Thousands of Best mementoes flood eBay after death

Within hours of George Best's death, items of memorabilia were flooding the internet auction site eBay. By last night, more than 1,700 were up for grabs.

Sellers trading collectables that allegedly "celebrated" the 59-year-old's career were obviously hoping to cash in on a renewed surge of interest in the footballing legend.

Items ranged from videos to mugs, including copies of newspaper tributes and a limited edition of his autobiography on offer for a starting price of a cool £2,000. An autographed framed picture of Best with his manager Sir Matt Busby started at £999.99 - with 20 per cent of the sale pledged to the British Organ Donor Society.

A signed 1968 European Cup Winners shirt was on offer with a starting price of £500, although bargain-hunters could pick up signed pictures for as little as 1p.

The majority will not break any auction records. A signed copy of Always Alex, Best's second wife's autobiography, went for £16, while Best's own autobiography, Scoring at Half-Time, sold for £95 having started at £60. Signed programmes were going for upwards of £50.