Gordon Banks' 1966 World Cup winners medal and the shirt he wore during his iconic 'Save of the Century' in 1970 are set to fetch up to £500,000 at auction next month. The items will be sold during the 2026 World Cup, with each estimated to reach between £200,000 and £300,000.
Football historian Grant Bage described the memorabilia as the 'holy grail' for collectors and England fans. 'Gordon Banks was one of the greatest goalkeepers the world has ever seen. His 1966 World Cup winners medal is such a special piece of memorabilia,' Bage said.
The shirt was worn by Banks when he made his famous save from Pelé during a group match between England and Brazil in 1970. Both items were previously sold by Banks, who died in 2019, and are now being offered by their current anonymous owners.
The auction, conducted by Budds, will take place on June 25th, between England's World Cup matches against Ghana and Panama. Earlier this week, renewed claims emerged that Banks was poisoned by the CIA, leading to his absence from the 1970 quarter-final against West Germany.
Bage, biographer of England manager Sir Alf Ramsey, recalled watching the 1970 tournament. 'I remember watching the 1970 games at home... I was 13 and starting to get into being a proper adolescent - but that didn't stop me crying like a baby when we lost 3-2 to West Germany having been 2-0 up,' he said.
When Banks sold the medal in 2001 for £124,750, he stated it was to help his children, citing security concerns for keeping it at home. Budds also estimate that Peter Shilton's shirt from the 'Hand of God' match could fetch between £200,000 and £300,000.
