The BHF’s ‘Hall of Fame’ of donated items

THE British Heart Foundation (BHF) has released a ‘hall of fame’ showcasing the rare and unique donations that have passed through its doors.

We’re all used to seeing rails of clothing and corners of books in our local charity shops, but this summer, the BHF has revealed five items you might not expect to find but have made some shoppers very very happy! When rare and unique items are donated to the BHF, the donations can be sent to the charity’s eBay hub for verification and be listed online for buyers to shop all over the world.

The charity is now encouraging the nation to shop preloved for all their sunshine season’s needs, discovering the abundance of hidden gems waiting to be found.

1. THE BEATLES ‘Love Me Do’ 7 Inch DEMO PROMO ‘McArtney’ Spelling Parlo Rim

The record was donated to the BHF Midhurst shop and sold on eBay for £9400. The winning bidder loaned it to The Beatles Museum where it is on display. This was the promotional record that made the Beatles famous and before this, they were an unknown band even the spelling of Paul McCartney’s name is wrong and is printed as ‘McArtney’.

2. 18-carat Cartier Tank Française

The watch was generously donated to the BHF shop in Hounslow, west London, before making its way to the charity’s online eBay hub in Leeds for verification. The watch sold for £9,766.66, the highest-selling item the BHF has sold.

3. 1968 Beatles White album

At over 50 years old, this iconic album was donated to the BHF Sutton Coldfield, complete with the original inserts, a foldout poster and four colour prints of the band. The 12-inch mono record has a low 4-digit number, 0004528, and includes a misprint only found in the first version of the record, of which there are only 10,000 in existence. The album sold for £2,350.

4. Wurlitzer Music Jukebox C2 H70

This eye-catching, floor-standing jukebox system was donated to the BHF home store in Harrow.

5. Manchester United FC shirt, signed by Harry Maguire

When the shirt was first donated to the BHF shop in Manchester, the BHF shop team were unsure of its authenticity. However, when they were able to get it verified by the club, the shop team framed the shirt and auctioned it on eBay. After 17 bids, the shirt sold for £205.01.

The BHF is the largest charity retailer on eBay, selling over 440,000 items on the platform every year, raising vital funds for life-saving research. Shoppers can also browse a range of new items, including garden furniture and home furnishings, on the charity’s online shop.

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director at the BHF added: 

“One of the many joys of shopping second-hand with the BHF is not knowing what discoveries you’re going to make.

“Our hall of fame showcases the exceptionally wonderful items we have sold and we hope this inspires the public to shop preloved with the BHF this summer. We also hope this will encourage those who have any rare and unique pieces in need of a new home to donate it to us, to help fund groundbreaking research.

“As the largest charity retailer in the UK, we know shoppers are looking to utilise various channels to shop at their convenience. So whether you’re in the market for rare music memorabilia or feeling inspired to make your discoveries, look no further than the BHF this summer.”

By shopping second-hand with the BHF, the charity saves over 56,000 tonnes of goods from going to waste, and all the money raised helps the charity fund life-saving research into heart and circulatory diseases.

Shop with the BHF this summer and help fund life-saving research. Please visit: bhf.org.uk/shop.