Ian Botham has raised more than £225,000 by auctioning off his prized collection from the 1981 Ashes series. The former England cricket star sold over 240 items at a sale held in the Long Room at the KIA Oval in 2023.
Among the standout lots was the red cricket ball with which Botham took five wickets for one run to lead England to victory at Edgbaston, fetching £20,000. A stump he pulled from the ground after the famous Headingley win sold for £11,000, while his man of the match medal went for £19,000. Botham’s player of the season medal achieved £8,000, his England test blazer £1,800, and a Somerset cap £2,700.
The Headingley Test in 1981 saw England, 500-1 outsiders, pull off one of the greatest comebacks in cricket history. Botham hit an unbeaten 149 to set Australia a target of 130, and the late Bob Willis took eight wickets to secure victory. A stump marked 'Headingley 81' by Botham was among the items sold.
Other notable sales included a 'baggy green' cap gifted by former Australian captain Allan Border, which sold for £13,000, and Botham’s England blue day one top from the 1992 World Cup, which went for £11,000. His BBC SPOTY Lifetime Achievement award, received in 2004, fetched £3,600.
Auctioneer Tim Knight of Knight’s Auctioneers in Norwich said Botham decided to sell as he was downsizing. 'Lord Botham’s name carries that magic dust and the highlights were definitely the lots associated with the 1981 Ashes,' Knight said. 'He’s kept hold of a few things but you can’t keep everything.'
