This 1896 Football League medal awarded to Billy Bassett, one of the best-known footballers of the late Victorian era, sold for £2000 at Fieldings’ auction.
Bassett made 16 appearances for England and 261 appearances for West Bromwich Albion. After retirement he became the Baggies’ director and club chairman.
The medal was awarded for his involvement in a match between England and Ireland played on November 7, 1896 at the Oval in Belfast. The teams comprised players from the English and Irish football leagues.
The medal, made by Vaughton & Sons, Birmingham 1893, sold for a lower-estimate £2000 at Fieldings’ (24% buyer’s premium inc VAT) Mantiques auction on July 6 in Stourbridge, West Midlands.
