Butler bought the last thumbnail he was missing, the one with the coat of arms of Chile, completing the album he started as a 13-year-old boy.
He found the album five years ago while moving, along with a school cap, old photos and notebooks.
He recalled how in 1970 he watched England on the new color television, while he was most fascinated by the Brazilian aces Pelé and Jairzinho, and the Italians Boninsegna and Facchetti.
– It was in color, live, from the other side of the world. When my father bought a color television, I thought – here are the real school holidays – recalled Butler, writes The Guardian.
That year, Panini began a partnership with FIFA that will last until 2030. Butler was then paying five pence for a pack of four stickers, but he was missing one, Chile, the 1962 World Cup host.
The album remained incomplete until he recently heard that Panini was ending its cooperation with FIFA.
“It’s a shame when so much heritage is lost,” Butler said, deciding to look for the missing icon.
He found a seller online and bought it for £150. With this, on the same day that it was announced that the partnership between Panini and FIFA was ending, he completed the collection he started in 1970.
Complete albums from the period are worth between £7,000 and £10,000 today.
– On the basis of five pennies for four thumbnails, the value is now a thousand times higher – Butler said, stressing that he has no intention of selling the album because it is part of his life and memories.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
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