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By Karrie Gillett
THE Celtic Football Club pennant presented by captain Billy McNeill before the Lisbon Lions triumphed in the 1967 European Cup is being sold at auction.
The historic lot is expected to fetch up to £30,000 when it goes under the hammer next month.
And the souvenir is being billed as the star attraction in a sporting memorabilia sale which includes an autographed boxing programme from a 1965 fight at Paisley Ice Rink featuring Muhammad Ali.
The Celtic match-day pennant was given to Inter Milan’s Armando Picchi as the captains shook hands before the kick-off in Portugal’s national stadium.
Now Inter Milan have put the pennant up for auction and it has been returned to Scotland.
The sporting memento is being sold at Convery Auctions in Edinburgh along with other football, tennis, boxing and Formula One memorabilia.
David Convery, director of the auctioneers, said: “This is a total one-off. The pennant is in fantastic condition as it has spent its life in a frame.
“It really is something special, with a lot of history, and we’re hoping it will reach premium price at auction.”
The 1967 Celtic side – which included Jimmy Johnstone and goal scorers Tommy Gemmell and Steve Chalmers – defeated the Italian Giants 2-1.
The victory on May 25 1967 meant the Lisbon Lions became the first British side to bring home the European trophy.
Mr Convery – who has been working as a n auctioneer for 19 years – said: “Celtic are one of the biggest clubs in the world with a massive fan base and the buzz has been fantastic since we revealed the pennant had made its way here.”
More than 200 lots will be up for sale on November 5 and there are also 14 items from Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall – including a pair of David Beckham’s football boots and a signed Gazza shirt.
The sale will also feature a devoted section to Olympic sporting memorabilia with medals from 100 years ago.
There will be three Olympic golds won by English water polo player Charles Sydney Smith – who competed in four successive games from 1908 to 1924.
Mr Convery said: “There aren’t many people who can say they have won three gold medals, even back in those days. It’s a great feat by a relatively unknown person.”
