Mystery boxes - are they a form of gambling? You’re putting money on something you don’t exactly know or acknowledge. There’s a small chance there’s going to be something that makes you really happy - or do you just want to be surprised?
The default price is 30 GBP, however, with my added postage, they will be an additional 5 GBP which I honestly wasn’t too fussed about.
Now watch me contradict that statement that opened this piece by reviewing a www.the-football-shirt-shop.com exclusive products; the Mystery shirt box.
Contents
We’ll go through what information you’re given before you order the box. You’ll at least be able to choose the size of your apparel, and they’ll generously let you highlight your beloved football team so that they can avoid ruining your day by giving you a rival shirt you’re later more than likely to burn.
First things first - the shirt itself. You’re most likely going to receive a shirt from the past few years (which isn’t too bad) and they are generally said to be in great condition.
A vintage football magazine. Usually small booklets or magazines you’ll not be able to find around any football grounds anymore, so that’s pretty neat
Two Corinthian ProStar players - which are small figurines with oversized heads based on real-life football players. Those will most likely be pretty old too.
And finally one of the biggest football collectables that has been around for ages; a set of five old football cards (generally match Attax or rarely other brands).
Opening and review
So we’ll find out if this website is a great place to order form or not. I received the box after a fair 2-3 working days which is pretty quick. It came wrapped up in grey foil and below it was a cardboard case - neatly presented.
When opened the contents are covered by a small sheet topped with a small letter from Tom himself, from The Football Shirt Box team. A nice way to give your customers some information and even sending your regards in the hard times - they even teased a monthly mag from their company coming soon!
What I received
The most important part first - the shirt
In the form of a shining red, white finished arrow markings topping the shoulders and nicely presented with a light cross covering the summit of the shirt, came a Denmark Home shirt from 2018/19 which is actually pretty recent. You’re more than likely to get a recent shirt that’s good looking such as this one when you’re having a crack at one of these boxes.
This shirt was donned by none other than Christian Eriksen, who has been impressing for Inter Milan with stellar performances since ending his reign at Tottenham Hotspur. Other honourable mentions to have sported this shirt include Yussuf Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Thomas Delaney.
This shirt was also worn at the 2018 World Cup in Russia by the Denmark national team, who were shown their fate by Luka Modric’s Croatia and knocked out.
Next up we received a nice little piece of history.
I was greeted by the front cover of a 1971-72 Football League Preview.
Flicking through, I saw texts from some of the FL’s old sponsors and some interesting information. The first page was all about ticketing problems! Many fans were denied seats at the league cup thanks to the simple fact the FA weren’t prepared enough for that much demand. The final was ultimately won by Stoke City with a 2-1 triumph.
The second page presented me with a huge, massive dissection on penalty kicks. It was a thorough and interesting piece of content to read - being a great reminiscence of how much journalism and content creation has evolved over the years.
There’s simply too much information to be presented here. So we move on.
Two Corinthians figurines.
I was surprised to have got one of the greatest managers of all-time in the form of a figure. Sir Alex Ferguson was undoubtedly one of the best to have led a team in the premier league. As you all know he’s an icon in Manchester and will forever be.
The second figurine was actually an ex-gunner. “Lauren” or Laureano Bisan Etame-Mayer was a Cameroon international right-back who has also represented Arsenal, Portsmouth, and his latest stint at Cordoba in Spain before he retired.
The five trading cards.
All of which were the match-Attax brand, however from varying years and series. I was lucky enough to have gotten the late legend that is Eusebio in his Portugal attire, then came Gael Clichy who currently plies his trade at Istanbul Basaksehir in a crucial role this season. Then I got Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs followed by ex-Chelsea Salomon Kalou and a holographic representation of a Paraguay Roque Santa Cruz.
Is it worth it?
By the end of this review, I was pretty sure it all seems to be worth it. If you’re a football fanatic, journalist, content creator, this may as well give you a great time. There’s so much information to be found on those old magazines and even the backstories of the shirt, cards and figurines alike.
I recommend this website and the people/person behind it seems to be inclined to providing a great product.