When Horst Lichter saw the football lying on the “Bares for Rares” experts’ table, he immediately dismissed it: “Oh, that’s our sport,” he says with clearly recognizable irony. “We’re both way ahead there,” agrees Sven Deutschmanek. “All I know is that my dog loves to play with the ball,” jokes Lichter. “I do not know more.”
But the really interesting thing about the ball are the autographs on it. A total of 15 players and coaches from the German national soccer team have signed the leather. Patrick Geltz, 55-year-old warehouse logistician from Esslingen am Neckar, would like to know exactly when this football is from. His father was head of the sports school in Ruit from 1973, where the German national football team also made guest appearances.
Based on the name, Sven Deutschmanek places it in the year 1974 – the year when Germany became world champion in its own country. Among other things, national coach Helmut Schön and his assistant coach Jupp Derwall have immortalized themselves on it. In addition, players like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Jupp Heynckes or Wolfgang Overath.
Berti Vogts also signed – but so illegibly that Horst Lichter couldn’t help but make a nasty comment: “That’s how my doctor signs prescriptions,” scoffs the moderator – and thus provides amusement. Geltz would like 200-300 euros for it. The expert goes along with this: “20 euros per signature,” according to his estimate.
But things are not going so well in the dealer room. Ironically, the only Dutchman in the round examines the ball – the Oranjes lost to the Germans in the 1974 World Cup final. Unsurprisingly, Jos van Katwijk has to admit that he doesn’t recognize any of the names. He passes the ball over to the Austrian in the room. Wolfgang Pauritsch has a better idea and thinks he can decipher Beckenbauer and Vogts.
The auction starts with 50 euros. But the euphoria soon flagged. The end of the flagpole is reached at 150 euros. “10 euros per signature”, offers Sarah Schreiber for the ball. The deal goes through anyway, and Schreiber is proud that she now has “so many great names in one hand”.
The seller is also satisfied: “Not lying on the sofa, but being there live has something to do with it,” says Patrick Geltz.
Source: “Bares for Rares” in the ZDF media library
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