The game at Crystal Palace was the first time either team had reached an FA Cup final and, such is its rarity, the appearance of the programme here represented the first time a copy had been offered at auction.
A first-half Sandy Turnbull goal was enough to earn the first of United's 11 FA Cup wins.
The 1909 final came only seven years after the Newton Heath LYR FC had changed their name to Manchester United following a change of ownership due to heavy debts. LYR referred to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at the Newton Heath area of Manchester.
The programme simply listed the line-up with a few adverts, and a piece of text relating to an offer from Farrow's Bank reads: "Keep this programme, it is worth one shilling to your children."
It was in decent condition for a 103-year-old programme (it had a few folds and sellotape repairs).
In terms of their collecting following, Manchester United are in a league of their own when it comes to the prices buyers are prepared to pay for programmes and memorabilia and, estimated at £18,000-22,000 at the London sale on May 15, it drew three interested parties on the phone but was finally knocked down to a commission bidder at £20,000.
The price was just higher than the £19,000 seen for a copy of the 1889 FA Cup final programme which sold at Graham Budd in May 2006 and held the previous auction record for any football programme.
The buyer's premium was 17.5%.
