Share post
Please enjoy this short article about Football Memorabilia by Kerry Hall:
At Quastel Associates, we’ve seen a growing number of enquiries about valuing sports memorabilia, especially football-related items. In this article, we take a closer look at the thriving collectors’ market and highlight some of the most prestigious football memorabilia ever sold.
Collecting football memorabilia is a passion driven by nostalgia, a deep love for the game, and a desire to hold onto its history. For many fans, items like signed shirts, old match tickets, or trading cards create a personal link to their favourite teams, legendary players, and unforgettable moments. But it’s not just about sentiment however; memorabilia can also be valuable investments, conversation starters, or symbols of status and pride. Whether it’s the thrill of chasing down a rare item or the joy of putting it on display, football memorabilia bring fans even closer to the sport they love.
Record breakers
At Quastel, we’ve valued all kinds of football memorabilia; from pieces worth a few hundred pounds to those that have soared into the hundreds of thousands of pounds. But when it comes to auction excitement, which items have sparked the greatest interest in this field? Let’s take a look.
1.) Back in 1997, FIFA bought the 1966 Jules Rimet Trophy replica at a Sotheby’s auction for an eye-watering £254,500 (way above the original estimate of £20,000 to £30,000). At the time, there was a lot of buzz that it might actually have been the long-lost original (which was stolen from Brazilian Football Confederation's headquarters in 1983), but experts later confirmed it was the bronze replica secretly made by George Bird for the English FA. These days, you can see it on display at the National Football Museum in Manchester, where FIFA has kindly loaned it for fans to enjoy up close.
2.) The Original FA Cup Trophy, dating back to around 1912, has had quite the journey in recent years. Back in 2005, it was snapped up at auction by Birmingham City’s chairman, David Gold, for just under half a million pounds. Fast forward to 2020, and Gold decided to sell it again but this time fetching a much higher price of £760,000. The buyer was none other than Sheikh Mansour, the owner of Manchester City, who has since loaned the trophy back to the National Football Museum in Manchester for everyone to enjoy.
3.) Diego Maradona’s 1986 “Hand of God” shirt is truly one of football’s most legendary pieces. This is the very shirt he wore during the unforgettable World Cup quarter-final against England - the game where he scored the famous “Hand of God” goal and then amazed the world with his “Goal of the Century.” When it went up for auction at Sotheby’s in London in 2022, it sold for an astonishing £7.14 million, setting a new world record for sports memorabilia. The buyer chose to remain private, but the sale really showed just how much fans and collectors treasure moments that capture the passion, drama, and controversy of the beautiful game.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, collecting football memorabilia is all about celebrating the game. Whether it’s hunting for that rare, signed shirt, holding onto a ticket from a historic match, or simply enjoying the stories behind each piece, it’s a way for fans to feel connected to football’s rich history. Should it result in a savvy investment? Then all the better!
