Tag: Memorabilia

THE INSIDER: Memorabilia Is A Rookie’s Game

Here at Icons.com, we make a point to not only sign with the biggest superstars on the planet but to select the cream of the crop from the next generation as well, writes Sales Manager, Ben Soley.

After all, a lot can change in a year. Over the last 12 months, France displaced Germany as world champions, Luka Modric became the first man in 11 years to dethrone Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the World Player of the Year, and Liverpool qualified for a UEFA Champions League final… okay, so maybe not everything changes.

If you’re Callum Hudson-Odoi, the last year has seen you promoted to Chelsea’s first team; make your debut; start matches in the UEFA Europa League, FA Cup and Premier League, getting an assist on each debut; be constantly linked with a move to European behemoth Bayern Munich; and get your first senior England cap. Not forgetting, of-course, becoming an Icon.

It’s almost a year to the day that Callum became an Icon, conducting his first signing with us in London on May 14th, 2018. Since then his rise has been as rapid as he is. Indeed, his four goals in nine UEFA Europa League appearances puts him among the top scorers for the competition and is a clear indication of his undoubted quality. Over the same period, Hudson-Odoi has outsold traditional bestsellers on our website. Items signed by the Chelsea and England starlet have sold quicker and in more quantities than memorabilia signed by Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and many more established stars.

We’re regularly asked how we pick and choose who we sign for Icons.com. Hudson-Odoi’s talent is not questioned but of all the talented youngsters out there, we opted for Callum because he hit a sweet spot for us.

Firstly, he plays for a top-six team with a solid international fan base. Chelsea fans have been crying out for young talent to break through at their club so Callum‘s rise presented us with the chance to provide that considerable supporter base with a name they are interested in. Our exclusive contract with Eden Hazard also means we have a strong database of Chelsea fans to target. He also fits in well with our licenses – as an Adidas player we can include Callum‘s signed boots in our Official UEFA Europa League (an Adidas-sponsored tournament) range. As a member of the England setup, we can add his products to our Official England Licensed Memorabilia range. Finally, Callum has a social media presence and can promote his signing with Icons to help us sell his products.

In baseball, rookie trading cards are often valued higher based on the limit to supply – the player’s first year being the only year for which the athlete is considered a rookie. Babe Ruth’s 1916 rookie card sold for $717,000 at auction in 2016, in the same year ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson’s rookie card sold for $667,149. Mickey Mantle, another great of the game, has a rookie card from 1951 which is now worth a staggering $750,000.

But why? Many athletes’ rookie year isn’t spectacularly successful. An athlete’s appearance may also radically change and their rookie year look is rarely how they are best remembered. Perhaps this the point. For many collectors it boils down to the bragging rights, the idea that you can claim that you were there first, you saw that athlete’s potential earlier than anyone else and you saw something special in them from the off.

Then, of course, there is the financial benefit. It’s a textbook example of buying low and selling high. Last month, I wrote about women’s football and the importance of getting on board early as it explodes in popularity. This is much the same. In order to yield the biggest returns, you must get the item at its lowest cost value, and that is best done at the start before an athlete has achieved greatness in the eyes of everyone else.

Which brings us back to Icons and Callum Hudson-Odoi. To the untrained eye, it may look like we got lucky with Hudson-Odoi. But Icons have a proven track-record of finding stars among the youth. Sergio Aguero first signed for us while he was plying his trade at Atletico Madrid; Gareth Bale was still at Spurs when he signed for us first; Neymar Jr was at Santos. And then there’s the small matter of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, signed by Icons at 18 and 19-years-old respectively. Icons are in fact Messi’s longest serving commercial partner – longer even than Adidas.

You see, it’s one thing to get ahead in business, but to stay ahead you must look to the future. Admittedly, it’s not without its risks. But those risks are minimised by our staff’s extensive knowledge of sport and our acute sense of what will sell and what won’t.

I’ll leave you with this. Ajax‘s former head of talent development Ruben Jongkind recently told the following story: “When FC Barcelona were so good and so dominant seven or eight years ago, I was walking with [Johan] Cruyff on the training ground at La Masia. He told me: ‘Everybody is looking at the first team and I am looking at the academy. Things are not right and they have to change.'”

We have the same mentality here at Icons.com. We never rest on our laurels and we are always looking to the future for the next set of superstars and Ballon d’Or winners.

We don’t just sign the Icons, we scout them too.



CLOSED | GIVEAWAY! Win a Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar Jr signed plaque and photo frame!


