Baxter Scotland shirt pulled from auction after authenticity doubts
- Published
Jim Baxter at Wembley after the historic 3-2 win against England in 1967
A Scotland football shirt said to have been worn by Jim Baxter has been pulled from auction after doubts emerged over its authenticity.
The jersey was being sold as the one Baxter wore in Scotland's 3-2 victory over England at Wembley in 1967.
Auctioneers McTear's maintained the shirt's "cast iron" provenance after another shirt came forward with the same claim.
But the shirt was withdrawn from auction on Friday.
The No6 shirt was due to be the opening lot in the Heritage: Important Sporting Medals and Shirts auction. It was expected to fetch about £60,000.
'Unanswered questions'
McTear's sporting specialist James Bruce said: "Following recent reservations over the authenticity of the Jim Baxter 1967 Scotland jersey we have taken the decision to remove the lot from today's auction.
"Although we remain convinced of the shirt's provenance, we would never put an item to auction with questions unanswered."
The Baxter No6 strip was expected to fetch about £60,000
The auctioneer said they would conduct additional research before taking a decision on any future sale.
Mr Bruce said: "The provenance of the shirt traces back to the player, who exchanged his jersey with (England player) Alan Ball at the end of the match. The shirt then came to the father of the vendor through (England player) Alan Hudson, with Ball being present.
"Hudson has been contacted to confirm this chain and the key fact that Baxter didn't leave Wembley in 1967 with the shirt."
He added: "Jim Baxter was renowned for gifting Scotland jerseys to friends, acquaintances and functions, and that appears to be the case for the jersey bought at the benefit dinner by the other parties.
"Crucially, additional research has shown that the label on the shirt from the 1991 charity auction does not appear to match those worn in the 1967 game as it dates the shirt to pre World Cup 1966.
"In 1967, the Scotland shirts featured the 'worn by the 1966 World Cup winners' Umbro label. This label appears on the jersey consigned to McTear's."
Andrew Dickson, left, and David Wishart with the jersey their fathers bought
Andrew Dickson and David Wishart with Jim Baxter and the shirt
Two friends from Falkirk had questioned the shirt's authenticity, arguing they had the actual shirt Jim Baxter wore that day.
Falkirk businessmen Andrew Dickson and David Wishart said their fathers bought it at an auction in Glasgow in 1991. Baxter, who died in 2001, attended the auction where former Rangers owner David Murray even bid on the jersey.
They have pictures of them posing with the framed jersey as boys with Baxter himself and say he kept in touch with their fathers over the years. Jim Baxter would come to events and pose with the shirt.
They are convinced the jersey is authentic and had urged the auctioneer to halt the sale.
The pair said there were visual clues that proved the provenance of their shirt including cuff length and the label.
They said "We are delighted that McTear's have taken the information that we provided them seriously.
"We believe that their 'cast iron' provenance was highly dubious from the outset.
"The work we have done to verify the true jersey has further proved that our jersey is 'The One' as we have always believed".
David and Andrew said the cuffs on their jersey match those in photographs of the match
Retired joiner Terry Fox told BBC Scotland he created the case for the shirt before it was sold at auction in 1991.
Mr Fox, who attended the auction, said he got in touch with the Mr Dickson and Mr Wishart after seeing a story on the BBC Scotland website.
"I knew it was the original shirt," the former joiner said. "The casement I made up and I recognised it right away."
He said the managing director of the double-glazing firm he was working for handed him the jersey in a plastic supermarket bag.
"I was told that's the jersey, be very careful with it - it's Jim Baxter's from '67," Mr Fox said.
Terry Fox said he built the display case for one of the jerseys
Terry Fox went along to the 1991 auction and came back with the programme after creating the case for the shirt
Football pundit Chick Young, who ran the 1991 auction, said: "It's the right decision for the jersey to be removed from sale.
"I stand by what Jim told me that the jersey we auctioned in Glasgow in 1991 is the one he wore at Wembley in 1967.
"David Murray called me to say he remembered the night well and how he bid £17,000 unsuccessfully at the dinner."
On Thursday, a third shirt emerged with the claim it is the now infamous Jim Baxter shirt from the Wembley win.
Kenny McIntosh - singer with Scotland fan band The Tartan Specials - told BBC Scotland that he has the original Baxter '67 Auld Enemy shirt.
The band had clubbed together to buy it for £1,600 at a charity lunch in 2015.
"I thought we had got a bargain for such an iconic item," he said.
"It was sold as the real deal and came from the original owner who was close friends with Jim Baxter. I am convinced it is the real deal."
Kenny McIntosh claims his jersey is the real thing
Mr McIntosh has photos of Baxter with the jersey and its previous owner.
Baxter was a leading player in the match on 15 April 1967.
It is considered one of Scotland's most celebrated games after they beat the England team that had become world champions the year before.
Baxter cemented legendary status for Scotland after his keepie-uppie antics in front of the crowd at Wembley.
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