The plate of greats!
World Cup winning West Ham legends Sir Geoff Hurst MBE and Martin Peters MBE have kicked off the signing of a truly unique piece of Hammers memorabilia in memory of their old mate and former captain, Bobby Moore OBE.
The duo, who starred alongside Bobby for both club and country, were the first in a long line of the club’s greats to sign a one-off graphic which will be auctioned by DVLA Personalised Registrations later this month to raise money for the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.
Since then the graphic – dubbed ‘The Plate of Greats’ because it is designed around the personalised plate WE57 HAM which will be sold at the same auction – has been signed by West Ham’s ‘Boys of ’86’, including lethal strike duo Tony Cottee and Frank McAvennie, gifted winger Alan Devonshire and accomplished defender Alvin Martin.
The current Hammers first team squad and other legendary Irons are expected to add their autographs before the graphic is framed and put under the hammer as an aside to the main auction of 1,500 personalised registration numbers in Bishops Stortford on October 26.
Damian Lawson, Marketing Manager for DVLA Personalised Registrations, has been delighted with the support the club, charity and players have given the fundraiser and believes it will help to raise lots of money for the Bobby Moore Fund’s research into bowel cancer.
He said: ‘We have had a huge amount of interest in the registration number WE57 HAM and we are expecting many fans to place bids.
‘And we are expecting a similar level of interest in the ‘Plate of Greats’ as it’s a truly unique piece of football memorabilia and I know that the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK holds a special place in the hearts of all West Ham fans.’
Sir Geoff Hurst MBE added: ‘West Ham has always had a huge and passionate support willing to go that extra mile to back their club and I’m sure this auction is going to be no different.
‘The actual registration number is sure to sell for a huge sum of money and I’m hopeful the ‘Plate of Greats’ will also raise lots of cash because there aren’t many pieces of memorabilia which have so many autographs from across the generations.’
The auction of WE57 HAM and the ‘Plate of Greats’ will be the climax of a three-day sale of hundreds of highly desirable numbers by DVLA Personalised Registrations at Down Hall Hotel in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, from October 24 to 26.
Details of all the registrations and how to bid at the main auction can be found at dvlaregistrations.co.uk/auctions. Regrettably, bids for the ‘Plate of Greats’ can only be made in person.
