Scott Barnes, a lifelong fan of Aston Villa, never imagined selling his late father’s diamond ring, but he had to make a difficult choice when the Villans advanced to their first European final since 1982.
After winning the ballot to purchase a ticket on Tuesday—something he believed would “never ever ever” occur—Barnes took the extreme measure to sell the cherished ring.
However, the season ticket holder acknowledged on BBC Radio WM’s football phone-in that his initial concern was that he wouldn’t have enough money to travel to Istanbul to watch Villa play Freiburg in the Europa League Final in a week’s time.
Barnes Came Up With Plan To Sell The Ring
Barnes claimed that he finally came up with a plan after his partner Claire reminded him of the ring. He claimed to have used his final £20 on gas to take a trip to Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
John Barnes, his father, purchased the nine-diamond gold ring in 1988.
“Everyone loved my dad, the whole family we loved him, he was so generous and used to pay for everything, we never went without,” his son remembers.
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“I still have my dad’s wedding ring, and my mum’s wedding ring that I will keep forever.”
However, selling the ring was difficult, and in order to close the deal, Scott had to go to several jewelry stores.
Barnes Bursts Into Tears
But then one came up trumps, and he sold the ring, along with a watch, and was paid £550.
“When the jeweller gave me the money, I burst into tears in the shop,” Barnes said.
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