One area of programme collecting that has gained rarity value are those produced for matches that were called off. A club programme would have been printed days in advance of the game. Whatever the reason for the cancellation or postponement, the weather would have been the cause in most cases, the publication would have been ready for dispatch. Clubs adopted various courses of action when dealing with postponed match programmes, on some occasions the complete print run was destroyed. Even then it's not guaranteed that a total destruction would have taken place as some still manage to get into the public domain. Another popular practice by the club's especially during the 70's was to save the print run and re-use the programme when the game was re-arranged and just use an insert for the new game with updated information.

Not all of West Ham United's rare programmes are for postponed games. The Hammers European adventures in the mid-60's produced some rarities, the home style programme produced for the travelling West Ham United Supporters Club for the away games and are amongst the more sort after items for the more keen collector as only 200 for each game was produced.

Please Note:

This section deals with those programmes that are "RARE" and does not include those that are simply "Expensive to Buy" such as the 1923 F.A. Cup Final, War-time and Pre-War programmes. Although many may regard these as Rare, they can be obtained if you’re willing to part with serious money. We have tried our best to give a reason for why the programmes are listed. We have also enlisted the help of fellow collectors to try and bring a definitive list together. If you feel we should include any more, please let us know by using the contact link above and a reason for inclusion.