Liverpool’s original ‘This is Anfield’ sign has sold for £115,000 at auction, exceeding the listed price by more than seven times.The sign was first hung in the players tunnel at Anfield in 1972, having been the idea of the groundsman who brought the suggestion to club secretary Peter Robinson.The intention was to psychologically intimidate opposing teams and remind Liverpool players of standards at the club.Manager Bill Shankly rejected the original wording of ‘Welcome To Anfield’ as being too friendly, leading to it being changed to ‘This is Anfield’.Sports memorabilia auctioneers Budds had estimated the iconic sign would fetch between £10,000 to £15,000 at auction.The winning bid was £115,000, reportedly a record price for any UK sports stadium interior sign, with the overall cost standing at £149,500 due to including commission and VAT. The original ‘This is Anfield’ sign has been sold for £115,000 at an auction, vastly exceeding the expected priceBudds said it had been commonly accepted that the original version of the sign had been taken down and replaced by Bob Paisley in 1974, before being replaced with a new one with an updated design.The auctioneers stated that dated photo evidence from the signing photos of Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish and Frank McGarvey show the sign was not actually removed from the tunnel until 1979.It meant the sign was still in the tunnel for Liverpool’s first two European Cups and an additional three First Division titles.The sign was eventually gifted by Roy Evans to Ronald Wilson, a former member of the club’s boys’ team.Wilson and his family had hung the sign in the bar of a hotel they owned in Douglas in the Isle of Man from 1970 to 2000.The sign was passed down to existing owners Ian and Lynn after the hotel was sold.It was initially placed into storage and later hung at Ian’s work office from the mid-2010s until his retirement earlier this year, before being placed back into storage.The replacement sign was hung in the Anfield tunnel before itself being replaced with a newer version in 1998. The sign is a historic symbol of Liverpool which players walk under as they head to the pitch (Steven Gerrard pictured touching it on his last Liverpool appearance) Virgil van Dijk touches the ‘This is Anfield’ sign which players under Jurgen Klopp were not allowed to touch before winning a trophyThe sign was later reinstalled under Brendan Rodgers’ management following a restoration.The famous sign is an iconic symbol at Anfield, with players known for touching it on their way out onto the pitch.Jurgen Klopp famously banned his Liverpool players from touching the sign until they delivered a major trophy as a sign of respect, which ended when they won the Champions League in 2019.Former Arsenal star Ian Wright and ex-Man United captain Roy Keane entertainingly debated their approaches to the Anfield sign on ITV in 2022.Wright explained that he had made a point of touching the sign, saying: ‘Course, but I didn’t touch it when going out with the guys. When you went out for the warm-up, you’d look around and touch it because it’s iconic, it’s unbelievable.’I didn’t want them (his team-mates) to see me because I didn’t want it to feel it was disrespectful, it wasn’t disrespectful, I just wanted to touch that sign.’When Keane was asked if he touched the sign he responded: ‘Of course not. There’d be no point.’It’s okay, it’s a tradition for the English (Liverpool) players but not for the opposition players, I’m not sure why you touched it Wrighty.”I think it’s silly, it’s childish’, before Wright responded: ‘It’s not childish, it’s an unbelievable thing to be able to do.’The former United man then questioned: ‘What benefit did you get out of it?’Wright responded: ‘I’ve touched it. I’m one of the few people to have touched it. I bet there’s a lot of fans that haven’t touched that.’