Bertie Auld football shirt collection fetches £100,000 at auction

A collection of football shirts owned by the family of a Lisbon Lion has sold for £100,000 at auction.

The Bertie Auld Collection included strips the Celtic midfielder swapped with some of Europe’s top players during the club’s European Cup final runs in 1967 and 1970.

Auld died in 2021 aged 83, and had suffered with dementia for the last few years of his life.

Some of the proceeds of the sale will go to the Bertie Auld Legacy, which his family set up to raise money for causes such as Kilbryde Hospice, Spirit Aid and Football Memories.

The auction at McTear’s included a jersey believed to have been worn by Josef Vacenovsky of Dukla Prague which went for more than £14,000, while an Inter Milan top from late captain Armando Picchi fetched almost £13,000.

The collection also included a Scotland shirt worn by Kenny Dalglish, and a pair of Celtic shorts owned and worn by Auld himself.

Auld’s son Robert 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 1960s and early 70s.

“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.”

McTear’s 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 1970s, 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.”

Robert Auld 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.”