It’s giveaway time! To celebrate the joint birthday of two of our favourite Icons, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr, we’re offering you the chance to win a signed plaque and photo frame from one of these two legends of the modern game. ‘Sounds good but how do I enter?’ I hear you ask?

Well, as ever, it could not be simpler. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is:

  1. Subscribe to the Icons.com email newsletter via this handy little link
  2. Update your preferences and tell us who your favourite player or players are

When the competition closes on Friday February 8th at 12pm GMT we’ll be taking every name on our subscriber list, grabbing all the good folk who’ve updated their preferences, and drawing two lucky winners from the whole lot. So, make sure you’re in before midday Friday!

Good luck everyone!


(Now, for the boring bit…) TERMS AND CONDITIONS

    1. The Promoter of this prize draw is Icons Shop Limited (registered in England under company number 06791294 and with its registered office at 65 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 7LS) (the “Promoter”).
    2. The Promoter is offering those who enter this promotion a chance to win either a Cristiano Ronaldo Signed Plaque and Juventus Photo Frame OR a Neymar Jr Signed Plaque and Paris Saint-Germain Photo Frame. Valid entrants will only be eligible to win one of the two prizes on offer.
    3. Entrants must be aged 14 years or over. This promotion is not open to any employees of the Promoter or any of their affiliate companies, their families, agents or anyone else connected with this prize draw.
    4. Multiple entries per person are not permitted. Entries will only be accepted provided they fit the entry criteria outlined in these terms and conditions (paragraph 5). However, entries submitted on behalf of another person will not be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed. Incomplete, illegible, misdirected or late entries will not be accepted.
    5. To enter this prize draw entrants must be subscribed to the official Icons.com Newsletter (icons.com/newsletter) and must have either “Cristiano Ronaldo”, “Cristiano”, “CR7”, “Ronaldo”, “Neymar” or “Neymar Jr” in the Favourite Players field of their subscriber preferences.
    6. No purchase is necessary to enter this promotion, however internet access is required.
    7. The promotion is open to entries until 12pm GMT on 8th February 2019 (the “promotional period”).
    8. Only one winner per prize will be drawn. The prizes are non-refundable, non-transferable and non-exchangeable and there is no cash alternative offered.
    9. The Promoter reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value. In the event of unforeseen circumstances or circumstances outside its reasonable control, the Promoter reserves the right to modify or discontinue this promotion without prior notice, be it temporarily or permanently.
    10. The winner will be selected from all valid entries received during the promotional period. The draw will take place no later than seven days following the end of the promotional period.
    11. The winner will be notified within five days of the draw via the email address with which they entered the competition. They will be asked to provide a postal address to which the prize will be sent. If the winner fails to respond and/or to give a valid address within five days of this notification, or declines their prize, a redraw will take place from the remaining valid entries to select a new winner (however, this five-day period may be extended at the Promoter’s sole discretion). If the winner declines their prize, or fails to respond within the required period, they forfeit any right to the prize.
    12. The prize will be sent via post to the address supplied within two weeks following provision of the winner’s address in accordance with paragraph 13.
    13. The name and county of residence of the winners will be made available on request to anyone sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to the Promoter as the address set out above within 10 weeks of the closing date of the promotion.
    14. The Promoter does not accept responsibility for network, computer or software failures of any kind and has no responsibility for lost, delayed or misdirected entries.
    15. The Promoter reserves the right to exclude any entries the Promoter in its sole discretion considers to be inappropriate, unrelated or offensive and to disqualify any entries if the Promoter, at its sole discretion, believes that there has been an attempt to manipulate or tamper with the operation of the promotion (including, without limitation, by setting up multiple email, Facebook or other social media accounts in order to submit multiple entries).
    16. By entering this competition you agree that the promoter may store and use the data you enter into this competition and contact you. You agree that the promoter may store and use any image and/or comment you post as your entry for this competition, and may use your name and competition entry in its social media channels and website (including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and icons.com), worldwide and without limit of time. You understand that you won’t have any right to preview or pre-approve the content (and, that you won’t be entitled to any kind of payment) in the event that it is used by Icons as noted above.
    17. Except for the purpose of carrying out the promotion, the Promoter will not use entrants’ personal data without the express consent of the entrant. See http://www.icons.com/about/help/privacy-policy.html for our full privacy policy.
    18. You agree to be bound by the decisions of the Promoter, which are final in all matters relating to the promotion. No correspondence will be entered into in respect of the Promoter’s decisions.
    19. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed exclusively in accordance with the laws of England and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England, including the seeking of all injunctive or ancillary relief actions.

