A collection of football medals won by late Rangers legend Bobby Shearer is expected to fetch more than £32,000 at auction in Glasgow this week.
The 21 gongs – being sold by the family of the late Ibrox skipper, known to fans as Captain Cutlass – are thought to make up the largest set of Rangers medals ever to feature in a single auction.
The gongs will go under the hammer separately at McTear’s Sporting Medals and Trophies Auction on Friday.
Covering a decade from 1955 to 1965, they include Shearer’s League Cup and League Championship medals from Rangers’ treble-winning 1963/64 season, valued at £1500 and £2500 respectively. Also included is the player’s gong from the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961, which the Scots lost over two legs to Italian side Fiorentina, estimated to fetch £3000.
Nicknamed Captain Cutlass due to his combative playing style, Shearer played right-back for Rangers in 407 games between 1955 and 1965 – including a run of 165 consecutive matches.
During his time at Ibrox, he won five league titles, three Scottish Cups and four League Cups.
He also played four times for Scotland. He passed away in 2006, aged 74.
His wife Helen said the medals had been kept in boxes but should be treasured by fans.
She added: “I wasn’t a big football fan but I enjoyed going to the games to support Robert.
“He loved playing for Rangers and was very well respected. He was tough on the pitch but always fair.
“He had lots of football friends, including a lot of folk at Celtic.
“There are a lot of lovely memories tied in to the collection and the family are keeping a few medals but the time is right for the others to come out of their boxes and to be passed on to football fans who will treasure them.”
McTear’s Brian Clements said: “We see a lot of Old Firm medals but this is by far the largest collection associated with a single player. There will be considerable interest.”
