Its value lay more in the recipient (Celtic left-back Dan Doyle) than the game (a 4-3 defeat by England at Celtic Park in 1893).
Paisley miner turned soccer superstar, Doyle was a wayward rebel, financial chancer, inveterate gambler – none of which lessened the devotion in which Celtic fans held him.
He had also fatally injured an opponent while playing for Grimsby – the coroner ruling misadventure well before the days of red and yellow cards.
His return to Scotland in 1890 was the start of a eight-year love affair with Celtic, whose current manager Neil Lennon, has described him as “one of the first and most inspirational captains our club has ever had”.
Bidders at McTear’s October 11 sale held him in high enough regard for the medal to sell at £1700 against an estimate of £600-900.
