John Kirkland has something which is priceless in his eyes and is hoping for it to land somewhere in the south.
Kirkland (81) is a lifelong Otago fan and has followed the blue and golds since he was a boy in Mosgiel.
And in his collection of rugby memorabilia is a rare set of autographs which date back to one of the All Blacks most nail-biting games.
Kirkland, who lives in Ngongotahu, just north of Rotorua, remembers heading to Carisbrook in 1950 to watch the test between the All Blacks and the British Isles.
He was only 13 and went with family friend and uncle JD Deaker, who was then a Crown prosecutor in Dunedin.
The test was a cliffhanger but Otago's own Ron Elvidge managed to take the ball near the end of the match and score in the corner to draw the game 9-9.
''Elvidge was everyone's hero then and there were lots of Otago players in the team. Bill Meates, Peter Johnstone, Lester Harvey, Kevin Skinner,'' Kirkland said yesterday from his home in the Bay of Plenty.
The next day he went with his uncle out to a marae on Otago Peninsula where both sides were mingling.
''My uncle pushed me into the door with a pencil and told me to get some autographs.''
So that is what he did - went around the room asking players for autographs.
It was a successful venture - he managed to get 18 autographs on bits of paper, including Elvidge, who was the All Black captain, and British Isles captain Karl Mullen.
He had a photo of the All Blacks team of that day and has that with the autographs.
Ever since then, with a life spent working around New Zealand as a surveyor, he has held on to the autographs.
Now, with the British and Irish Lions team in the country and Elvidge now being the oldest living All Black, Kirkland is thinking about where the autographs could end up.
''I'm getting on and my kids aren't interested so I thought it would be good if someone who really wanted this could have it.''
Kirkland, despite having lived in Ngongotahu for more than 20 years, is still a keen fan of Otago.
He drove to Invercargill in 2010 to watch Otago unsuccessfully challenge for the Ranfurly Shield and then three years later journeyed to Hamilton to watch Otago take the prized trophy.
He played senior rugby for Taieri, playing with Des Hansen, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen's father, and later played in South Canterbury.
''I was coached by Peter Johnstone out at Taieri and he was a good coach ... I've been a rugby fanatic all my life.''
Anyone interested in acquiring the autographs should contact stephen.hepburn@odt.co.nz
