I’ve made £15k upselling old footy items hidden in lofts & car boots – a replica £10 Euros ’96 shirt sold for £125
Enjoying the Sunday morning sunshine, Trevor Jones, 59, is having a blast rummaging around his local car boot.
Hoping to find a spare pair of overalls to fix his broken car, Trevor starts searching among the old clothes.
But within seconds he spots a white shirt with blue and red sleeve markings and all thoughts of dungarees are gone from his head.
Making a grab for it, it’s exactly what he thought – a replica Euros‘96 England shirt in large.
In the end huge Spurs fan Trevor, from Bromley, sold the shirt which he bought for £10 for £125 on eBay.
“I was astonished,” he says. “The seller was basically giving away ‘junk’ he found in his loft… that shirt wasn’t junk!”
Trevor's top finds
- 1953 FA Cup Semi Final ticket: found inside a magazine at a house clearance – bought job lot for £10, sold the ticket itself for £83.
- Replica Euros 1996 England shirt – paid £10 sold for £125
- Box of football game studs – paid £20 sold the stubs individually for around £300.
- Subbuteo 1970s’ boxed figurines: paid £10, sold for around £50
Retired Trevor, husband to school secretary, Mary 56, is always on the lookout for footie memorabilia with Euros treasures being one of his specialties.
In total he’s bagged football cards, programmes, stubs, scarves and football figurines.
A £2 set of Subbuteo set of the Italian national team from the 1970s which he found in a charity shop sold for £50.
“The older the Subbuteo box and team the better,” he says. “People love buying items from their childhood.”
The seller was basically giving away ‘junk’ he found in his loft… that shirt wasn’t junk!
Trevor
He reckons there’s piles of unclaimed ‘junk’ up-and-down the UK, which people don’t realise is worth big bucks.
“People don’t know the value of Euros memorabilia just sitting in drawers, hanging in the closet or stuffed into boxes in the garage,” he says.
“I made a 115% profit from a 25-year-old football top. You just need to know what to look for.”
His side-hustle, which has paid for trips to Spain, started by accident when he discovered old footy programmes he had collected as a teen were now in demand by collectors globally. But now it now takes over three rooms of his house: the spare bedroom, a storage unit and the loft.
I have loved footy all my life. Now I am cashing in and finding collectibles for pennies and selling them on to pay the bills and fund our overseas holiday in Spain.
Trevor
He claims stuff then waits for the right moment to sell it. In total he thinks he might have 5,000 items worth £15k.
But he’s not going on holiday at the moment – he’s firmly glued to the telly. “If you think I’m lounging on the beach with the Euros on you’re kidding,” he says.
“I think my Mrs was hoping for holidays overseas.
“Instead it’s footy and Euros all the time.
Trevor's 10 top tips
- Search loft and cupboards for memorabilia
- Don’t assume ticket stubs are worthless – they are part of history
- Ask friends and family if you can clear their loft or garage – you may find items which sell
- Visit Football Collectible trade shows to learn about the market and trade items
- If you have an item check eBay or sports memorabilia sites to see the price of similar items
- Check the toy section at charity shops – football board games and Subbuteo often ends up there
- People want footy memorabilia from their childhood and teen years – think about what you loved
- Keep modern programs, ticket stubs, beanies, shirts and memorabilia. It will rise in value
- Facebook foot memorabile groups are great fpor asking for advice
- Football stickers and sticker books sell well
“I have loved footy all my life. Now I am cashing in and finding collectibles for pennies and selling them on to pay the bills and fund our overseas holiday in Spain. They are hot tickets during the Euros.
“I love finding items that other people assume are tat and telling them its football treasure. “Some people think you need a museum item to make money. You don’t. You can find Euros gold anywhere!
According to Greg Lansdowne, 51, who owns the Essex Retro Football & Cricket Show which runs collectors’ fairs interest in football memorabilia has skyrocketed over the past two years with demand up by more than 50 percent
“When the Lionesses won the 2022 Euros championships demand for women’s football memorabilia went through the roof,” Greg says.
I am a proud grey rinse football grafter.
Trevor
And it’s not just stars’ original shirts which make cash – but replica ones too.
“Shirts from the ‘80s and ‘90s are now back in fashion,” says . “People who used to own them when they were teenagers are getting nostalgic for what they wore to games back in the day.”
According to Trevor, Baby Boomers and Millennials, who were teenagers when shirts were first bought, are now happy to spend more than £100 to remember their childhood.
And he’s got a bit of advice. “If you have an old replica shirt in your wardrobe or the loft grab it,” he says.
I tell people to check their cupboards, garages, lofts, charity shops and car boot sales. If I can score so, can you.
Trevor
“I didn’t start collecting to make money. I just love the game. I never thought I’d be able to pay for our yearly holiday to Spain with my side hustle.
“I am a proud grey rinse football grafter.
“I called my side hustle Spurs Collectables. I sell at fairs and online.”
“And it’s not just me who’s able to do this.
“If I can find football gold at a car boot or charity shop, anyone can.
“I tell people to check their cupboards, garages, lofts, charity shops and car boot sales. If I can score so, can you.”