'This Is Anfield' sign fetches £115k at auction
September 9, 2026 16:00
Liverpool’s original tunnel sign reading “This Is Anfield” was sold at auction after coming up for sale from a private source. The winning bid was £115,000, with the total hammer-plus-fees figure reaching £149,500 once commission and VAT were added.
The sale fetched nearly eight times the guide price of £15,000, according to auctioneer Budds, who described the lot as a standout item in the sale.
KEY CONTEXT
Bill Shankly chose the wording in 1972, reportedly preferring it to the more cordial “Welcome To Anfield” as a message both to his own players and to visiting teams. Budds has said the sign remained at Anfield through Liverpool’s European Cup successes in 1977 and 1978 and that several notable arrivals to the club between 1977 and 1979 were photographed with it.
The auction house says the original sign was removed in the 1970s and given to Ronald Wilson, a former member of the club’s boys’ team. It was displayed in Wilson’s family-run Rutland Hotel in Douglas, Isle of Man, from 1979 until around 2000, later passing to his children and then being kept in his son’s office until that son retired in early 2026. Budds also said former Liverpool manager Roy Evans presented the sign to Wilson.
WHY IT MATTERS
The sale underlines the cultural and commercial value attached to physical artefacts tied to a club’s identity and rituals. Budds highlighted the sign’s association with superstition and matchday traditions — players touching the sign before games — as elements that boost its appeal to collectors. The auction house also described the price as a record for any UK sports stadium interior sign, framing the result as notable within the sports memorabilia market.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- Whether Budds or other auction houses will bring further high-profile stadium artefacts to market, building on this sale.
- Any public confirmation about the buyer or plans for public display; the auction report does not identify the purchaser or their intended use for the sign.
- Potential verification of provenance details Budds provided, such as Roy Evans’ role in gifting the sign and the exact timeline of its removal from Anfield.
KEY FACTS
- Winning bid: £115,000; final total with commission and VAT: £149,500.
- Guide price before the sale: £15,000.
- Bill Shankly selected the phrase for the tunnel sign in 1972.
- Auction house Budds said the sign was removed in the 1970s and later displayed at the Rutland Hotel in Douglas.
- Budds described the sale as a record price for a UK sports stadium interior sign.