New Delhi: A 110-year-old jersey worn by legendary New Zealand captain Dave Gallaher during the 1905 tour of the British Isles has fetched a record £180,000 at an auction on Saturday in Cardiff.
The jersey was expected to fetch £20,000 to £40,000 but it smashed all predictions when it was bought by a buyer was based in the United Kingdom, who bid over the phone.
1905 #allblacks shirt worn by #DaveGallaher auctioned for £180000 in Cardiff http://t.co/KPGVh9PEHZ pic.twitter.com/u0s5V7DYwj
— ITN Source News (@itnsourcenews) October 9, 2015
According to reports, the 'Originals' skipper Gallaher swapped the jersey with Wales captain Gwyn Nicholls after a match.
Nicholls took the All Blacks shirt to his family laundry business in Cardiff before giving it to his rugby-mad van boy Thomas Mahoney, whose family have kept it for generations until it went up for auction.
This is the highest ever price for a rugby shirt, breaking the previous record of £22,000, also for a New Zealand shirt worn during the same Originals tour and which was kept at a local rugby club in South Wales.
Gallaher is often regarded as the father of All Blacks, probably the most dominant team in the sports. A bronze statue of Gallaher was unveiled outside the home of New Zealand rugby, Eden Park, in 2011.
Dave Gallaher's 'Originals' All Blacks jersey fetches $275,000 at auction in Cardiff http://t.co/6IPNgMpGjt pic.twitter.com/5pn1ZLvxIa
— Stuff.co.nz News (@NZStuff) October 9, 2015
Born in Ramelton, Ireland, Gallaher migrated to New Zealand with his family as a small child. He died in 1917 in Belgium from a shrapnel wound at the age of 43, while serving in First World War. He had previously took part in the Anglo-Boer War.
Meanwhile, All Blacks have qualified for the quater-finals in the ongoing 2015 Rugby World Cup in England. In their final Group C match, two-time winners beat Tonga 49-7. They have beaten Georgia, Namibia and Argentina in the five-team group.
