With the Euros coming to an end, you might be tempted to head into the loft and dig out that box of footie collectables you haven’t seen for years. We look at some of the most expensive football memorabilia of all time. You never know, you may discover some of your own collection is worth more than you think!
1966 World Cup Winners Medal
Sold by Manchester United legend Nobby Stiles, this piece of English footballing history fetched a record-breaking £184,000 when bought back by his club. The medal is now displayed at Old Trafford in the Manchester United museum.
Jules Rimet Trophy (replica)
Picture Source: wikipedia.com
This replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy sold at auction in 1997 for £252,500 – ten times higher than the reserve price. Originally created to keep the real trophy safe, this gold plated sterling silver replica was used in exhibitions after several attempts were made to steal the original. You can see the replica at the National Football Museum in Manchester but don’t expect to spot the original any time soon, it’s rumoured to have been melted down and pawned off.
Football Rules Book
Picture Source: wikipedia.com
Known as the ‘holy grail’ of Football, the handwritten Football Rules Book fetched £881,250 when it went to auction in 2011. This first known set of rules for the game belonged to Sheffield Football club who had to sell it at Sotheby’s to ensure the club’s survival.
Geoff Hurst’s World Cup winning shirt
Picture source: www.sotherbys.com
Originally sold by Hurst to a private collector in 2000 for £91,750, this smelly shirt has gone up in price each time it’s been auctioned. Last valued at £2.3million, the unwashed piece of football history is the most expensive football memorabilia to ever be purchased at auction, proving that you should never wash your lucky shirt.
1896 FA Cup Replacement trophy
Picture Source: wikipedia.com
The FA Cup replacement trophy broke auction records when it sold to the highest bidder for a whopping £420,000 in 2005. The original trophy was stolen in 1895 and never recovered, but the replica (see point two) sold for more than half the replacement price.
Pele’s 1970 World Cup shirt
Picture Source: wikipedia.com
Pele’s winning World Cup shirt is the most expensive piece of football kit to sell at auction to this day. The number ten yellow Brazilian jersey fetched £157,750 at auction, proving that if you win a world cup, one day your smelly shirt, socks, or shorts could be worth a good chunk of change. Get kickin!
Who would have thought the result of a load of sweaty men running about a pitch would be worth so much? Who knows, maybe your lucky pair of socks will be worth something one day? Let us know if you think you have something that will break the auction records in years to come.
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