Rare Panini 1970 World Cup sticker album fetches £2,000 at Harborough auction

A copy of the first ever Panini World Cup sticker album has gone under the hammer for £2,000.

The rare album commemorates the Mexico 1970 World Cup and featured in a Christmas auction at Gildings Auctioneers. It includes stickers of football icons like England’s Bobby Moore, Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, Portugal’s Eusébio and Brazil’s Pelé.

The sticker album was estimated to fetch between £1,200 and £1,800, but sold for £2,000.

It previously belonged to Andrew Knott of Arthingworth, near Market Harborough. He received the already-complete album as a 12th birthday present from his aunt, who had it printed for him at her workplace, Thorpe & Porter - the album’s Thurmaston-based distributor.

Mr Knott said: “As it was such a thoughtful and unusual present from my aunt all those years ago, I’ve kept it ever since.

“After over half a century in my possession, it was time to part with it, and it was great to be in the room to see it go to a new home where it will be appreciated for years to come.”

The album was sold in near-complete condition, with the exception of two stickers featuring the Jules Rimet Trophy and the Moroccan Football Federation badge, which were lost in storage.

Gildings director Will Gilding said: “As an example of the debut World Cup album that started the enduring worldwide craze of Panini football sticker collecting, it was no surprise to see the huge levels of interest this special piece of memorabilia attracted at the auction.

“In the end, a UK-based collector managed to outbid interest from Belgium, Italy, Portugal and other parts of the UK to secure it.”

The 1970 album holds special significance for English football fans and collectors, as the 1970 World Cup, which was won by Brazil, was the only time during that decade that England qualified for the tournament.

The team were knocked out against West Germany in the quarter finals. England led until the 80th minute before losing 3-2 after extra time. Their next World Cup appearance would not be until 1982.