The Most Valuable Football Memorabilia

Valuable football memorabilia you could have hidden at home

With the Football World Cup in full swing, we have partnered with sports expert, Chris Williams to compile a list of the most valuable football memorabilia that exists, along with the prices items currently command on the market and a set of guidelines for prospective sporting and football memorabilia collectors.

The top 5 most valuable items of football memorabilia in existence

  1. Football Rulebook, 1863 - £881,250 – this was the oldest known rulebook about football and was sold by Sheffield FC, the oldest known club, in 2011. 
  2. The FA Cup, 1912 - £478,400 - there have been four FA Cups and this one was sold by the family of Lord Kinnaird to whom it had been presented to by the FA in 1912.
  3. Jules Rimet World Cup Replica, 1966 - £254,500 - FIFA sold a replica of the Jules Rimet Cup. The original trophy was presented permanently to Brazil after they won it for the third time.
  4. Alan Ball’s World Cup Winners Medal, 1966 - £164,800 - Alan Ball sold his 1966 World Cup Winners Medal in 2005.
  5. Sir Geoff Hurst England World Cup Shirt, 1966 - £91,750 - Geoff Hurst sold his 1966 England shirt from the Final for £91,750, but it was sold again later for a sum in excess of £2 million.
Sports Expert and Owner of Sportingold, Chris Willams said:

 “There are hundreds of valuable football memorabilia out there and you never really know which pieces are valuable and which aren’t. The top 5 most valuable items of all time are not likely to be sitting in someone’s attic, but old programs and some signed items from matches are certainly things which the public might have hidden in a drawer or at the back of a wardrobe. I always suggest keeping hold of things and getting them looked at in a few years – you never know, you could have your hands on a small fortune!

“This World Cup has already been full of surprises, and it’s likely we’ll see memorabilia from this tournament rising significantly in value over the next 10, 50, 100 years – so it’s definitely worth investing in the right items now.”

Will Thomas Managing Director at LoveAntiques.com said:

“Football is the UK’s most popular sport and with the World Cup on, the whole country is hooked. Sporting memorabilia is something that has always been a popular area for people to collect and invest in, but we never realised how much some of these items could be worth. It’s especially interesting to see which items the public may have hidden at home already, and what they should keep hold of from future tournaments!”

 

Investor guidelines and notes

  • Other items of football memorabilia that sell regularly include Cup Final medals and programs.
  • It’s to note that various members of the 1966 World Cup team have sold their shirts and medals, with only 3 players still believed to have them. These medals also command a high price, an example of this is Nobby Stiles who sold his medal from the tournament at auction in 2010, which sold at the hammer price of £160,000.
  • Do not to buy commercial items such as limited-edition prints, signed balls and other items sold in a Club’s shop. Instead, buy genuine items such as match-worn shirts, with authenticity from a reliable source such as the player or their Club, as these will attract a higher price.
  • Older items typically command a higher price. For example, game programs from the 1950’s or earlier will result in a higher price than programs from 1960 onwards, which currently only sell for a couple of pounds each. Therefore, it’s imperative you keep hold of items for as long as possible, as this will boost the price they are worth.
  • Other high-priced items include pre-Second World War FA Cup Final programs which can sell for between £100 and £2,500, and pre-First World War programmes which regularly sell for more than £8,000. Also, rare items always command a high price, such as a Cup Final match card from the 1880s which is worth more than £30,000.
  • Surprisingly the 1966 World Cup Final programme only sells for around £80 each, however it’s still something to hold onto if you get your hands on one - this price is likely to keep rising.
  • It’s also to note other sports have high priced items such as Babe Ruth baseball jersey which sold for $4.4 million at auction and The First Rules of basketball which sold for a similar amount.