They might have been historic and part of Huddersfield Town’s proudest history but a pair of rusty old gates failed to raise a bid – let alone their asking price of £1,500 – at an auction on Sunday.
The metal gates salvaged from Town’s old Leeds Road ground went under the hammer at Colne Valley Auctions in Slaithwaite after being put up for sale by lifelong Town fan Fernando Lanni, of Dalton.
His father Guiseppe had obtained them after the demolition of the stadium in 1994.
He had previously ‘sold’ the gates to a buyer on internet auction site eBay for over £3,000 but when Fernando discovered the buyer was a Leeds United fan he pulled the sale.
Auctioneer Collin Hufton did his best to generate some interest by recalling the glory days of Bill Shankly in the 1950s and told potential bidders: “They speak for themselves. If you are into Huddersfield Town they are very important."
“They were actually sold on eBay for £3,800 and the guy came to collect them with the cash in his pocket. But the vendor told him he couldn’t have them because he was a Leeds United supporter!
“We have had an awful lot of interest on the internet and Facebook and should start at £1,500 for the Shankly gates, an investment for sure.”
However, the roomful of stony-hearted Tykes failed to show a flicker of interest and Mr Hufton returned to selling ornate mirrors, antique candlesticks and agricultural machinery.
Afterwards, a disappointed Fernando, who didn’t attend the sale and is in poor health, said: “Not even a bid? They might have to go for £50 worth of scrap in that case.”
Asked if he might relent and sell them to a Leeds fan after all he said: “I got a lot of grief for failing to do that. I got banned from eBay and they suspended my account.
“Even though I had clearly said in my ad that they were only to be sold to a Town fan.”
One set of gates came from the players’ entrance at Leeds Road while the other was on the Cowshed.
