Come home: Euro Cup increases demand for retro shirts
Demand for retro international football shirts has skyrocketed as fans of England and Scotland prepare for the European Championship, which begins tonight.
Fans who dig out an old jersey from the back of their closet before the tournament could unknowingly have a small fortune.
The market for vintage shirts has exploded in recent years, partly due to the rise of online marketplaces and demand among Generation Z.
This means that shirts from the 1990s and 2000s, considered “retro”, are now potentially worth hundreds of pounds.
We look at what your old football shirt could be worth and how to tell if it’s a rare gem.
Third team jerseys win hearts
Manchester-based Classic Football Shirts is experiencing increased demand for its stock in the run-up to the Euros.
He told This Is Money that classic international stock sales are five times higher in June than in April. The teams that have sold the most have been England, Germany and Scotland, followed by Italy and France.
Tomas Jones, director of Vintage Football Shirts, said England shirts are “always popular in the run-up to a tournament” but there has been a sharp rise in sales of original vintage shirts, especially from the 1990s and 2000s. .
The 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 home jerseys are the most popular at the moment.
“The main problem for us is getting enough England shirts to meet demand, which is always a challenge,” he said.
“We’ve managed to get hold of a lot of original shirts from 2002 and 2004, so I expect them to be a popular seller as the tournament progresses, as long as England win some games.”
Some England shirts sold in vintage football shirts cost between £300 and £450.
The 1990-92 England third shirt, on sale for between £350 and £450, was never worn in the 1990 World Cup but achieved legendary status through the song ‘World in Motion’, featuring the rap by John Barnes.
Bernard Sumner is seen wearing Umbro’s blue third kit.
England’s 1990-92 third shirt rose to fame after the World in Motion music video
The 1987-90 England third shirt is priced similarly, largely because of how rare it is, as England have never used it in a competitive or friendly match.
“We saw the shirt in the official England photo shoots, so we know it was the official third shirt despite the lack of game time,” says Jones. “This rarity makes it very valuable and a difficult jersey to acquire.”
Another England third shirt, this time the 1992-93 one, which features three large lions running across the front, is worth between £300 and £400.
Jones said: “The shirt was only worn in two friendlies against Spain and Czechoslovakia, proving that you don’t have to win anything with a shirt for it to be valuable.”
Replicas of vintage shirts can often cost a few hundred pounds, but adding a big name like Gazza can push the price up even further.
The 1987-90 third shirt is rare and has never been worn in a competitive or friendly match.
The 1996-97 England away shirt, Gaiscogne #8, costs between £300-350 and is one of the most valuable replica England shirts in existence.
Jones said: “The most iconic shirt from Euro 96, although they lost to Germany in the semi-final with that design, is the gray away shirt in which Gascoigne almost put England in the final and ultimately lost to Germany another once on penalties”.
Replica vintage shirts from big names, such as Gascoigne, can cost up to £1,000
The 1990-92 England away shirt, Gaiscogne #19, is the second most expensive England shirt sold by Classic Football Shirts.
Going back even further to the 1970s, prices reach four figures – the 1978-80 England match home shirt is currently on sale for £1,499.99.
The 1982-85 Scotland home shirt, worn in the 1982 World Cup, is worth £350-400
“The teams are expected to perform well and sell very well”
There has also been an increase in demand for retro jerseys from other European countries ahead of the tournament.
“The teams that we all expected to go the furthest in the tournament are selling very well in the build-up to the tournament and throughout the month, unless we see some surprises,” Jones says.
“The best outcome for sales is to get all the top teams into the tournament, as it is really difficult to find original shirts from the 90s and 2000s from some smaller football nations.”
Holland’s 1988 home shirt is the most sought after, priced between £900 and £1,000, after the team won the tournament.
The 1988-90 West Germany away shirt worn in the semi-final against England at Italia 90 is similarly priced.
“The design is the same as the Netherlands 1988 shirt and the replica is ultra rare, much harder to find than the Netherlands version,” Jones said.
“They don’t come around very often, but we’d say a replica would cost the same as the Holland, if not more.”
Scottish fans could also make a small fortune with the 1982-85 home shirts, worn when the team competed in the 1982 World Cup, for a price of £350-400.
‘This Scotland home shirt was worn when the team competed in the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
‘Along with the England shirt, it was one of the most produced replica shirts and is therefore still available from Vintage Football Shirts in very good condition.
“Considering the age, the t-shirts are usually quite expensive, but it is surprising that you can still buy these t-shirts today.”
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