Collecting Football Pin Badges
Football merchandise, souvenirs and memorabilia have always been popular amongst football fans and especially for sports collectors.
For those who choose to collect football memorabilia, they will often choose items such as football badges, old football shirts, football programmes, and old match tickets.
Collecting football badges can be an inexpensive hobby and also an investment for the future. Among the advantages of collecting football badges they are very hard wearing and take a minimum of care, as opposed to football programmes which may easily become damaged by tearing, creasing, water damage, pen or other marks, thus decreasing their value.
A quality enamel football badge should last and look good after many years, they can be very decorative, and they need a minimum of care. Another great feature of collecting badges is the size, as they require a minimal amount of storage space, badges can easily be stored on a scroll, football scarf of even a hat is a great way to display your collection.
Many collectors will start their collection with their own favourite team, as the clubs are always producing new badges, which gives the collector an opportunity to increase their collection at regular intervals. Football badges are also a great way to show your support for your own team.
Many football teams also produce commemorative badges for certain occasions, for example a club centenary, winning a cup competition or something similar, many of the dated badges are very collectable as they are only sold for a limited time.
Other collectors will have specific objectives, maybe collecting a badge for every team that plays in the Premier League, or for every team that plays in all the English or British League, this is no mean feat as the English leagues alone consist of ninety two teams.
Some football fans will buy a badge every time they attend an away game, which makes a nice and fairly inexpensive souvenir and a permanent reminder of their trip, this can be especially valued by the collector if they have travelled a long distance to watch the game.
Collecting football badges can be a an inexpensive hobby, with many club badges starting at around £2 each. The price does increase however for older and more rare badges.
Modern football badges are available from most football clubs own stores and can be purchased at anytime, including the match days. Football badges are also readily available to buy from online football merchandise stores, which is helpful if you don’t live near an actual football store.
Many football badges were produced from the 1960s to early 1980s by a company called Coffer Sports, they were originally based in Northampton and then London, Coffer made many football pin badges which are now very collectable, they are often found at collectors fairs or internet auction sites and they can sell for a considerable amounts, depending on the age, condition and the team concerned.
Always be aware before you purchase an older badge there are now an increasing number of imitation and replica badges being produced and circulated that are very similar to the original pin badges. The original Coffer badges always carried an additional makers stamp to the back of the badge, which is a good indicator as to whether the badge is original or a cheaper newly made imitation.
Other collectable football badges include those issued with supporters club memberships, which have often been dated with the year of membership, making them more collectable.
Football badges are becoming more popular and more collectable, and as the demand increases, so does the price. Many rare badges are now sold in sports auctions.
The main thing to remember about collecting football badges is that it is a fun pastime, and a fairly inexpensive hobby to start collecting badges, so collectors can start at any age, as basic club pin badges can be purchased at pocket money prices. Collecting pin badges from your favourite team is a great idea as they also show your passion for the team you support.
Why We Buy Football Souvenirs
Every week, for ten months of the year, thousands of football fans fill stadiums across England to watch premier league football, while millions more watch the many televised games across the globe. Football is a passion rather than a past time for most of these fans and that's why they sport their clubs football souvenirs to show their allegiance to their favorite team.
The passion of football fans extends beyond just watching the game, its the passion and emotions that are experienced during a game, the chanting, songs, banner and flag waving and the feeling that as a supporter you have motivated the team, intimidated the opposition and even influenced the referee.
Research has shown that fans truly believe they must attend the game to help the team to win, not just to observe the event, thus making them feel they are their teams 12th man and an essential part of the club they support. Two thirds of fans have actually admitted to crying during a game.
For any supporter, Football Gifts make the prefect present for any occasion as the club they support is so close to their heart, and with so many Football Souvenirs available you will be spoilt for choice, no longer is it just the traditional hat, scarf and pin badge the order of the day, the gift range for most clubs now extends to computer products, car accessories, confectionary, homeware, golf products, baby accessories (yes that includes anything from feeding bottles, soothers and even baby clothing), inflatable's, jewellery and team branded pet accessories.
Traditionally the most popular team products are Liverpool Gifts and Manchester United Souvenirs but with the enormous popularity of the premier league, these products are now available for most of the top flight teams, with each club now producing their own amazing range of merchandise and gifts
Premier League Review - Chelsea Score Five At Bolton
Chelsea veteran Frank Lampard scored a hat-trick as the Blues eased to comfortable victory against bottom of the table Bolton Wanderers.
Daniel Sturridge, who spent the second half of last season on loan at the Reebok Stadium, scored two goals to complete the rout as Bolton have now lost their last six consecutive games.
Chelsea were in front after just ninety seconds as Sturridge headed home a corner, but kept his celebrations muted, in respect for his former loan club. Sturridge then provided a perfect pass for Frank Lampard
The Blues continued to dominate proceedings and were further in front as Sturridge scored his second goal of the game on twenty five minutes, when Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan couldn’t stop his fierce shot, which was more down to error than misfortune. Minutes later Bogdan was at fault again when he failed to hold onto a shot from David Luiz, allowing Lampard to score his second of the game from close range.
Some Bolton fans had seen enough by this stage and a few were even seen leaving the ground, their team left the field at half time to resounding boos from the fans that had stayed, aimed at them and the manager Owen Coyle.
With Chelsea having what appeared to be a unassailable 4-0 lead Bolton emerged for the second half with a renewed enthusiasm and following a free kick from Martin Petrov, Boyata was on hand to head home a goal, within a minute of the re-start. Any hopes of an historic comeback were quickly extinguished as Lampard completed his hat-trick, the sixth of his career, which will temporarily silence his critics, having recently been left out of the starting eleven from both club and country.
On his 350th appearance for the Blues, Lampard was a large contributor in an emphatic performance that won’t have gone unnoticed by his own manager and England manager Fabio Capello, the goals also move the 33 year old into fifth place in Chelsea’s all time scoring record, with 119 league goals.
after fifteen minutes which was slotted home comfortably to ensure a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Chelsea have now beaten Bolton in their last nine consecutive matches at the Reebok Stadium, a victory that keeps the Blues in third place in the Premier League, while Bolton remain bottom of the league table.
The victory keeps the Blues in touch with early Premier League pace setters Manchester United and Manchester City, who both enjoyed comfortable victories on Saturday. While many fans would have expected a Chelsea victory in view of Bolton’s poor start to the season, their worst start in their 109 year history, no-one would have expected that the ease with which Wanderers conceded the game. |
