The original 'This is Anfield' sign, which hung in the players tunnel at Liverpool Football Club during a highly successful era for the team, has sold for £115,000 at auction.
The sale price at the sports memorabilia auctioneers Budds exceeded the listed estimate of between £10,000 and £15,000 by more than seven times.
With the inclusion of commission and value added tax, the overall cost of the purchase stands at £149,500. Budds reported that the winning bid is a record price for any interior sign from a United Kingdom sports stadium.
A symbol of dominance
The sign was first installed in the tunnel at Anfield, the home stadium of Liverpool, in 1972. It was the brainchild of a club groundsman, who presented the suggestion to Peter Robinson, the club secretary at the time.
The purpose of the sign was twofold: to provide a psychological intimidation tactic against opposing teams arriving for matches, and to serve as a stark reminder to Liverpool players of the high standards expected at the club.
Bill Shankly, the legendary manager who transformed Liverpool into a major force in English and European football, played a crucial role in its final design. Shankly rejected the initial proposed wording of 'Welcome To Anfield', arguing that it was too friendly for visiting sides, which led to the adoption of the more imposing 'This is Anfield' text.
Historical timeline corrected
For many years, Budds said, it was commonly accepted that Bob Paisley, who succeeded Shankly as manager and led the club to further domestic and continental glory, had taken down the original sign and replaced it in 1974. It was believed to have been swapped for a new one with an updated design.
However, the auctioneers revealed that photographic evidence contradicts this timeline. Budds stated that dated photographs taken during the signings of players Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish and Frank McGarvey demonstrate that the original sign was not actually removed from the tunnel until 1979.
This revised timeline means the auctioned sign was present in the tunnel as players walked out for matches that contributed to Liverpool winning their first two European Cups, the predecessor to the modern Champions League, and an additional three First Division league titles, the top flight of English football at the time.
From Anfield to the Isle of Man
After its removal from the stadium, the sign embarked on a lengthy journey away from Merseyside. Roy Evans, who would later become the manager of Liverpool, eventually gifted the item to Ronald Wilson, a former member of the boys team at the club.
Wilson and his family hung the sign in the bar of a hotel they owned in Douglas in the Isle of Man from 1970 to 2000.
When the hotel was sold, the historic piece of memorabilia was passed down to the new owners, Ian and Lynn. The new owners initially placed the sign into storage.
From the middle of the 2010s, it was brought out of storage and hung in Ian's work office. It remained there until his retirement earlier this year, after which it was placed back into storage prior to the auction.
The modern tradition
Over the years, touching the sign while walking out of the tunnel and onto the pitch has become a famous tradition for Liverpool players.
The replacement sign was hung in the Anfield tunnel before itself being replaced with a newer version in 1998. Following a period of restoration, the sign was later reinstalled during the managerial tenure of Brendan Rodgers.
When Jurgen Klopp took over as manager, he famously instituted a ban on his players touching the sign. Klopp stated that the players needed to deliver a major trophy as a sign of respect before earning the right to touch it. The ban came to an end when Liverpool won the Champions League, Europe's premier club competition, in 2019.
Rival views on the sign
The tradition of the sign has not always been universally respected by opposition players, leading to an entertaining television debate in 2022 between former Arsenal forward Ian Wright and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane on ITV, a British television network.
Wright explained that he made a point of touching the sign when he visited Anfield as an away player. "Course, but I didn't touch it when going out with the guys," Wright said. "When you went out for the warm-up, you'd look around and touch it because it's iconic, it's unbelievable."
Wright added that he tried to keep his actions hidden from his teammates. "I didn't want them (his team-mates) to see me because I didn't want it to feel it was disrespectful, it wasn't disrespectful, I just wanted to touch that sign," he said.
Keane offered a completely different perspective when asked if he had ever touched it. "Of course not. There'd be no point," Keane responded.
The former Manchester United midfielder questioned the practice for visiting teams. "It's okay, it's a tradition for the English (Liverpool) players but not for the opposition players, I'm not sure why you touched it Wrighty," Keane said.
Keane added: "I think it's silly, it's childish."
Wright immediately defended his actions, stating: "It's not childish, it's an unbelievable thing to be able to do."
Keane then questioned what benefit Wright gained from the action, to which Wright responded: "I've touched it. I'm one of the few people to have touched it. I bet there's a lot of fans that haven't touched that."
