Pele's 1958 World Cup medal to sell for £500,000

Pelé's 1958 World Cup winners' medal is set to sell for £500,000 ($670,000) at an auction in England later this month.

The medal was earned by the Brazilian star when he was just a teenager. It is part of a collection of 450 World Cup items being sold by BUDDS, a company that specializes in sports memorabilia. They expect to raise about £2 million from the entire collection.

In another auction, a Brazil shirt worn by Pele in the 1958 final could go for over $6 million at Sotheby’s in New York. This auction runs from June 29 to July 16, just three days before this year's World Cup final.

Pele, who was only 17 years old, scored two of Brazil's five goals in the final against Sweden, the host nation.

This win was Brazil's first of five World Cup titles, with three led by the player known as “The King.”

Pele, whose full name was Edson Arantes do Nascimento, passed away in December 2022 at the age of 82 after battling colon cancer.

The British auction also includes the shirt worn by England's goalkeeper Gordon Banks when he made that famous save from Pele at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

Other items in this auction celebrate England's 1966 World Cup victory. This includes Banks' winners' medal and Alan Ball's shirt from the final.

David Convery, who leads the sporting memorabilia section at BUDDS, said, “This is the largest collection of World Cup memorabilia ever offered at auction. It is hard to think of many sales that could match its historical importance.”

An online auction is going on from June 1 to 21. It features shirts from countries that will compete in the 2026 World Cup. Then, there will be a live auction on June 25 at BUDDS's location in Wellingborough, central England.