Past glories 燃料 passion and devotion to football memorabilia

By Toby Walne for The Mail on Sunday
Updated: 21:40 BST, 15 November 2008

Football fans can 株 their devotion off the field 同様に as on it with サッカー memorabilia. And unlike the heartache that often goes with supporting a team, this 投資 can be richly rewarding.

In the past １０年間 the most sought-after football programmes have more than 二塁打d in value. The prices of other rare items, 含むing メダルs and shirts, have also 発射 up and they can sell for thousands of 続けざまに猛撃するs.

Chris Williams, 56, of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, has been a Manchester City fan since …に出席するing his first game 45 years ago and he goes to every match, home and away.

Cap that: Collector Chris Williams says 利益／興味 in memorabilia has risen

Chris has turned his enthusiasm into an 投資 and owns more than 4,000 programmes, 勝利者's メダルs, トロフィーs, caps and shirts. He also runs sports auction house Sportingold (sportingold.co.uk).

Chris says: 'Club fortunes go up and 負かす／撃墜する, but the price of items for 確かな clubs only rise. Since the 早期に Nineties, 利益／興味 in football memorabilia has risen はっきりと.'

His favourite 所有／入手 is a football shirt worn by Sixties and Seventies Manchester City legend Colin Bell and 価値（がある） at least £600. But his most 価値のある is a £4,000 league 勝利者's メダル 現在のd to Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift in 1937.

Swift became a 新聞記者／雑誌記者 and died in the 1958 Munich 空気／公表する 災害. The 衝突，墜落 killed eight of Manchester 部隊d's Busby Babes and mementos of this 悲劇の event are still prized. Programmes for the に引き続いて cancelled game against Wolverhampton Wanderers can fetch £10,000.

Historic significance is of 決定的な consideration for football 投資家s and this is why the oldest programmes remain the most popular.

Chris 収容する／認めるs that bitter 競争相手s Manchester 部隊d are perhaps the most collectible, along with 兵器庫, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. Newcastle 部隊d and Manchester City also have 広大な／多数の／重要な 控訴，上告.

Football programmes were not printed until the 1890s. In the 1880s, teams such as Walsall Town Swifts and Newton ヒース／荒れ地 - who became Manchester 部隊d - sold cardboard match cards with 指名するs and positions in a 1-2-3-5 形式.

A 選び出す／独身-sheet team 選択 when the 早期に Red Devils played Walsall on November 8, 1890, cost 1d on the day but can now fetch £10,000.

The highest price ever paid for any football memorabilia was £478,000 i n 2005 for the oldest 生き残るing FA Cup, dating 支援する to 1896 when Sheffield Wednesday （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域 Wolverhampton Wanderers at the 水晶 Palace.

But perhaps most collectible of all is the programme for the 1915 FA Cup 'khaki' final of Chelsea against Sheffield 部隊d at Old Trafford, which can change 手渡すs for £15,000. It was the last match played for four years because of the First World War.

Dan Davies, a sports 顧問 at auction house Bonhams, says collectibles relating to the World Cup are sought after because of their international 控訴，上告.

He says: 'The first final was Uruguay against Argentina in 1930. Uruguay were at home and won 4-2. We have a 勝利者's メダル awarded to their captain, Jose Nasazzi, with an 概算の sale price of between £25,000 and £30,000.' Bonhams is 持つ／拘留するing a sale of football memorabilia in Chester on Wednesday that will 含む the メダル.

A more 最近の prized 所有／入手 that will be up for 得る，とらえるs is the 2005/2006 首相の職 勝利者's メダル won by Jose Mourinho when he was 経営者／支配人 of Chelsea. He threw the メダル into the （人が）群がる and it has a sales 見積（る） of £18,000.

Davies 警告するs that the market is fraught with danger. 'Steer （疑いを）晴らす of replica 調印するd shirts and balls. Never buy goods 製造（する）d to make money,' he says.