Eric Morecambe auction will even include chewed and broken smoking pipes

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Auctioneers will sell a treasure trove of iconic comedian Eric Morecambe's belongings in January 2025, including a selection of chewed and broken smoking pipes. The comic would frequently destroy pipes due to his nervous chewing while watching Luton Town football matches.

Morecambe, who died aged 58 in 1984, was one of Luton's most famous fans and today has a hospitality lounge named after him at the club's Kenilworth Road ground. Now, decades after his death, his nerves at watching the Hatters are forever commemorated in the items now on offer to collectors.

What, how and why?

Jim Spencer, director of Rare Book Auctions, appeared on BBC Breakfast on Sunday in order to discuss his work helping to catalogue Morecambe's collection. Spencer described Morecambe's belongings as a "time warp", with much of the material left untouched by his wife Joan — who died in 2024 — for nearly 40 years.

Much of the publicity has focused on Morecambe's school reports, which Spencer explained are there as a result of the entire family's "hoarder" mentality. "Not only did his wife keep everything over the years, but his mother did as well — before his fame," he said.

However, Spencer said there are some really unique items in the collection, including some of Morecambe's famous spectacles, the sheepskin coat he would wear to the football, and an array of damaged pipes from those matches.

"All the pipes, the stems are broken and chewed. He used to break a pipe stem at every Luton match with the tension," said Spencer. "A broken pipe normally wouldn't have a lot of value, but it's chewed with the nerves of a national treasure, so it should have some decent value. It's unique."

The pipes are an example of Morecambe's desire to keep everything. The auction also includes shopping lists and other scraps of paper, some of which feature casual scribbles of ideas and jokes from the star. "Ephemera doesn't survive usually, so it's quite a rare opportunity," said Spencer. "You can see the workings of the comic mind."

Read more:

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• Sir Elton John's collaboration reminded him of Morecambe and Wise (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read)

He added: "I think what you see on screen appears effortless, and that was his great talent really. But when you go through all the papers, you can see he worked really hard. He would scribble down ideas by theme and that helped him with ad-libbing and stuff like that."

What else is on sale in the Eric Morecambe auction?

Morecambe's school reports are the most intriguing aspect of the auction and Spencer pointed at some of the most fascinating details from those reports. Morecambe's teachers said he had academic potential, but noted that he "didn't really apply himself" and even stopped turning up for exams once he caught the performing bug.

"There is a little nod from one teacher, who says 'he's got a flair for entertaining in the song and dance style'. So there is a hint of the greatness that would come," said Spencer.

Spencer's final word, though, was a warning to anyone minded to keep as many of their old scraps of paper as possible, just in case. He said: "I wouldn't encourage [people] to keep all of their old shopping receipts and pieces of paper, unless their dad was Eric Morecambe."

BBC Breakfast airs daily on BBC One from 6am until 9am.