The Blogger's Guide To The Modern Rugby Grogg Styles - By Rob Van Der Steen

As any collector of Groggs will tell you the variety of different types of Groggs around is phenomenal... It's very much the case that there is something for every type of collector or collection. This article aims to take you through some of the different types of Rugby Grogg releases that we see Richard and the team at the Groggshop produce today. Hope you Enjoy!

**All Photographs Courtesy Of The World Of Groggs**

Standard 9" Groggs (Non-limited editions): 

Most of what the World of Groggs produces today in terms of 9" Groggs will be a limited edition piece. However, prior to this  a number of Groggs were produced which were 9" but not limited in numbers. Many of these Groggs started life as hollow Groggs and over the years have been produced in the same way as the modern Groggs.

New non limited edition 9" Groggs tend not to be produced anymore, however a number of these are still available for purchase, as they continue to be popular with collectors. A number of  legendary players have been Grogged in this way including Joost Van Der Westhuizen, Francois Pienaar, David Campese, Gavin Hastings and Jonah Lomu.

Some of these Groggs which are no longer produced such as the England Martin Johnson have been known to fetch figures in the region of £200 on the second hand market, making them some of the highest commanding pieces, even when compared to their limited edition counterparts.

Standard 9" Limited Editions: 

A limited number of these pieces will be produced, anywhere from 300 up to 1000 pieces in some cases.

Once these are sold they are sold no more will be made, usually where a popular players sells out of their standard limited edition you will see the groggshop making a completely new mould of the player we have seen this recently with new Halfpenny, Gethin and Brian O'Driscoll Groggs.

The new mould will usually be quite different in appearance so maybe in an action pose and no doubt reflecting any changes seen the the player's physical attributes since first being Grogged.

All limited edition comes with a limited edition certificate. They are all numbered, signed and dated. Both Welsh and other Internatinal players alike have been Grogged in limited edition format.

16" / Action Groggs:

These are often highly detailed and accurate in terms of aspect ratios. They are usually in some form of action pose such as running pose or kicking.

A number of Welsh greats have been Grogged in this format including Rob Howley, Neil Jenkins, Shane Williams and Gareth Edwards. Most are usually produced in the Welsh kit as standard but a number have also been produced in British and Irish Lions, Barbarians and club kits.

These types of Grogg are also limited in the numbers produced and often crafted to celebrate an event such a testimonial or other landmark.

Front Rows and Second Rows:

A number of pieces representing famous Front and Second Rows have also been produced over the years. These have been produced in several styles including realistic action poses, traditional 9" style and also in mini form and have immortalised the all Welsh lions front row, the Grand Slam winning front row, Pontypool and the 76/78 front row.

Again these are always quite popular pieces which certainly make an impact on any collection and being limited editions they tend to be more deisrable and valuable as time progresses. Over the years several of these pieces have been produced and auctioned at charity events, sometimes with slight variations to the general sale pieces.

Player Busts:

A number of player busts have been produced over the years usually connected to some form of landmark or achievement such as a birthday, testimonial or winning some form of accolade such as Player of the Year.

These busts (as with any other) focus on the head and shoulders of the subject and are highly accurate in terms of detail. Some greats to have had Busts created include Shane Williams, Mervyn Davies and Martyn Williams.

Minis (6"):

For some collectors these are all they collect. The size and the price of these Groggs make them appealing to a lot of people. Generally with minis they are not limited edition pieces (although some have been sold for just a limited period of time - such as a testimonial year).

For the most part they are produced until the mould is no longer suitable for use or popularity fades. It is mostly Welsh players which are created as minis, mainly in the welsh strip but it has been known to see some club kit minis as well. Pontypridd are the only club who actually have their own range of mini Groggs, their proximity to the shop no doubt a factor in the shop showing their support for their local team.

A few International minis exist of some greats of the game Jonah Lomu, Keith Wood, Richie McCaw and Sebastian Chabal. Make no mistake these minis are extremely popular with some of the minis that are no longer produced commanding prices over and above some of their 9" counterparts on the secondhand market, one example being the Jonny Wilkinson mini which always demands a high fee for potential buyers.

