A gold medal from Notts County’s one and only FA Cup final victory 125 years ago has been discovered.
The rare FA Cup winner’s medal awarded to George Toone, the Magpies goalkeeper more than a century ago, has been found by Hansons Auctioneers.
It dates back to 1894, the year Notts County beat Bolton Wanderers 4-1 at Goodison Park to lift the FA Cup trophy in front of 37,000 fans.
James Logan scored a hat-trick for the Magpies that day with Arthur Watson adding another goal. Meanwhile Jim Cassidy hit the net for Bolton. The win meant Notts County became the first team from outside the top flight to win the FA Cup.
The medal, being sold by a private collector and Notts County fan, is due to go under the hammer at Hansons’ Football in Focus Auction on August 22 with an estimate of £15,000-£18,000.
Alistair Lofley, sports valuer at Hansons, said: “It’s exceptionally rare. I’ve never seen a medal from this game before. For any Notts County collector this has to be the ultimate object to own – a winner’s medal from the team’s one and only FA Cup triumph more than a century ago.
“The record books tell us George Toone was one of the heroes of the Magpies FA Cup winning side, plus he was a home-grown player. He was born in Nottingham in 1868 and did his city proud. He gained two England caps and was described as one of the best keepers ever to play for his country.”
A broken leg kept Toone of Notts County’s first ever FA Cup final in 1891. They lost 3-1 to Blackburn Rovers, despite beating the same side 7–1 in the league a week before. But that defeat was forgotten three years later when Toone helped the Magpies win the FA Cup.
“Notts County have a proud history,” said Mr Lofley. “They were founded in 1862 making them the oldest professional association football club in the world. This medal takes us right back to those early pre-First World War days. It’s a wonderful piece of sporting history.
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Other Notts County memorabilia in the same sale includes a Steve Cherry Notts County Anglo-Italian Cup winner’s medal from 1995, estimate £1,250-£1,500; a Steve Cherry Notts County Anglo-Italian Cup runners-up medal from 1994, £750-£1,000 and cufflinks presented to John ‘Jackie’ Sewell when Notts County won the Third Division South in 1949/50, estimate £1,500-£2,000.
All items will be sold at Hansons’ Football in Focus Auction, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, DE65 6LS, on August 22. Entries invited until August 2. To find out more or to arrange a free valuation, email [email protected] or call 07863 203377.
Hansons offers free valuations in Nottinghamshire every month. Their experts will be at Newark Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, NG24 1JY, on August 6, 10am-1pm. House clearance and down-sizing quotations available, plus free valuations at your home can be arranged on 01283 733988.
