When did racing souvenirs first become popular?

It's hard to imagine attending a race nowadays without having a plethora of souvenir choices available to any spectator with money to spend.

But I can't remember such things being available during my early spectator years in the late 1940s.

When did these items first become popular?

I don't know about "popular", but if anyone's got a Nuvolari tortoise badge or a pre-war Mercedes Benz tiepin they don't want I'd be happy to give them a good home! I believe Tazio gave away hundreds or even thousands of the badges, but of course they're pretty rare here because he hardly ever raced in Britain. The M-B tiepins (and cufflinks?) were - I think - presented mainly to VIPs.

But I'd say that the boom in merchandise didn't come until 1968 and the arrival of overt non-motor trade sponsorship: even then there was very little. The switch from GLTL to JPS in 1970 was probably the main spur, followed by the arrival of Marlboro in 1971 and Embassy in 1973.

First I recall buying was a Charles Lucas Team Lotus T-shirt around 1966.

Didn't Jim Clark recall buying a photo of Stirling Moss at Silverstone in 1953 or so?

I've read of Neubauer being followed like the Pied Piper when he gave out M-B badges ito the kids n Sweden in 1955.

I think vitesse2 is right in saying that things took off with the advent of tobacco sponsorship. The Gold Leaf brand already existed but, if I remember correctly, JPS was a new brand designed to be launched on the back of the Team Lotus sponsorship and later the motorcycle and power boat teams. The stuff they sold wasn't always rubbish - the black and gold rally jacket my wife bought at Brands lasted for years.

I can remember a time or two in the 70s when the USGP at the Glen was the last race of the season and one could purchase team shirts and what-nots from the teams themselves in the Kendall garage after the race. I still have a MARLBORO TEAM TEXACO Mclaren mechanic's shirt from the 75 GP. Think I paid 25 bucks for it.

Here's a bit from 1936 or 1937. I presume it is memorabilia rather than promotional, since it has no date or location on its face.



The front is presentable, the back with its clasp-pin is rusty. This is the best of three I have seen on eBay.

When I first attended races the souvenir was the program, complete with qualifying times entered by the volunteer among the three attendees sharing one document. The prize was an autographed 8x10 glossy provided by the subject. The only one I remember was Johnnie Parsons, who sat on a wheel of his midget after the races at Carrell Speedway for an hour, signing, smiling, and joking with the panoply of fans of all ages who stood patiently in line. That was the year he won Indy, if I recall correctly.

What I don't recall is what happened to that and the other photos I collected. Of the dozens I had posted on the walls of my room, just one survives, and it is in three pieces: New Year's Eve at the Palladium in Hollywood, 1953-54, a throng of thousands including me, my friend Ronnie Busch, and his date: my cousin Charlotte, who became Miss USA 1958. Oh, yes; Ray Anthony orchestra on stage.

Aside from the "When ... ?" how about "Why ... ?" are racing souvenirs popular? What is "popular"? Is it an accumulating-collectible motive, or a walk-down-memory-lane motive? Has that aspect changed over the years? Is it really a dichotomy?

Fascinating area of inquiry.

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Frank S

Frank S, you've posed an interesting question. I'm not sure "why" we collect such souvenirs.

For me, the earliest stuff was in the sixties and usually consisted of cloth patches to be sewn onto a jacket. ISTR such items as an MG octagon, a CABC Lotus logo, and a USRRC patch from Pensacola, Florida accumulated by '65. The nylon windbreaker to which they were affixed was worn on those occasions when I wanted to show others I'd "been around" motorsports for a while.

That "been around" explanation would also explain why one wears 2 shoulder patches on his U. S. Army uniform: on the L shoulder, the unit you're currently in; on the R shoulder, a unit in which you've served in combat. (Do other countries do this?) I haven't worn my Army uniform in decades, but I still find myself checking out what patch, if any, an active-duty soldier has on his R shoulder.

Now, I've gone the other direction and rarely wear a souvenir of anything. Other than my TNF pin, of course!