BBC · Mar 8, 2023
Rare Middlesbrough football shirt sells for almost £20,000
In common with football jerseys from the era, the Middlesbrough top resembles a Victorian dress shirtA rare Middlesbrough football shirt dating back more than 130 years has sold for almost £20,000
Auctioneers said the jersey was thought to date from about 1886 to 1890 and was "possibly the oldest example of a shirt from a league club still in one piece".
The shirt has polka dot collar and cuffs and an embroidered MFC badge and club motto Erimus - "We Shall Be".
Graham Budd Auctions said there was a lot of interest in the top which went to a private collector for £19,840.
Middlesbrough later switched to blue shirts before adopting red at the turn of the 20th Century.