What Do You Do With A Match Worn Shirt?

If you have been lucky enough have been handed a shirt by a player at the end of a football match then here is a guide on how to protect it's value and a guide if you want to sell the shirt.

What To Do With A Match Worn Shirt?

Step 1: Do not wash the shirt. It does not matter how dirty, wet or smelly the shirt is - resist the urge to wash it! The dirt marks on the shirt can help to authenticate it and keeps the value in tact. If you wash it so it is pristine, you will only have your word that it is match worn - unfortunately this does not hold any value for match worn shirt collectors. 

Step 2: Protect the shirt. The first stage is to make sure it is dry, do not store it whilst it is still damp. If the shirt does smell the best thing to do is to hang it outside to air. This really helps to remove the odors. Keep it in the shade and let the air blow though it for a day. If the weather is bad you can do this in a garage, it just takes a few more days. 

Step 3: Store or sell the shirt: If you wish to keep the shirt they always look great framed. Make sure the shirt is dry first and get it framed by a local framers and tell them to not use any tape or pins - most decent framers can do this. If you don't want it on display then safely store it away - You can read our guide on storing football shirts here. 

Sell it! You maybe surprised by how much the shirt is worth. I regularly buy shirts from fans that were given away at the end of a match. The value depends on the popularity of the team and the player. They can also be more valuable if the game was special or they scored/ got sent off. 

If you are interested in getting a price for your shirt please see get in touch, details are on my selling football shirts page. 

It is common for footballers to give their shirts away at the end of matches and you are free to do what you like with the shirt!