‘I found a rugby jersey in a carrier bag and sold it for £180k’

Seven years ago an elderly widow walked into an auctioneers in Cardiff with a small fortune in a plastic bag. She was the proud owner of a 19src5 New Zealand touring jersey worn by then-captain of the All Blacks, Dave Gallaher. 

The contents would go on to sell for £18src,srcsrcsrc and set the record for the highest price paid at a British auction for rugby clothing. Ben Rogers Jones, of auctioneer Rogers Jones Co, which sold the jersey, said: “We advised an initial wide estimate of £2src,srcsrcsrc to £4src,srcsrcsrc which would pique collectors’ interest.

“The plan was to offer the jersey during the 2src15 Rugby World Cup being held in England later that year, as interest in the sport would be at fever pitch.”

With this year’s Six Nations getting underway today, interest in memorabilia is expected to peak again. 

Vintage jerseys get the rugby community excited. The older the item, the better, and if it is splashed with mud from its last game, you are on to a winner. Tops worn by historic players can sell for tens of thousands of pounds and early 2srcth century caps are worth thousands. These big-ticket items are typically snapped up by a handful of wealthy buyers or museums. Sellers, on the other hand, are usually unsuspecting, said Mr Rogers Jones.

“There are people who have their great-grandfather’s or uncle’s jersey stored in a drawer somewhere, and they could well be sitting on a fortu