One of the consequences of the world’s loose monetary policy Is the rise of alternative forms of investment. No, this is not an article on the stock market or economics, but on the phenomenal rise in signed sports memorabilia collecting! Prices have been rising at a phenomenal rate as people look for different ways to store their money!
The market not only encompasses the bigger teams like Manchester United, City, Arsenal, and our very own Tottenham but also smaller teams and of course the burgeoning women’s football market.
The highest prices are reserved for those impossible-to-find pieces that occasionally turn up in people’s attics. Items stored away for generations just waiting to be discovered. From old programmes to match-worn football shirts, medals, and caps. You see them occasionally turning up on Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Show – someone who found an old Cecil Poynton shirt from the 1930s or an old Charlie Wither’s medal from the ’50s. Some of the sums are eye-watering, with shirts from the history of the club fetching thousands at auction. Many more times what any of the players would have earned during their careers!
So what are the most expensive pieces of Tottenham Hotspur Memorabilia ever sold? How about Jimmy Greaves’ match-worn shirt from 1963? Sold at auction for £23,000! Talking of programmes, how about a 1901 one from the FA Cup final when they beat Sheffield United 2:1. It was our first major trophy and sold at auction for £35,000). Maybe it’s time to start searching Grandad’s loft?! Top of the tree though is a 1961 FA Cup winner’s medal which sold for £115,000 at auction. Tottenham went on to beat Leicester City 2:0 in
the final.
These are incredible sums, the stuff of dreams, and of course, the items all came with full
provenance, i.e. the proof needed to convince buyers that these items were genuine.
L to R: Signed Harry Kane shirt, Signed Jermain Defoe Photo, Bryan Gil Framed Boot, Squad signed 2023 shirt – FirmaStella©
It’s a difficult subject as there are many fakes around, so our advice is always to look out for a Certificate of Origin when you are buying memorabilia, as it’s so easy to fake a signature.
The items above were sold at specialist auction houses, like Bonhams and Sotheby’s, but if you are buying from one of the normal auction sites online then you need to be especially careful. Hooky items abound, so the adage of ‘buyer beware’ couldn’t be more apt!
Our advice is to take a good look at some of the online companies selling authentic memorabilia, like FirmaStella. Many of the items come directly from the players, with photo or video evidence of the signing.
Some come from private signings, and all come with a numbered holographic Certificate of Origin (COA) and a lifetime guarantee. So what are the best pieces of Tottenham Hotspur Memorabilia to buy? Of those that are available (I say this because it’s unlikely you are going to stumble across an old trophy, cap, or medal), signed Tottenham Hotspur shirts are the most collectable. Look out for them if you can afford them, preferably framed, as this makes them ready to hang, and the frame protects the piece from sunlight and dust.
Son Heung min Shirt – FirmaStella©
Fully signed squad shirts go for around £1000 with shirts signed by star players like Harry Kane going for £1500. This may seem expensive, but everything is relative. They hold their value and will increase over time. Shirts are not the only items of Spurs memorabilia for sale, either.
If funds are tight then start small. Signed Spurs’ photos can be picked up for a few pounds, so you could start building a collection of more modest items before moving up into the big league when funds allow. The key point here, needless to say, is that you should collect items you love, have a connection with, or mean something to you.
Maybe you were at Wembley in 1991 and witnessed Gazza’s match-winning free kick that quashed Arsenal’s chance of the double in the FA Cup semi-final? Maybe you saw Ricky Villa’s goal in the 1981 final? Whatever the occasion, that piece connecting you; a signed photo, shirt even a ball or boot, takes you back to the event. Collect what you love, and you’ll never tire of it, and with a fair wind, it will increase in value while it sits on your wall!
