Sir Geoff Hurst admits that his World Cup medal, which will be one
of the attractions of the West Ham museum in the new stand, once
formed part of a bracelet that was worn by his wife in public!
Along with his FA Cup winner's medal from 1964 and his Cup Winners' Cup medal from 1965, which will also be on display when the museum opens next summer, Mrs. Hurst wore surely the ultimate piece of jewellery on nights out.
"For many years my wife had the three medals on a bracelet and would go into public places," reveals Sir Geoff.
"More people talk about the World Cup today and the significance of it, so its value is higher, but then you could get away with it.
"To wear a World Cup medal on your bracelet today would be unthinkable, but that is how it was.
"It is held in more reverence today than it ever was before.
"There would be a huge risk today; it is a treasured item and a token of England winning the World Cup in 1966, which people of our generation are very proud of and remember fondly."
Not that there will be any more soirees with the medals jangling on Mrs. Hurst's wrist - all three are safely in the possession of West Ham now that the World Cup medal has gone to the club for £150,000.
"West Ham have it now and that's it; it will be next seen at the launch of the new museum.
"I auctioned most of the memorabilia last year through Christie's but I retained the World Cup medal as I decided I would keep that," says Sir Geoff.
"But I always knew that we were going to release it somewhere because it has been locked away in a bank vault and nobody ever sees it.
"You can't split the medal between three girls and two grandchildren, and I always felt it was fitting to go to West Ham because I spent 15 very happy years there and it is a club I am extremely fond of.
"With the new stand and the museum, and the fact that they had acquired Bobby Moore's collection,
I felt it was a very nice thing to incorporate my medal into the collection as well.
"I think you could argue I could have got more for it but I didn't want to put it on the open market.
"West Ham made some overtures to me, and talked about the new stand and the museum; the money was a secondary thing.
"I felt it ought to finish up at West Ham and the price was not a consideration, though with the shirt fetching £85,000 last year, which was remarkable for a shirt, the medal might have gone for more."
Sir Geoff admits that he has not actually seen the fruits of his endavours for some time, and adds:
"I very rarely look at the medal because it is locked away.
"The last time I saw it was after a specific request from the members of the 1966 club in the Bobby Moore stand about a year or 18 months ago.
"They joke about whether I really played in the final as they've never seen the medal so I wanted to ram their words down their throats and produce it.
"That's the only time it's been seen in public over many many years, so it will be nice to share with a lot of people who can have a look at it.
"The museum will provide an opportunity for fans to see not only my medal but Bobby Moore's collection and Martin Peters' medal, which will be lovely."
Sir Geoff, speaking from Ottakar's in Basildon where he was signing copies of his new book '1966 And All That', says he is delighted with the way the stadium is shaping up.
"We are looking forward to the magnificent development being completed - and filling it."
The £3.5m museum in the new Dr. Martens stand will also house Bobby Moore's £1.45m collection of memorabilia, and chairman Terry Brown says:
"This will be a unique collection and we were very lucky; the odds against being given the opportunity to acquire these three World Cup winner's medals at the time when we were building our museum at Upton Park must have been very long indeed.
"There is a lot more to a football club than buying and selling players - having three players from one club playing in a victorious England World Cup final team is a unique feat and we are immensely proud of it.
"What better way is there of commemorating that achievement than to display all three of their winners' medals?"
Along with his FA Cup winner's medal from 1964 and his Cup Winners' Cup medal from 1965, which will also be on display when the museum opens next summer, Mrs. Hurst wore surely the ultimate piece of jewellery on nights out.
"For many years my wife had the three medals on a bracelet and would go into public places," reveals Sir Geoff.
"More people talk about the World Cup today and the significance of it, so its value is higher, but then you could get away with it.
"To wear a World Cup medal on your bracelet today would be unthinkable, but that is how it was.
"It is held in more reverence today than it ever was before.
"There would be a huge risk today; it is a treasured item and a token of England winning the World Cup in 1966, which people of our generation are very proud of and remember fondly."
Not that there will be any more soirees with the medals jangling on Mrs. Hurst's wrist - all three are safely in the possession of West Ham now that the World Cup medal has gone to the club for £150,000.
"West Ham have it now and that's it; it will be next seen at the launch of the new museum.
"I auctioned most of the memorabilia last year through Christie's but I retained the World Cup medal as I decided I would keep that," says Sir Geoff.
"But I always knew that we were going to release it somewhere because it has been locked away in a bank vault and nobody ever sees it.
"You can't split the medal between three girls and two grandchildren, and I always felt it was fitting to go to West Ham because I spent 15 very happy years there and it is a club I am extremely fond of.
"With the new stand and the museum, and the fact that they had acquired Bobby Moore's collection,
I felt it was a very nice thing to incorporate my medal into the collection as well.
"I think you could argue I could have got more for it but I didn't want to put it on the open market.
"West Ham made some overtures to me, and talked about the new stand and the museum; the money was a secondary thing.
"I felt it ought to finish up at West Ham and the price was not a consideration, though with the shirt fetching £85,000 last year, which was remarkable for a shirt, the medal might have gone for more."
Sir Geoff admits that he has not actually seen the fruits of his endavours for some time, and adds:
"I very rarely look at the medal because it is locked away.
"The last time I saw it was after a specific request from the members of the 1966 club in the Bobby Moore stand about a year or 18 months ago.
"They joke about whether I really played in the final as they've never seen the medal so I wanted to ram their words down their throats and produce it.
"That's the only time it's been seen in public over many many years, so it will be nice to share with a lot of people who can have a look at it.
"The museum will provide an opportunity for fans to see not only my medal but Bobby Moore's collection and Martin Peters' medal, which will be lovely."
Sir Geoff, speaking from Ottakar's in Basildon where he was signing copies of his new book '1966 And All That', says he is delighted with the way the stadium is shaping up.
"We are looking forward to the magnificent development being completed - and filling it."
The £3.5m museum in the new Dr. Martens stand will also house Bobby Moore's £1.45m collection of memorabilia, and chairman Terry Brown says:
"This will be a unique collection and we were very lucky; the odds against being given the opportunity to acquire these three World Cup winner's medals at the time when we were building our museum at Upton Park must have been very long indeed.
"There is a lot more to a football club than buying and selling players - having three players from one club playing in a victorious England World Cup final team is a unique feat and we are immensely proud of it.
"What better way is there of commemorating that achievement than to display all three of their winners' medals?"