Quite often with the Welsh players you will see them Grogged as a mini and a 9" version usually in quite different poses or styles. One notable exception to this is former Welsh Captain Colin Charvis who was only ever produced as a mini despite fan outcry for the 9" version!

  








Testimonial Pieces:

Produced to celebrate the Testimonial of a player. These can be in either miniature version or the full 9". In the past these testimonial pieces have either been produced for a limited run so for example only available during the testimonial year (such as the adam Jones one - which was also signed by the player) or they may simply be produced as a standard limited edition with a run numbers such as the recent Ryan Jones Testimonial Grogg. 

Some testimonial pieces have been produced in some fairly unique styles such as the Dale Mcinstosh one which was in a Maori tribal type outfit matching in with his nickname "The Chief". These special Testimonial pieces also tend to attract a large amount of interest and income on the second hand market when coming up for sale. 

Commemorative Pieces:

As seen in some of the categories above, The World of Groggs often creates pieces celebrating certain events or landmarks. For example record breaking caps, points scored or the winning of a key competition such as a World Cup or Six Nations Grand Slam.

A number of Groggs have also been produced to immortalise certain memorable events such as the "Perfect Day" Grogg, Barbarian try for Gareth Edwards and British and Irish Lions tours.

Quite often these pieces can also fall into the categories of "Specials" meaning the level of detail on them is far higher than usual and they may be produced in very low numbers.

It's also common for these commemorative pieces to be produced in a significant number, so for example Mount Groggmore had 45 editions produced (the anniversary of The World of Groggs).

Specials:

A number of specials have been produced over the years often re-creating some of the standard groggs in different kits or with unique features to set them apart from the regular edition.

Often they coincide with a certain event so for example Ma'a Nonu losing his boot during a match, Stephen Jones and the Braveheart moment or some of the International groggs being produced in their club kits such as Chabal in Racing Metro Colours.

These are extremely low in numbers and highly sought after. On the second hand market these can easily double their original retail price. Usually fully branded, although not always the case and nearly always very quick to sell out.

Club Kits:

Quite often the shop produce a number of pieces in the player's regional club kits. This was until the recent embargo on producing club kits and specials to deal with the huge demand on lions groggs.

The club kits are often limited in their numbers as well usually at a much lower amount such as 100 pieces as apposed to the usual 500.

Mostly it is the Welsh teams which are produced, although as seen in the Specials category sometimes kits from outside of Wales are also released, these tend to be in much lower numbers however.

British and Irish Lions and Barbarians:

In most cases when a player who has been Grogged represents the British and Irish Lions or Barbarians the shop tends to produce a version of the player in the respective kit.

For the Baa Baas these are usually very low in number and contain a large amount of detail such as the badges, socks and boots. With regards the Lions they are produced anywhere from 50 to 125 pieces as seen in the recent set of Lions Groggs.

These are all highly detailed and a large amount of the 2013 lions feature extra detail not seen on the standard Groggs such as different boots in the case of BOD, strapping on the ankles of Lydiate and the elusive golden boot on Halfpenny.

Charity Pieces:

The shop likes to do its bit for charity and has supported various good causes such as Tenovus and Velindre.

Often they produce one off pieces where the funds are donated to by way of an auction recent examples include the unique Gethin, Sam and George and Ryan Jones Testimonial Camo Grogg.

These are often unique in the fact only one is ever produced and often contain a huge amount of intricacy such as extra detail on the boots, full branding on the kits, strappings and in the case of the unique sam the logo of the charity in question on the shirt. They have been known to achieve in excess of £1000 for these great causes.

 
Players editions:

Produced solely for the players making them unique, usually fully branded kits and often the player will be presented with all of the kits they have played in.

  

Mascots:

A number of mascots have been produced featuring the main animals associated with the national teams in anthropomorpic styles. These include the Welsh Dragon, British and Irish Lion, Barbarian Ram and English Bulldog.