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 a number of traders. Around 800 people attended the event on its opening day.
Data from AceOdds, based on analysis of 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 compared to £320 for 1990s shirts and £94 for kits from the 2010s.
Traders at the fair confirmed a similar demand for older kits. A seller from The Shirt Collectors stall said: “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 for sure, I think due to the internet opening it up to all.”
A trader from Coppa Kits said:
“The prices of modern shirts and the generic template has made people more nostalgic for older kits.”
He said that 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 [podcaster] 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.
“The accessibility now is massive. We have so many ways to access these shirts like the vintage football fairs.”
Replica kits also fetch high prices with the highest priced replica kit — Ireland’s 1988 Euro shirt — listed for £1,999. The average price for 1980s replicas is £519.
For keen collectors the appeal goes past the data and price. One football fan at the fair said:
“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 a lot of fans are nostalgic for better times when they stood on the terraces, or 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 are now highly collectable — and some are worth hundreds.”