This magnificent nine carat gold football medal dates from 1898, writes John Walsh.
It was for sale on eBay last week for £475 and the picture was sent by keen Workington Reds fan Darren Wood.
It was presented to a member of the Workington team which won the Workington Town Championship at the end of the 19th century.
Three teams took part and the competition was on a round robin basis, playing home and away.
The Reds beat the Black Diamonds 8-1 at home and 2-0 away and followed-up beating Moss Bay Exchange away 2-1 and drawing the return at home 3-3.
Details were found in John Norman’s excellent book Pioneers which traces the early days of the first Workington club from 1884 until 1911.
Now where the medal came from to end up on eBay or whose it was is unknown at the moment.
It’s possible that it been presented to one of the following who actually played in the County Cup final around the same time – McGuirk, Dawson, Brown, Swift, McClure, Wildgoose, Claridge, Harwood, George, Wilkinson, J Smith.
