IT'S a sign of the times for York City with fans handed a once in a lifetime opportunity to grab a piece of footballing history, writes Dave Stanford.

As the club gets ready to unveil a new crest this week, all old City merchandise featuring the old badge will soon be out of date.

As a result, the club shop, based at Bootham Crescent, is staging a clear-out sale with at least 50 per cent off old merchandise and memorabilia.

The image revamp also means a number of signs and hoardings dotted around the ground and featuring the old badge will also be out of date.

As a result, chairman John Batchelor is ready to sell-off the old signs to the highest bidder, boosting club coffers while also letting fans obtain some unique City memorabilia.

"We are planning to close the shop soon for a complete refurbishment in time for the new season so anyone wanting something with the Minstermen badge on it needs to get down soon," said the City chief.

"The old signs around the ground with the old badge will also be coming down as we start work on sprucing up the ground for the start of next season.

"We may be planning to move to a new a stadium in the near future but we are still planning a big visual change at Bootham Crescent.

"Anyone wanting one of the signs just has to make an offer," he said.

Updated: 12:30 Wednesday, May 29, 2002