West Ham United are delighted to confirm plans for an extensive auction to ensure every treasured item from the Boleyn Ground finds a fitting new home before the Club’s move to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
As the London Club prepare to bid an emotional farewell to their stadium of the last 112 years, they have selected the Boleyn Ground’s most iconic items that will go with them to their new home, and those that will be made available for Hammers fans to claim their very own piece of history.
West Ham’s initial desire was to display every movable item of Boleyn Ground memorabilia at the Club’s iconic new Stadium in Stratford. However, the sheer volume of items has made this impossible, and would have meant many of them simply being left in storage.
Following consultation with supporters, former players and their relatives, the Club have selected more than 200 of the most cherished items from the Boleyn Ground to make the move to the new Stadium.
This of course includes the World Cup Winners' medals, England caps and match-worn shirts belonging to the Club’s famous three sons, Moore, Hurst and Peters and other treasured items.
That will leave a small and exclusive collection of iconic branded fixtures, fittings and furniture, which the Club has decided to auction, ensuring they will be proudly displayed for posterity in the homes and businesses of the Hammers fans to whom they mean the most.
As well as the Boleyn Ground keepsakes up for grabs there a number of lots connected to West Ham’s heroes through the years.
The proceeds of the auction will go directly to West Ham's world-famous Academy and invested into the future success of the team.
The Stadium Contents Online Auction will open on 18 May and close over two days, 8 and 9 June, while the Football Memorabilia Online Auction will open on 23 May 2016 and close over two days, 13 and 14 June. A live Webcast Auction, meanwhile, will be held at the Boleyn Ground on 4 June.
Supporters can now pre-register their interest in the Farewell Boleyn auction, by visiting www.auctions.whufc.com, where further information can also be found on the auctions and available lots.
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: “We initially wanted to take everything that means so much to us at the Boleyn Ground to display at our new home, but since that has proved impossible, we are doing the next best thing by ensuring many of those items go to the homes of our fans instead.
“We’ve been inundated with requests from supporters asking how to get their hands on Boleyn Ground memorabilia, and – while we would never part with the most treasured items intrinsic to the Club’s history – we are delighted to make a select collection of artefacts available for auction.
“That will ensure every piece of Boleyn Ground memorabilia continues to be proudly displayed and cherished for many years to come, while in the process helping to support the next generation of history-makers emerging from the West Ham Academy.”
Ahead of the summer’s auctions, the Club have partnered with Hilco Global to oversee the smooth running of the process. The Hilco team have extensive experience of football-related and other auctions of this magnitude, having previously managed comparable projects with the IRFU, BA Concorde, Arsenal Football Club, and many others.
The process will run as two online auctions, both of which will be conducted following the final game at the Boleyn Ground. To help supporters navigate their way through the process, each auction will contain a specific category of memorabilia.
The Farewell Boleyn auction will then culminate in a one-off live auction, featuring some of the highest-value lots, to be hosted at the Boleyn Ground and broadcast online in a special interactive Webcast on Saturday 4 June.
For supporters attending in person, it will, in all likelihood, represent the final opportunity to visit the Boleyn Ground before its redevelopment.
FAQs
Q: When will the auctions take place?
A: The Stadium Contents Online Auction will open on 18 May and close over two days, 8 and 9 June, while the Football Memorabilia Online Auction will open on 23 May 2016 and close over two days, 13 and 14 June. A live Webcast Auction, meanwhile, will be held at the Boleyn Ground on 4 June.
Supporters can now pre-register their interest in the Farewell Boleyn auction, by visiting www.auctions.whufc.com, where further information can also be found on the auctions and available lots.
Fans will notice some items being removed from the stadium between now and the end of the season. Due to the tight timelines for exiting the stadium that the club are subject to following the final game of the season, a phased decommissioning process is required and some of the non-essential operational items will therefore have to be removed in preparation.
Q: How expensive are auctions items likely to be?
A: The very nature of an auction makes it impossible to guarantee any set price brackets but the assortment of items is such we firmly believe that there is something for everyone. In addition to highly collectible and valuable memorabilia, supporters can expect many more modestly priced lots too, including their own seats being made available at a later date.
Q: When can I expect to see a full list of auction items?
A: The Club is in the final stages of cataloguing the items available for auction and the details will be published, in full, on whufc.com in the weeks leading up to the online auctions.
Q: How did the Club decide what items to auction?
A: There are of course a number of items that would never even be considered for auction for example, the World Cup Winners medals and England caps of Bobby Moore OBE, Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters MBE. But in recognition of the huge demand from fans hoping to buy memorabilia connected with the Boleyn Ground and extensive list of suitable items was collated and reviewed.
As a courtesy, the Club has made every effort to contact former players (or their relatives) connected with any the lots listed, to give advanced notice.
Q: What should I be doing to make sure I can be involved?
A: For the time being, all we ask is that supporters register their interest via www.auctions.whufc.com. Those who do so can expect to receive updates via email as and when further information becomes available. That same information will also be published across the Club’s digital platforms.
Q: Will I have the opportunity to purchase my Boleyn Ground seat?
A: Absolutely. The details of the seat sale will be released in the coming weeks. Season Ticket Holders will have first refusal on their seats, before the option is extended to General Sale.