A piece of Kilmarnock FC history could fetch up to £4000 when it goes under the hammer later this month.
A Scottish Cup medal won by the team almost 90 years ago is set to be one of the top lots in Scotland’s first dedicated auction of sporting medals and trophies.
The nine carat gold piece was awarded following the Rugby Park side’s 2-0 win over Rangers in the 1929 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park in front a crowd of almost 115,000.
Experts at McTear’s have estimated that the historic medal, which has been consigned by an anonymous seller, could fetch between £2000 and £4000 when it goes under the hammer at The Sporting Medals and Trophies Auction on Friday, April 26.
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McTear’s managing director, Brian Clements, said: “The Scottish Cup win in 1929 is one of the most important dates in the history of Kilmarnock FC and any memorabilia associated with the game is hugely collectible.
“This is a wonderful piece of Scotland’s football heritage and I am sure it will attract a lot of interest when it goes under the hammer later this month.”
The medal, which is 42mm high and weighs 18g, shows a lion rampant beneath a thistle motif on one side and is inscribed ‘Scottish Cup, Won by Kilmarnock FC T. Wylie 1928-29’ on the reverse.
Killie’s journey to cup glory that season saw them beat Raith Rovers 3-2 in the fourth round – and Jimmy Weir scored the only goal as the Rugby Park men edged past Celtic in the semis, while Rangers beat St Mirren 3-2 to reach the final.
In the end, goals from Jock Aitken and Jimmy Williamson made sure that the Scottish Cup would be coming back to Kilmarnock.
This was the second time that Killie, under manager Hugh Spence, had lifted the world’s oldest national trophy; the first being in 1920 when a crowd of 95,000 at Hampden saw Killie beat Albion Rovers 3-2.
Kilmarnock’s most recent Scottish Cup win took place at Ibrox in 1997, where a Paul Wright strike was enough to secure the silverware once again for Bobby Williamson’s men.
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Over the years McTear’s has built a market-leading reputation in the sale of high-profile sporting memorabilia including, in 2016, a gold replica of Celtic’s 1967 European Cup which sold for £58k.
Mr Clements added: “In recent years we have seen more and more highly desirable sporting awards come to auction and our dedicated sale for sporting medals and trophies now attracts international buyers looking for rare items to add to their collections.”
The auction will take place at McTear’s on April 26. Visit www.mctears.co.uk for details.
