Gordon Banks' 1966 World Cup winners medal and the shirt he wore when making the 'Save of the Century' in 1970 are set to command a staggering half a million pounds at auction. Both iconic items will go under the hammer next month during the 2026 World Cup, with a football historian describing them as the 'holy grail' for collectors.
Auction Details and Estimates
The auctioneers handling the sale estimate that each item could fetch between £200,000 and £300,000, meaning the goalkeeper's memorabilia could exceed £500,000 in total. The sale also includes the shirt worn by Peter Shilton when Diego Maradona scored his 'Hand of God' goal, as revealed by the Mirror last year.
Historical Significance
Football historian Grant Bage, biographer of legendary England manager Sir Alf Ramsey, said: 'These items are part of football history. For a wealthy collector and genuine England fan, they are the holy grail.' Bage recalled watching Banks play in both the 1966 and 1970 tournaments, noting that the 1970 World Cup was the first broadcast in colour in the UK, making the memories vivid.
The shirt was worn by Banks when he made his famous save from Pele during a group game between England and Brazil in 1970. The medal and shirt were previously sold by Banks, who died in 2019, and are now being resold by their current anonymous owners.
Auction Timing
The auction takes place on June 25th, between England's World Cup matches against Ghana and Panama. Earlier this week, renewed claims emerged that Banks had been poisoned by the CIA, leading to him missing the 1970 World Cup quarter-final against West Germany, where he was replaced by Peter Bonetti.
Bage added: 'I remember watching the 1970 games at home. I was 13 and cried like a baby when we lost 3-2 to West Germany having been 2-0 up. With great respect to Peter Bonetti, we all knew that had Gordon Banks been in goal, we would have stopped at least one of those goals.'
When Banks sold the medal in 2001 for £124,750, he said it was to help his children, citing security reasons for not keeping it at home. Budds estimates that Shilton's shirt could also fetch between £200,000 and £300,000.
