Age: 33
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, England
When and how did you start collecting Groggs?
I first heard about the Groggshop during my first year studying Law at the University of Glamorgan in 2000. A close friend of mine, who happens to be Welsh, introduced me to the World of Groggs whilst looking for a birthday present for a mutual friend. From the first visit I was hooked, the place blew my mind, from the signature wall, the shirts donated by some legendary players, the photos of some of these stars with their Groggs and of course the Groggs themselves. My first purchase followed shortly after my initial visit.
What were the first 3 Groggs you owned and why did you pick these in particular?
Being a student money was a little tight, but that didn’t stop the lure of the Groggshop. It did however limit what I could afford and as a result my first Grogg was a mini. That mini was from the International collection and was none other than the legendary Irish Hooker Keith Wood. The reason I went for Keith was the fact he was such a recognisable character and of course a great player, what better way to start your collection?
Keith was shortly followed by my first 9” Grogg, Nelson Mandela with World Cup Trophy. It was the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995 which really peaked my interest in Rugby. The way in which the Springboks overcame the struggles of apartheid to unite a nation was inspiring, also the Boks played some pretty fantastic rugby. Nelson Mandela has always been an inspiring person to me and the iconic image of him wearing the Springboks jersey holding the cup is one which immortalised in Grogg form superbly.
The third Grogg I purchased was also a 9” and another Irish player, this time it was Brian O’Driscoll. It’s fair to say Brian is one of the most exciting centres to ever grace the rugby field, he plays with such flair that he lights up the place, this was reason enough for me to want to add him to my collection.
Do you still own these Groggs?
Unfortunately not. The Keith Wood mini was sold to make way for the 9” version. Brian O’Driscoll was in the old Groggy style paint finish and was sold to fund the purchase of a natural finish Leinster O’Driscoll (which was later also sold) and Nelson Mandela was sold at a time when money was short and the placed I lived didn’t have the room to display my Groggs.
What Groggs do you collect now?
If you are a collector of any sort (not just Groggs) you realise there is a point where you have to focus your collection. Factors such as money, space and simply preferences all play a major factor in deciding what you will collect. For me I decided to go for the 9” Groggs, mainly because the level of detail is much greater. When I first started collecting Groggs the 9” ones were all in what was known as the Groggy paint finish. This was designed to make the new resin Groggs look more like the original clay hollow ones, however over the years the shop shifted towards a more natural looking finish, similar to the minis, I decided this is a finish I prefer and over time have sold all of my Groggy finish versions and replaced them with their natural finish counterparts. In terms of the type of Groggs I collect, I tend to go for the International Rugby Groggs and Footballers. I have also collected a number of the World Cup Mascots and have started to introduce a few minis back into the collection. Where possible I like to get some of the rarer Groggs, known as ‘specials’. This is because they tend to be of a much higher level of detail and also lower numbers, so there are usually not many made.
How many Groggs do you currently own?
I own around 55 Groggs at present, the majority being 9” with a few minis and mascots and one 15” Muhammad Ali Grogg.
What is your favourite Grogg?
This is a tricky question, it’s like asking a father which is their favourite child ;-) I would have to say though at the moment my Aaron Ramsey in Arsenal kit is my favourite. There are a couple of reasons for this, firstly it is the first ever player to be Grogged in an Arsenal kit. Secondly my Grogg is number 1/300 and is the only number 1 I own. Finally, I’m not ashamed to admit I begged the Groggshop to make an Arsenal Grogg, they resisted for quite a while but luckily the Welsh midfield maestro hit some fantastic form with Arsenal and received the great reward of being grogged.
Over the years I have sold a number of Groggs to either raise some money or to make way for other Groggs. In some case I have bought the same version of the Grogg again or upgraded to some of the rarer alternative versions of the Grogg. However, there is one Grogg which I sold which I would love to have back. That Grogg is a mini Gareth Thomas in the black Wales kit, released to commemorate 125 years of Welsh rugby, the Grogg was sold as I had decided not to collect minis any longer but is now certainly one I would love to have in my collection again.
Who would you love to see Grogged?
Being English I am always keen to see new England Groggs as the last ones were around the time of the 2003 World Cup, so over10 years ago! There is some exciting talent in the current England Squad and it would be great to see Manu Tuilagi, Billy or Mako Vunipola captured in Grogg form. From the rest of the world I would love Bakkies Botha, Nick Cummins, Stuart Hogg, Jake Ball, Sonny Bill Williams, Simon Zebo and Martin Castrogiovanni to be Grogged.
Now for some photos of your Groggs:
No comments:
Post a Comment