A collection of memorabilia belonging to the football legend Sir Stanley Matthews is up for auction - and could fetch around £25K.

Sir Stanley Matthews C.B.E gifted his items to a close friend and when he passed away his family decided to put the collection up for sale.

The Sir Stanley Matthew Collection is now coming up for auction on December 5 at Cotswold Auctioneers Kinghams.

The most important artifact in the collection is his 1948 Footballer of the Year trophy - which is estimated between £12,000 to £15,000.

The collection belonged to a recently deceased Staffordshire gentleman who was a close friend of Matthews. 

The collection will be sold on 5 December (SWNS).

Matthews gifted his friend his memorabilia and enjoyed ownership for many years. 

The family who inherited it hopes the items will go to new owners who will continue to cherish prized artifacts and keep alive the legend that is Stanley Matthews.

Out of the sixteen lots, highlights include a number of his international caps from the 1940's and 1950's. 

These include his 1956 versus Brazil cap and his 1956 versus Yugoslavia cap - estimated between £2,000 and £3,000 each.

An earlier velvet cap belonging to a young Matthews - his 1929 England International Schoolboys cap which is estimated between £2,500 and £3,500.

A number of his medals will also be on offer - including his 9ct gold 1932-33 Stoke Football League Champions Division 2 medal which is estimated between £2,000 to £3,000.

The 1948 Footballer of the Year trophy is estimated between £12,000 to £15,000 (SWNS).

What is considered to be the most important artifact in the collection is his 1948 Footballer of the Year trophy presented by The Footballers Writers Association, Cup Final Evening with a signed letter - estimated between £12,000 to £15,000.

Sir Stanley played almost 700 games for Stoke and Blackpool and gained 54 England caps.

He was born into a working-class Stoke-on-Trent family and from a young age garnered an interest in football. 

He practiced dribbling around chairs placed in the backyard of the family terraced home.

An illustrious career beckoned with him joining his beloved Stoke City staff in the early 1930's as an office boy for £1 a week at the age of 15. 

He played for the reserve team during the 1930-31 season. 

Sir Stanley played almost 700 games for Stoke and gained 54 England caps (SWNS).

After the war he resumed playing for Stoke, then Blackpool and Stoke again followed by a distinguished career in coaching and management. 

After he died in 2000, he left a legacy with Pele describing him as 'the man who taught us the way football should be played'.

For further information, please contact Adrian Rathbone at 01608 695695 or [email protected].

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