THE LORE and mystique that surrounds the FA Cup will be demonstrated again in a packed saleroom in West London today when one of the competition’s sacred artefacts goes on sale.

Lot 100 of Christie’s auction of football memorabilia is the trophy used between 1896 and 1910, which is expected to realise between £200,000 and £300,000. Smaller and more ornate than the one raised aloft by scores of triumphant captains since, this is a replica of the original trophy that was stolen from a display in a Birmingham shop window after being won by Aston Villa in 1895.

It was last won by Newcastle United in 1910. The FA discovered that a copy had been made, so they commissioned a different trophy — made in Bradford in its now instantly recognisable shape. To mark his 21st year as president of the FA, Lord Kinnaird was presented with the obsolete trophy and it has remained in his family since — until today.

Prospective bidders, understandably, have kept their intentions under wraps, but it must be hoped that the trophy will find a permanent home at the National Football Museum in Preston.

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