The FA Cup was first held in 1872, and in the early days was dominated by such teams as Wanderers FC, the Royal Engineers, Old Carthusians and Clapham Rovers. Indeed Clapham Rovers reached the final in successive years in 1879, when they lost 1-0 to Old Etonians, and then again in 1880 when they were victorious, beating Oxford University 1-0.
A token from these heady days for the South London club emerged at Dreweatts' (20/12% buyer's premium) sale in Bristol on May 20. On offer was the 1880 FA Cup winners' medal awarded to Clapham Rovers' forward Clopton Lloyd-Jones.
In front of the record crowd of 6000 at the Kennington Oval on April 10 that year, Lloyd-Jones scored the winner with a decisive strike in the 80th minute after Clapham Rovers had been kept in the game by a string of saves by goalkeeper Reginald Birkett.
The 18ct gold circular medal was consigned to auction by the great grandson of the player, who lives just outside Bristol.
It was engraved to one side Football Association Challenge Cup and to the other CRFC 1880.
It lacked its suspension ring and had been later mounted on a brooch. The lot also came with a black and white photograph of Lloyd-Jones in later life.
Like a number of teams, Clapham Rovers did not continue as a club after the First World War. Since 1996 there has been a Sunday League team with the same name, but they have no formal connection and are not officially recognised as a continuation of the original club.
So with the club now consigned to the annals of footballing history and with no modern support base to bring out bidding, the medal was never likely to bring the kind of price that can be made for medals of famous players from today's big clubs.
However, on the day, it outstripped its estimate of £3000-4000, selling to a football dealer at £4200, who outbid a private buyer for ownership.
By Alex Capon
