Lockdown clear out? Your old football shirts could be worth £100s

NCFC vs C palace 27/1/1993 Photo: Archant Library (Image: Archant Library)

Football shirt collecting has become increasingly popular over the last few years, with collectors clamouring over replicas of iconic designs as well as match worn and prepared kit.

For Norwich City fans, shirts made by Adidas in the early 1980s and those featuring the Asics and Poll Withey sponsors from the late 1980s and early 1990s are among the most desirable, with the green and white Asics away shirt often reaching prices of between £200 and £300.

Billy Pointer, a collector with over 450 Canaries shirts ranging from 1972 to present day said: “There is a big trend for the Adidas ones from the 1981/82 season, and also when Norwich first got Poll Withey as a sponsor.

“Back in the day adults didn’t tend to buy replica shirts, it wasn’t until later on that this became popular, so a lot of people have kids sizes which are not as valuable. There are some adult sizes out there but these are so hard to find, and obviously when they do come up they make good money, often in excess of £300.”

Norwich City Football Club The 1992/93. Canaries pictured at their pre - season photocall on 12 August 1992. Back row, from left, Darren Beckford, Colin Woodthorpe, Ian Culverhouse, Bryan Gunn, Chris Sutton, Mark Walton, Rob Newman, John Polston, Andy Johnson. Centre, Tim Sheppard ( physio ), Sean Collins, Tim Wooding, Jason Minett, Daryl Sutch, Paul Blades, Gary Megson (became West Bromich manager 2002 ), David Smith, David Phillips, Lee Power, John Faulkner ( reserve team coach ). Front, Ian Crook, Jeremy Goss, Ian Butterworth, Mike Walker ( manager ), John Deehan ( assistant manager ), Ruel Fox, mark Bowen, Robert Ullathorne. Absent, Robert Fleck, who was in London signing for Chelsea. Picture: Archant Library

While it is those pre-1990s shirts which command the biggest fees, some later shirts also hold value including the Ribero shirts worn by the team during the 1993/94 UEFA Cup run (especially the dark blue and purple and white change strips), the blue and white centenary shirt released in 2002, and the special edition shirt released to season ticket holders during the 2007-2008 season.

For supporters of other clubs and those who may have picked up a foreign football shirt or two while on holiday, the same rules apply in that any shirt from the early 1990s and earlier is likely to hold some value.

Some other attractive shirts for collectors include Ajax’s striking 1988/89 away shirt, which regularly makes around £100 to £200, Tottenham’s 1986/88 Hummel home shirt, which sells for over £200, and shirts from obscure foreign clubs such as those from Japan’s J League.