Traders at the Vintage football fair in Birmingham say vintage shirts are now “an investment because the longer people hold onto the shirt the more valuable it can be.”
The Vintage football fair, held at Secret Space in Digbeth, offered shirt collectors an opportunity to discover unique, retro and sought-after kits sold by numerous traders.
On the 26th of April the fair opened its doors to around 800 attendees, where shirt prices and an appetite for retro kits reflected national data on vintage football shirt sale prices.
Data from AceOdds, which has been gathered through analysis of over 900 international sales on the ‘Classic Football Shirts’ site, suggests that 1970s football shirts are worth 149% more than any other decade. The average price of a 1970s shirt is £557.49 compared to £320.83 for 1990s shirts and just £94.40 for kits from the 2010s.
The trend was reflected at the fair in Birmingham, where traders pointed to growing demand for older kits. A seller from The Shirt collectors stall commented on why this demand is rising.
“It’s been a steady rise in interest. We see peaks when celebs or artists at festivals wear them. There were always collectors and we started collecting ourselves originally, but it’s now easier to showcase it.
“The spectrum of buyers is broader these days for sure. I think this is down to the internet opening it up to all,” said the Seller.
The data also highlights that 80% of shirts listed for over £1000 were from between 1990 and the early 2000s. The highest value shirt currently listed is a £4,999 match worn Egypt shirt from the world cup in 1990. The shirt is worth 250% more than all other internation shirts on Classic Football Shirts.
A trader from Coppa Kits also shared his insight into the appeal for vintage shirts.
“The prices of modern shirts and the generic template has made people more nostalgic to older kits,” said the trader.
“The accessibility now is massive. We have so many ways to access these shirts like the vintage football fairs,” he added.
The seller, also said demand has “skyrocketed” in recent years, particularly during and after the Covid-19 lockdowns.
“I first started noticing the increased demand around lock down when people like Ellis Platten were making content all about shirts. In my day job I work next to a university and I’m seeing more students walk around in shirts, especially vintage ones.
“There’s also a growing interest from women getting into shirt collecting, in tandem with the growth of the women’s game which is great to see,” said the Vintage football shirt seller.
Replica kits also fetch high prices with the highest priced replica kit being listed for £1,999. The replica is of Irelands 1988 Euro shirt and the average price for 1980s replicas is £519.22.
For keen collectors the appeal goes past the data and price. One football fan and attendee of the fair added:
“In the last few years there’s been quite a rise in the collectability and value in football shirts, especially ones going back over the years. I think because a lot of fans have a sense of nostalgia to better times where they would stand on the terraces and when their club might have been doing well and winning things.
“Shirts made of polyester that probably didn’t cost a great deal of money to make at the time but they’re now highly collectable and some are worth hundreds.”