doesn’t cope very well with the kids swinging on it. However, they’ll all be back on display when the girls outgrow the climbing and swinging phase.
“There are a couple of things I would love to add to my collection—a pool cue that belonged to Walter Lindrum and a baggy green cap from one of the characters of the game; Keith Miller or Doug Walters.
“I’m always on the lookout for interesting items but I haven’t bought anything for quite a while. A piece really has to speak to me before I would even think about buying it.
