AUSTRALIA (Reuters)
The death of Sir Donald Bradman a year ago has turned into a money-spinner for unscrupulous profiteers who prepared well to cash in on the fame of the world's greatest batsman.

The value of cricket bats, postcards and photographs autographed by Bradman, and letters written by him, has soared since his death at the age of 92 last February. Autographed cricket bats are now selling for up to A$6000 (£2220) and signed photographs for up to A$1000.

But the Bradman Foundation, which runs the Bradman Museum in his childhood home of Bowral, 80 km south-west of Sydney, said some people had been preying on the cricketer and were now gaining from the memorabilia boom.

Richard Mulvaney, executive director of the non-profit Bradman Foundation, said Bradman was inundated with requests for his autograph as his health became increasingly frail in his final years. He died after a bout of pneumonia.

Bradman Foundation staff, recording Bradman's correspondence, realised a couple of years ago that he was receiving lots of requests for autographs from similar names and addresses. "It was obvious they were preying on an elderly man who could not tell the difference between a bona fide fan and a spiv [conman]," Mulvaney told Reuters in his office adjacent to the perfectly manicured Bradman Oval in picturesque Bowral.

"It was a ruse to confuse Sir Donald and obtain hundreds of signatures, but it was also harassment. When we drew his attention to this con, he was very upset."

Despite a police investigation into the practice, Bradman continued to sign items. He worried about exploitation, particularly after letters in which he wrote about the death of his wife Jessie in 1997 were offered for sale, then withdrawn. Bradman, who ran a stockbroking firm after retiring from Test cricket in 1948, did not like talking on the telephone but was a prolific letter-writer. Mulvaney said the foundation, which has set up its own corporation to produce and sell Bradman merchandise, suggested Bradman stop signing anything or sending out autographs. "But he wouldn't have it. He felt there were many genuine people out there and he had an obligation to them," he said.

Mulvaney said the demand for Bradman's signature rocketed in the mid-1990s as sports-memorabilia shops started to appear in Australia, providing a new market that sent prices surging. Superstars & Legends, the largest franchise of memorabilia shops in Australia, said the demand for anything touched by Bradman was a phenomenon previously unseen in Australia and yet to be rivalled by any other sports person.

Bradman's cricketing record remains unrivalled more than 50 years after he quit the game. During his 20-year international career, Bradman notched up 6996 runs in 52 Tests at an average of 99.94, with 29 centuries. He captained the Australian team from 1936 to 1948.

"He was in great demand before he died, but since he passed away it has risen even further and prices are up as much as 300%," product development manager Alex Fulkoski told Reuters. "But we are also seeing quite a lot of product out there. People were well-prepared for his death."

Fulkoski said Bradman was "in a league of his own". He explained: "We just haven't seen this level of demand for any other sports star or athlete. Don Bradman is an icon."

Some prices are astonishing. Last year Greg Chappell, another former Australian cricket captain, sold five personal letters from Bradman for A$26,000. The letters were written during the 1977 World Series Cricket saga, and were Bradman's reaction to comments Chappell made to the press. The letters are said to show an insight into Bradman's almost obsessive interest in the Australian captaincy.

But the letters went to auction and never hit the public arena - much to the relief of the Bradman Foundation - after they were purchased by an anonymous group of business people calling themselves Some Australians Value Ethics (SAVE). "These letters should be cherished with respect and not used for personal gain," said the group via a public-relations firm. It handed them over to the Bradman Museum.

As the prices have risen, so have the number of forgeries. Chris Anderson, a Sydney-based forensic examiner, has taken on the job of authenticating Bradman signatures after Australian police seized several batches of items with fake autographs. Anderson has collated a database of Bradman signatures from 1920 until 2000, aided by the foundation, for authentication.

"Since his death people have come to us wanting to check his signature on items they think could be of value," Anderson said. "Everyone knows people are keen to get hold of signed Bradman items. He's a sporting hero and people want a part of that."

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