Stoke tops from Sir Stan's match ready for auction
A crowd of 35,000 people packed into the Victoria Ground for the star-studded match between Britain and Europe on April 28, 1965.
Sir Stan, who was 50 at the time, played for Britain in the 10-goal thriller, alongside the likes of Jimmy Greaves, England's third highest goalscorer, and defender George Cohen, who played in the 1966 World Cup Final.
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The Europe team featured Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin, considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper ever, and Hungarian ace Ferenc Puskas.
Britain, who lost the match 6-4, wore Stoke City shirts, while the Europe side wore white.
Now two of the shirts from that historic game are going up for sale at Bonhams in Chester on Wednesday, June 17.
The red and white striped shirt, with a black number 19 on the back, is valued at between £500 and £700, while the white shirt, with a blue number 18 on the back, could sell for between £400 and £600. It is not known which players wore the shirts during the match.
Nigel Johnson, chairman of the Sir Stanley Matthews Foundation, was a spectator at the match in 1965.
Mr Johnson, aged 66, of the Westlands, Newcastle, said: "It was a unique occasion to celebrate Sir Stan, one of the greatest footballers there has ever been.
"At the end of the game Sir Stan was carried on the shoulders of Yashin and Ferenc Puskas and the crowd sang Auld Lang Syne. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. It was a very emotional evening and superb way to say goodbye to a wonderful ambassador of the game. I'm not surprised there's still such interest in Sir Stan memorabilia."
In February, an England cap belonging to Sir Stanley Matthews went under the hammer.
The cap was awarded for playing for England against Europe in the 1938 to 1939 season, during Sir Stan's first spell at Stoke. It sold for £3,720.
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