ORCAHRD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills fans will have the opportunity to purchase memorabilia from the current Highmark Stadium when the team's farewell season at the venue comes to a close.
Erie County recently amended its lease with the Bills to allow the team to hire a third party to salvage and sell stadium memorabilia. The arrangement covers everything from seats to signage and even the goalposts.
The company CollectibleXchange will handle the process, with net proceeds from sales split 50-50 with Erie County. The county's Commissioner of Public Works told 7 News he anticipates proceeds to exceed $1 million.
"The company that's doing this, they have all the risk. They have to go in. They're putting the money up. They're the ones that have to harvest all the memorabilia," said William Geary, Erie County Commissioner of Public Works. "The seats are probably the most complex, some of the signage, the field, cutting up the goalposts, so they're going to have to do that, plus they have to secure that into a warehouse space during that time frame till it's sold and marketed."
Geary emphasized the emotional significance of preserving pieces of the stadium for fans.
"This stadium has been a fabric of our community and people around the country, even and possibly around the world for over 50 years," Geary said. "So for everybody to have a keepsake, maybe their parents or themselves, even family, friends. You know this is gonna be an important piece. We saw it when the Aud came down; people really want to hang on to those memories."
More details are expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks, including pricing information for seats and other items, as well as the process for handling the sale. The harvesting of memorabilia won't begin until well after the Bills season is over.
"We're hopeful that it's sometime at the end of February, after the Bills have won a Super Bowl," Geary said with a smile.
Once acquired and repaired, items from the stadium are expected to be ready for fans sometime next summer, leading up to the opening of the new Highmark Stadium, which is scheduled for fall 2026.