    Shop from our full range of 100% authentic Dele signed items by visiting Icons.com today…

    Follow Icons on FacebookTwitter and Instagram for all our latest blog posts, special offers and competitions.



Press Release: We’re pioneering blockchain tech in the fight against fakes

  • Market leader Icons worked with digital agency Zone to launch blockchain application
  • Revolutionary tech will enhance consumer trust by tracking the provenance of signed items
  • App will also be used in the fight against fakes and frauds
  • Leo Messi signed shirts among the first items to be ‘b-locked’

London, 18 September 2018 The world’s largest football memorabilia company has become the first application of a pioneering blockchain solution that underpins the value of signed items with the aim of securing consumer trust.

Icons, the world’s leading originator and supplier of signed football memorabilia, has joined with digital experts Zone to create Icons b-locked, an online ledger that tracks the provenance of signed items.

The first items to be used in the Icons b-locked application will be shirts autographed by Lionel Messi during a private signing session with the FC Barcelona superstar in mid-September.

Icons b-locked uses blockchain – the distributed ledger technology that sits behind cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin – to create a permanent record of signed items, including details of when and where each item was signed.

Consumers use a unique code assigned to their product to view specific details of the item and its associated signing.

The technology comes at a time when the sports memorabilia market, estimated to be worth $2-4billion, is under threat from the rise of fraudsters manipulating online auction websites, as well as the emergence of automated robots capable of replicating signatures for fake products.

Icons CEO, Dan Jamieson, says: “At Icons, we’ve always gone to extraordinary lengths to provide evidence of the authenticity of our goods – not only for our customers but also for the integrity of the market.

“Every day we’re asked if our products are really signed by the players themselves. Consumers need more reassurance than ever. That’s why we’ve worked with Zone to create this world-first product. We want this to be the gold standard which ultimately helps the market grow.”

Edward Freedman, Icons founder, added: “I truly believe that Icons b-locked will put to rest the question of authenticity. It will revolutionise our industry and hopefully it will take us to a level that everyone will be aspiring to.”

Icons has been working with the world’s biggest sports stars since 1999 and has entered into exclusive contracts with the likes of Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Eden Hazard.

The company has long-term relationships with Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr and Eric Cantona, among many others. It has had the exclusive official UEFA Champions League memorabilia license for the past six seasons and the worldwide deal was recently renewed for the 2018-21 cycle. Icons also has official memorabilia licences for the FIFA World Cup and FA England.

Jon Davie, Chief Client Officer at Zone, commented: “For all the hype about blockchain, practical applications so far have been few and far between.

“Working with Icons, we had an opportunity to create a blockchain application that ordinary customers can experience, understand and benefit from. The opportunities are endless. Not just in the sports memorabilia market, but in art, antiques, collectables – any market where establishing authenticity and tracking provenance is important.”

For more information please contact Icons CEO Dan Jamieson (dan@icons.com or +44 20 7267 3934).

Stay up-to-date with Icons b-locked by joining us on Telegram. Click here to join our channel.


About Zone

One of the UK’s leading technology and customer experience agencies, Zone is part of global professional services giant Cognizant, who acquired the agency in October last year.

Recently hailed by the London Stock Exchange as one of the UK’s most inspiring companies, the agency’s 250+ strategy, content and technology experts helps ambitious brands such as Adidas, BMW, Aviva, Barratt Homes, Electrolux, Lloyds Banking Group, Maersk and Unileverwin in a world where digital is mission critical.



Icons Shop Limited Shortlisted For A Sports Business Award

Icons Shop Limited is delighted to announce that it has been shortlisted as a finalist in the category of Best Small Business Serving Sport at the Sports Business Awards 2017.

This past year, we celebrated working with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for over a decade. We also announced a brand new licence with The Football Association to produce Official England Licensed Memorabilia, further expanding our range of official licences with the world’s biggest organisations, events and brands, which already included the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA EURO 2016 and Official Messi Signed Merchandise.

In addition, Icons Shop Limited doubled turnover, experienced record sales for the busy Christmas and New Year period, expanded its staff and further strengthened its relationships with the world’s best footballers.

