Lisbon Lion’s Jersey Collection Sells For £100,000

One of the finest collections of European Cup football shirts ever to come to auction has sold for £100,000 at  McTear’s in Glasgow. 

The Bertie Auld Collection, which was owned by the family of the Celtic great, included jerseys the midfielder swapped with some of Europe’s top players during the Parkhead club’s momentous run to the Cup Finals in 1967 and 1970.

The top lot in the auction was a jersey believed to have been worn by Josef Vacenovsky of Dukla Prague during the 0-0 second leg of the 1967 European Cup semi-final.  There was fierce bidding for the lot with the rare shirt eventually selling to Celtic Football Club for just shy of £14,800.

Another highlight of the 17 shirt collection was an Inter Milan jersey from the late captain, Armando Picchi.  Although it is not believed to have been worn during 1967 European Cup Final, the lot still attracted huge interest from football fans across the globe, with the jersey selling for almost £13,000.

Commenting on the auction, Bertie Auld’s son, Robert Auld, said: “Dad was quite humble about his achievements and didn’t talk too much about the games, but then again, he didn’t need to.  The shirts speak for themselves and show how Celtic went from underdogs on the international stage to one of the most dominant forces in Europe during the late 1960’s and early 70’s. 

“Dad was a phenomenon and a tremendously hard worker on and off the field.  He always said he never had any regrets in life, although he did admit that he could have scored four against Inter in the 1967 final.”

To reach the 1970 European Cup final, Celtic had to overcome English titans, Leeds United in the semi. In what became known as the ‘Battle of Britain’, an incredible Celtic performance resulted in a 2-1 (agg 3-1) win in front of a European record crowd of 136,000 at Hampden.  As a mark of respect, Leeds legend, Billy Bremner, swapped jerseys with Auld, with that very same shirt fetching £12,000.

Although Auld possessed incredible skill on the ball he was known as a tough opponent who didn’t shrink from a tackle.  His robust playing style earned him Scotland’s first ever red card during a match with the Netherlands on 27^th May 1959, with that infamous shirt selling for £2,000.   

Specialist, James Bruce, added: “There is no doubt Bertie Auld thoroughly deserves his place in the Scottish Football Hall of Fame, with the Celtic midfielder playing a pivotal role in multiple European games in the 1960s and 1970’s, including the Lisbon Lions triumph in 1967. 

“The collection paints a detailed picture of Auld’s incredible career, including the runs to both the 1967 and 1970 European Cup Finals.  It is a rare thing to see just one shirt from this illustrious period in Celtic’s history come to auction, but to see over a dozen from some of the game’s most famous players, is simply breathtaking.  We are delighted with the auction results, which highlight the huge importance of the collection.”

In addition to the European jerseys and Bertie Auld’s Scotland shirts, the collection also included a match worn Kenny Dalglish Scotland jersey (£4,900), one of Auld’s Hibs jerseys (£2,800), and a pair of his match worn Celtic shorts (£2,500), complete with his signature No 10 on the leg.

Since his dad’s passing in 2021, Robert Auld has followed in his charitable footsteps, launching the Bertie Auld Legacy in 2022.   Through various events, the charity has raised significant funds for a number of good causes including the Kilbryde Hospice, Spirit Aid and Football Memories.

Robert added: “Dad would do anything for anyone and worked tirelessly for a number of charities throughout his life.  My only regret is that we didn’t launch the Bertie Auld Legacy earlier when he could have played an active part.  That said, I know he would be pleased with the work the charity is doing.

“Dad suffered from dementia and in the last few years of his life I spent a lot of time with him, which I loved.  We would spend time in the garden, building fences and what not, with dad singing along to his favourite Frank Sinatra songs.  As we look to expand the charity’s activities, we are looking to support a number of other good causes, including research into dementia.  To help with this, we will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the auction to the Bertie Auld Legacy.”

Born in Glasgow in 1938, Bertie Auld was a midfield maestro.  He played in two spells for Celtic, making 275 appearances and scoring 79 goals, in addition to time at Hibs and Birmingham City. He also played three times for Scotland. His second period at Parkhead from 1965 was by far his most successful, with the player helping the club secure five league titles, four League Cups, three Scottish Cups, and of course, the 1967 European Cup.  Bertie Auld passed away in 2021 aged 83. 

The Bertie Auld Collection took place on 12 October at McTear’s Auctioneers in Glasgow.   All prices above include buyer’s commission and VAT thereon.