Hungarian company buys Puskas memorabilia to halt auction

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Orszagos Szaknevsor Bt. (OS), which publishes telephone directories in the country, has agreed to purchase dozens of memorabilia items owned by the family of ailing football hero Ferenc Puskas. Puskas, 78, has been in a Budapest hospital for several years with increasingly failing health and memory.

The items were to be auctioned in London's fine art auction house Bonhams, to help the family to meet Puskas' hospital costs. Spanish Real Madrid recently held a benefit match for Puskas in Budapest, but it raised more money for the club and its organizers than for Puskas himself.

Bonhams brokered the private treaty deal with OS, following an instruction of the family. Bonhams was set to auction 127 lots of the memorabilia on 2 November. Puskas' family owned 93 of the lots, while 34 were being offered by five other sellers. Among the items were Puskas' game jersey from the 1952 Helsinki Olympic final won by Hungary, his silver medal from the 1952 World Cup and a Golden Boot he received for scoring 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary.

Gyorgy Bodnar, OS owner who paid over GBP 100,000 for the collection, has informed that most of the items are expected to be included in a special Puskas exhibit in the Hungarian Football Hall of Fame, while two items - a monogrammed gold pocket watch and Puskas's seal ring � are to be donated to Puskas's wife.