Read on...
England, the home of football ('soccer' if you are reading this over the pond), has only hosted the World Cup Finals once, in 1966.
The only occasion England has hosted the most popular event in sport history...
...and we managed to lose the prize trophy prior to the event.
The 'Jules Rimet' trophy had been on display at a stamp exhibition in London.
It was made of solid gold and insured for £30,000.
This was its first public appearance...just 3 months before the tournament was due to start.
Guarded by 5 men and a German shepherd dog...the trophy was stolen on a Sunday morning as the security guards took a tea break.
With the World Cup finals looming the world's eyes were on England to deliver a competition to remember.
And now they had lost the world famous trophy. But they needn't have feared...
Pickles came to the rescue. Pickles was a border collie who found the trophy under a hedge in South London.
Pickles became a celebrity. He was crowned Dog of the Year, became a film star, and was rewarded with a year's supply of dog food.
The trophy was subsequently stolen again in Brazil in 1983 and never found...it was believed to have been smelted for the gold value.
England went on to win the 1966 Word Cup, captained by Bobby Moore.
Bobby Moore was a football legend.
Bobby Moore match-worn signed England No. 6 shirt
He won a total of 108 caps for England, a record at the time.
A composed central defender; he was admired for his reading of the game and ability to anticipate the opposition movements.
The way he read the game, marshaled his team and timed his tackles was world class.
Like the man himself.
Pele, the world's greatest ever footballer, referred to Bobby Moore as "my friend as well as the greatest defender I ever played against."
Alf Ramsey, the England manager, declared 'we wouldn't have won the world cup without him'.
Bobby Moore was the recognized leader of the team that gave English football its crowning glory.
It also established him as a magnificent player, a gentleman, and a sporting icon.
In November 2003 Bobby Moore was voted the most outstanding English footballer of the past 50 years.
He was awarded the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year title in 1966. The first footballer to win.
In 1967 he was awarded the OBE in the new Years Honours list.
As a result of winning the World Cup Bobby Moore became a national icon.
This is why the price of Bobby Moore memorabilia looks exceptionally good value.
Consider this...
Pele's match-worn shirt from the 1970 World Cup Final recently sold for £157,000.
Geoff Hurst's match-worn shirt from the 1966 World Cup Final recently sold for £93,000.
Even a George Best match-worn shirt from a Manchester United FA cup tie sold for £24,000.
Bobby Moore died young; he was only 51 when he died of cancer.
It makes his memorabilia highly sought after.
We only have one item available.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THIS ITEM
It's a match-worn red England No. 6 shirt.
Bobby Moore wore this in an international match against Portugal in Lisbon on 17th May 1964...
England won 4-3.
After the match Bobby Moore signed the shirt beautifully across the chest, right next to the famous three lions England motif:
"Best wishes, Bobby Moore"
The shirt is now displayed in a custom built display cabinet with a framed photo of Bobby Moore.
It's probably the finest piece of football memorabilia available in the world today.
A signed shirt, match-worn, from arguably England's greatest ever footballer.
The only Englishman to have ever lifted the World Cup trophy.
Yet the price is just £17,500.
Given the huge prices achieved by other great football stars this looks significantly undervalued.
It's a piece to enjoy...a piece to treasure. A match-worn shirt from England's most successful football captain.
Have a look on this link:
Bobby Moore match-worn signed England No. 6 shirt
It's a reminder of a bygone era when football was a gentleman's game...when the England football team were winners, with passion.
It may be sometime before we say that again.
Grab this fantastic piece of football history today.
Call on +44 (0) 1481 708 277
email aroose@stanleygibbons.co.uk
TOLL FREE from the USA 1 866 644 6146
Regards
Adrian Roose
P.S. Miss it now and you miss it forever.