Jimmy Mac brings in the money

Last updated : 28 March 2002 By Tony Scholes

Jimmy had swapped the shirt with Raymond Kopa the French international striker after the game with Reims over 41 years ago and it was Kopa who put the shirt up for auction along with a cigarette box presented to him to commemorate the Turf Moor leg.

Clarets Mad were hoping to bring the shirt back to town and would certainly have wanted it be displayed at the Turf. It was expected to bring between £250 and £300 but we were told by Bonhams, the auctioneers, that there had been enough interest to suggest it could bring around £500.

Some items in the auction did a little better than expected and the odd one not quite so well. A unique Nat Lofthouse shirt was expected to bring up to £1,200 but went for £2,000 whilst international shirts of John Charles and Billy Wright were thought likely to bring up to £1,200 and £1,000 respectively but were sold for £1,500 and £2,200.

One shirt didn't even reach the expected price, worn by Juste Fontaine in the 1958 World Cup Finals. Fontaine took the record for the most number of games ever scored in the finals and his shirt was expected to bring up to £7,000 but was sold for just £,4500.

That takes us right back to the Jimmy Mac shirt and the bidding went way beyond our expectations and ended our hopes of getting it. It went beyond the £300 and even the £500 by some distance and in the end was sold for £3,400. Even the cigarette box brought considerably more than expected and was bought for £430, again dashing our hopes.

Our wish now is that these items are coming back to Burnley. The prices certainly reflect the interest in our club just now and also the esteem in which Jimmy Mac is held by Burnley supporters.