September 10: The original ‘This Is Anfield’ sign, first installed by Bill Shankly in 1972, has sold at auction for £115,000, more than seven times its guide price.
The sign hung in the Anfield tunnel from the early 1970s, one of three iterations over the years, before being removed some time after 1979 and replaced. Listed through BUDDS with an estimate of £15,000, it closed on Wednesday at £115,000, with commission and VAT pushing the final total above £138,000.
The winning bid was from the ARC Hotel, confirming the purchase in an Instagram post:
“We are incredibly proud to announce that we are now the custodians of the original 1972 ‘This is Anfield’ sign, the first sign introduced at Anfield during the Bill Shankly era.”
The significance of the sign is tied to how Shankly saw it. “It’s there to remind our boys who they’re playing for and to remind the opposition who they’re playing against,” the standout said.
There is also a good deal of detective work behind the sale. It was long believed that the original dropped when Bob Paisley took over in 1974, but new research has proven otherwise.
The auctioneers saw the original in photos of the signings of Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish, and the arrival of Frank McGarvey in 1979, identifying it by its cracks, paint marks and chips.
His journey after Anfield is even stranger. Boot Room man Roy Evans gave it to youth player Ron Wilson, who took it to the Isle of Man and hung it in his B&B, the Rutland Hotel, until 2000. It later stayed in storage and an office before the family opted to sell.
The sign will now be housed at the Arc Hotel, who insist the sign belongs to the fans.
“This is not just a sign, it is a piece of Liverpool Football Club history.
“At the Arc Hotel, we believe passionately that this sign belongs to the fans. It belongs to the people. It belongs to Liverpool. So we want to welcome all Reds, young and old, from Anfield to the other side of the world, to come and see it, stand under it, remember what it stands for and enjoy a genuine piece of Liverpool FC history.”
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at (email protected)