The Sports Business Awards celebrates “the vital influence of business within sport” and “recognises the organisations, teams and individuals who excel in a variety of business, CSR and sports governance disciplines.” The ceremony, which takes on June 2nd at The Brewery in London, will be attended by over 400 professionals from a variety of industries within the world of sport.

Also nominated in our category are All Sport Insurance, Beyond 90, Designwerk, FKPro, HRP Equestrian, ILG Business Ltd and Traveleads.

 

Click here to find out more about the Sports Business Awards. For the full list of finalists, click here.

For all our latest product news, behind the scenes content, giveaways and competitions, please follow Icons on FacebookTwitterInstagram and YouTube.



Barcelona and Spain Legend Andres Iniesta Signs For Icons Again

Fresh from our signing with Lionel Messi – and an exceptional performance from Barcelona at Camp Nou – the Icons team were hard at work again on Sunday night as we met with four-time UEFA Champions League winner, two-time UEFA EURO finals conquerer and 2010 FIFA World Cup hero Andres Iniesta in central Barcelona for the second of three signings with Barca’s best.

Andres-Inesta-Icons-Signing-Photos

Though he may be advancing in age, Andres seems to be as good as ever in his inimitable role as Barcelona’s pass master. The Spaniard was superb in his side’s 4-0 demolition of Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon (for which Icons must again thank our friend Lionel for pitch-side tickets), and after a historic 2014-15 season in which he and his Blaugrana cohorts cantered to domestic and UEFA Champions League glory, Andres looks to be on track for another remarkable season.

It’s no wonder he was in high spirits as we begun our session.

The 31-year-old merrily added his autograph to our excellent range of new products, including Barcelona home shirts from the previous two seasons, away kits from 2014-15 and 2008-09, and Spain tops from 2013.

Andres-Inesta-Icons-Shirt

With a collection of his favourite music playing in the background – including Leeds-based rockers Kasabian and Spanish duo Estopa – Andres also signed our latest Nike boots, photos of some of his most glorious moments in the football and, perhaps most exciting of all, two extra special match-worn shirts.

Andres-Inesta-Icons-Boot

The first of which came directly from Spain’s 2-0 victory over England in the nations’ recent friendly in Alicante on November 13. Andres played a pivotal role during the first half that evening as his side eased to victory over Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions and further showcased their strength in depth ahead of next summer’s UEFA EURO 2016 tournament in France.

Soon after Andres signed his matchworn Barcelona shirt from the recent Clasico in which he and his Barca teammates humiliated Real Madrid with a 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeau. It was Andres that evening who, as per usual, pulled the strings as Barcelona ran riot against their La Liga rivals. Proving his enduring class, Andres sprayed the ball around the park with consulate ease and deadly accuracy before scoring with a fierce strike at the end of a typically devastating Barca move.

Andres-Inesta-Matchworn-Barcelona-Shirt

This is a truly special item and will be available on icons.com very soon – so keep your eyes peeled.

After all our products were signed, Andres happily posed for photos with the Icons team before being whisked away – presumably to bed before an early morning training session. A training session Icons might get to have a sneak of, as we prepare to complete our hat-trick of Barcelona signings with the addition of a certain Luis Suarez on Monday morning.Andres-Inesta-Icons

Phew! What a weekend!

Be sure to check out icons.com for all our latest products from Andres, Leo and Luis as we continue to bring you the world’s best signed memorabilia from the world’s best footballers in the build-up to Christmas 2016.

Photos courtesy of Matt Hardy. For more images of Icons’ visit to Barcelona, visit www.matthardyphotography.co.uk.

Follow Icons on FacebookTwitter and Instagram for all our latest blog posts, chat and competitions.



He’s Back! Lionel Messi Signs For Icons

Icons met Lionel Messi again on November 27 for our latest signing session with the FC Barcelona and Argentina legend. The forward was all smiles as he signed our latest range of products and with yet more signings to come over the next few days, be sure to keep your eye on icons.com.

Lionel Messi Icons Memorabilia

Lionel Messi signed some new stunning products for us including a selection of beautiful photographs from his incredible ongoing career.

Lionel Messi Signing Photos For Icons.com

Photos courtesy of Matt Hardy. For more images of Icons’ visit to Barcelona, visit www.matthardyphotography.co.uk.

Follow Icons on FacebookTwitter and Instagram for all our latest blog posts, chat and competitions.

To see our Lionel Messi product range click Icons.

 



Relaunched: The World’s Best Memorabilia Brand Now Has The World’s Best Website

Icons.com relaunches. The world’s best memorabilia brand now has the world’s best site

Icons-World-Best-Site

Today, we’re very excited to relaunch the Icons website. We just wanted to explain what we’ve done and why we’ve done it.

