Inside the largest collection of Inter memorabilia

It is an extraordinary moment for Inter fans around the world: winning the Scudetto in the derby for the first time in history, securing the club's 20th title and with it the coveted second star on the jersey from next season. The celebrations began after the triple whistle in the derby and continued until last Sunday, when Simone Inzaghi's team received a hug from the Nerazzurri fans aboard the open-top bus. The club's flags, jerseys and anthems can be heard all over Milan: no doubt the Nerazzurri team has claimed bragging rights in the city, at least for this year.

Artefacts from the past have the power to transport fans to different eras in mere seconds, evoking a flood of emotions. To celebrate Inter's latest title win—though I hardly needed convincing—we delved into the extensive collection of Mattia Buffoli, also known as Interabilia. A lifelong Inter fan, Buffoli's passion for memorabilia from the club's history has transformed him into an oracle of all things Inter, and his home into an unexpected museum dedicated to the Nerazzurri. It’s hard not to get excited watching on as drawers, cupboards and boxes open with endless trinkets from the clubs history: ashtrays, lunch boxes, scarves, VHS’s, match worn shirts (I spot a Taribo West shirt from 98-99), pennants, medals… It seems to go on and on.

So which item in Mattia’s collection is his most precious? “It’s hard to pick one, but one of those I’m attached to is the winners' gilet from the 1988-89 season. The players wore this on the field to celebrate the Scudetto. It's one of the first clear memories I have of Inter when I was little. I was 6 years old and I remember seeing images of the celebrations at my grandfather's house, he was an Interista. It's because of him that I’m an Inter fan.” With each object comes a story about it’s provenance and how he stumbled across it, primarily from one of the many Milanese flea markets from over the years. Holding a copper Inter plate with intricate ornate detailing “This is a dish created to celebrate the double of the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup victories from 1964-65, it wasn’t an official club product, like many things from that era, at the time plates like these were produced for clubs and cities all around Italy, they rarely produce artisanal objects like these in the modern day".

The primary focus for this piece is seeking out celebratory pieces from past Scudetti, although it’s hard to avoid being distracted by an official Barbie Inter collaboration and various other beautifully crafted magazines and pennants. Finally settling on a selection of magazines, postcards, drinks cans and flags, what is striking is just how much detail and thought went into the objects celebrating title winning seasons, the illustrative magazine covers all display the scudetto shield in various ways, some with literal pop cartoons, others with a more modernist graphic design approach. It’s the tiny details that pull you in, the stamped elements on postcards, arrangements of winning dates on cans and pennants – all in a riot of black and blue and green, white and red. 

“Most of these come from flea markets around Milan, but I think some of the best pieces and the hardest to find are all thanks to relationships I have built with sellers from over the years. I got a phone call from someone who works in house clearance who was emptying  a cellar, the cellar belonged to an Inter fan who collected various things over the years. When I got there I found it was all Inter stuff from the 1960s.” 

In an era where brands and clubs have perfected the art of merchandise and branding, seizing upon these winning moments where sponsors and partners vie for visibility, there's something refreshing about seeing objects like this free from the commercial constraints of today. Here, the sole purpose is to celebrate a moment, much like the vintage bootleg culture which has seen a resurgence in recent years. It's the imperfections and naive approach to design that give these objects warmth and appeal, something we seem to have lost and try to replicate today.