Numerous football shirts with some dating back to the 1990s have been donated to an Amersham charity shop.
The town’s Helen & Douglas branch, which is based along Sycamore Road, was given around ‘four bin bags’ worth of sports memorabilia in November which mainly consisted of football, cricket and rugby kits.
Around 30 shirts were drip-fed over the course of that month, with only a handful of jerseys now available for purchase.
The shop’s manager, Jacki Kew, admitted that the donations have helped the charity make ‘a lot of money’ in recent weeks.
Look what I found in the Amersham branch of Helen & Douglas House.
— Charity Shop Kits (@KittingItOut) November 29, 2024
Couldn't believe it!
I only bought the England scarf and Brentford shirt, but the rest is up for grabs! pic.twitter.com/DNOBkHp5qz
Items sold at a Helen & Douglas branch help the families of children who are suffering from terminal illnesses.
She told the Free Press: “We researched everything before we put them [the shirts] out on the shop floor.
“We did that because we knew that some could be worth a lot of money, and we don’t want to undersell them, as the money made goes to charity.
“We have had the kits for about two/three weeks but there were a lot more that came in.
“Around four bin bags worth and there were loads of football shirts, along with rugby and cricket shirts too.
“We have all sorts with most coming from the 1990s and 2000s.
“We didn’t put them all out as we wanted to scatter them over the course of a few weeks, and most of them have been sold.
“That’s all we have left.”
At the time of writing, some of the shirts that remain include a Brazil 2002 World Cup away kit (Brazil won that tournament, defeating England in the quarter-finals), a novelty blue England Euro 1996 kit, and a 2007/08 Celtic away shirt which still has its original tags on from 17 years ago.
The Amersham branch is just one of many in the area to have benefited from the generosity of members of the public who have given away their football kits for free.
In April, the Rennie Grove outlet in Flackwell Heath received around 30 Wycombe Wanderers kits between 2016 and 2018, with many of the items still having tags on.
Got a phone call from the Rennie Grove branch in Flackwell Heath last night telling me I would be 'impressed' with what's been donated...
— James Richings (@James_BFP) April 6, 2024
...I popped in this morning and they weren't lying 😍🤩
One day before the final too 🏆 #Chairboys pic.twitter.com/HRQ6w9dypE
Additionally, the Salvation Army shop in High Wycombe was given a very rare 2005/06 Arsenal home kit, which was worn during their last season at Highbury.
The shirt in itself is rare, as it’s the only Arsenal home kit in nearly 100 years to not have any red or white.
Resales of the shirt, if they are in good condition, can be sold for over a three-figure amount.
Mrs Kew added: “It was a regular donor that gave them to us and we have made a lot of money off them and their gift aided as well, so that gives us a bit more too.
“For example, we once got a Tottenham Hotspur shirt from the 1990s that was signed by all the players.
“It went onto eBay and we got around £3,500 for it.
“That person could have easily sold it for themselves, so it’s great that they gave it to us.”
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