Designed for tablets and mobiles

The site has been completely rebuilt and now has a responsive design which means it automatically resizes to fit the screens of a desktop computer, a tablet or a mobile device. Over half our customers view the site on either a tablet or a mobile and we’re hoping this makes it a lot easier for them to use.

Easy shopping experience

We have concentrated our efforts on ensuring that the site is easy to use, intuitive and reassures our customers of our authenticity at every level. We now have a quicker checkout, wish lists and a personal account option where you can store your details.

Showcase our licensed collection

Icons are the only company allowed to create official memorabilia ranges for FIFA World Cups and the UEFA Champions League. Today we also launch our new collection: UEFA Euro2016 France to celebrate the history and excitement around next year’s tournament in France.

More video content

Icons lead the memorabilia market in authentication videos – no one else does videos of this quality or standard to 100% reassure our customers on the authenticity of the products they’re buying. We showcase our limited edition products and our long term, on-going relationships with the world’s best players, past and present. Check out our most recent releases from Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr, as well as our summer signing with the Dutch Masters – Van Basten, Guillit and Rijkaard.

Increased security

Icons have moved onto a new open-source platform called Magento. Without boring you with too much tech speak, it basically means that the platform is regularly upgraded so we can be constantly on top of new web developments and we also have enhanced security for ourselves and for our customers too.

More news and features

We’ve also relaunched our blog on News.icons.com, check out articles about our recent signings. We will be integrating our videos, social media and photos as well our links to the players’ own websites and social media so we can keep you up to date with our signings and what our players are up to too.

Feedback

We’re always happy to hear from our customers so let us know on customersupport@icons.com what you think. We look forward to hearing from you and hope your experience is world class.

Dan Jamieson,

CEO Icons Shop Ltd

 

 



Luis Suarez Signs With Icons Again

Luis-Suarez-Signing-Session-Icons

After such a successful year, it’s no surprise that Luis Suarez is ready and raring to go again as the 2015-16 season commences, starting with Barcelona’s Super Cup Final against Sevilla in Georgia. Former Liverpool hero and now an integral part of Barcelona’s attacking triumvirate, Luis Suarez is a natural born winner. Tireless in the pursuit of victory, Suarez was vital in Barcelona’s treble triumph of 2015, contributing 25 goals and 24 assists in just half a season.

Most notable were his performances in Barcelona‘s lime coloured away shirt. First scoring two sublime goals against PSG in the Champions League Quarter Finals, and secondly against Bayern Munich where he assisted twice, putting it on a plate for Neymar Jr on both occasions. He was also key in dismantling Manchester City in the previous round of the competition, scoring two goals in 14 first half minutes at the Etihad.

'LUIS-7'-SIGNED-SHIRT WATERMARKED

The Uruguayan only seems to get better and with icons such as Messi, Neymar and Iniesta around him, that progress does not look like stopping any time soon. The future certainly looks bright for Luis Suarez and Barcelona. Slotting into the deadliest attacking trio on the planet, Suarez has achieved so much in just half a season’s playing time. Having seemingly left the controversy of his past behind him, Suarez’s dynamic play and lethal finishing has added a new dimension to a revamped Barcelona. Can anyone snatch the Champions League, La Liga or Copa Del Rey away from Catalonia? It seems obvious that ‘El Pistolero’ will have something to say about that.

Watermarked

In his homeland, Suarez is lauded as a national hero. Alongside Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani, he has helped forge one of the deadliest strike forces in international football and will soon lead the line as the team’s star man. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa he played an important role in Uruguay‘s fourth-place finish, scoring three goals, and also blocked an extra time goal bound header with his hands during the quarter finals against Ghana. He was dismissed, but Uruguay went on to triumph via penalties. His jubilant celebrations afterwards attracted criticism from some, but for others, emphasised Suarez’s best qualities: he is a champion and a patriot, at all costs.

Watermarked

Suarez has been signing with Icons.com for 4 years now, ever since he first came to Liverpool in 2011. Luis Suarez memorabilia is hugely popular on icons.com and we are delighted to stock products carrying the authentic Luis Suarez autograph. These include current and previous Barcelona andUruguay shirts as well as seminal photographs and posters signed by all three of the amigos. Don’t miss out on these ultimate collector’s items, a must-have for any true Barcelona fan.