Extremely rare 9ct gold football medal hallmarked Birmingham 1902 by J. Cameron & Son of King Street, Kilmarnock.
The medal was won by A. Anderson playing for Kilwinning Eglinton FC as they won the Kilmarnock Charity Cup for the first & only time in the season 1901 - 02.
In the 1901 - 02 season of the Kilmarnock Merchants Charity Cup Kilwinning Eglinton beat Ayr Parkhouse 4 - 1 before beating Galston 3 - 2 in the Final.
The Kilmarnock Charity Cup was a football tournament for senior clubs in the Kilmarnock area with Kilmarnock & Ayr United dominating the competition. It was first competed for in 1881 - 82 with the last final taking place in 1938 - 39. It was originally played as a tournament cup but was latterly played as a one-off tie between the dominant local teams of Kilmarnock & Ayr United. Kilwinning Eglinton was the last team to win the trophy in 1901 - 02 (the medal for sale) other than the two teams mentioned above.
This attractive medal is made from 9ct rose gold in the form of a five pointed star decorated with leaves & topped by a crown. It is engraved:
"KILMK. C. CUP 1902"
The obverse is engraved:
"WON BY A. Anderson"
Included with the medal is a printout of the Wikipedia page relating to Kilwinning Eglinton FC. The final 2 photos are extracted from "The Winners" by Bernard Stocks and shows all the winners of the Kilmarnock Charity Cup from 1881 - 82 up to 1938 - 39. This confirms Kilwinning Eglinton won the trophy in 1901 - 02 (this information is provided for reference/provenance only and is not included with the medal).
9ct Gold Medal: Weight: 4.9 gm. Width: 25 mm. Height: 37 mm. Hall Mark: Birmingham 1902. Maker's Mark: J. Cameron & Son of King Street, Kilmarnock.
Kilwinning Eglinton FC: Was a football club from the town of KiIlwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland which existed between 1893 & 1936 although it became a Junior Club from 1907 - 08. The club was so named as the club secretary worked at the Eglinton Iron Works and the ground was built by the ironworks owner, William Baird & Co. Their nickname was "The Furnacemen".
The club enjoyed some local success winning the North Ayrshire Cup in 1897 - 98 & 1899 - 1900 and in 1900 - 01 won the Ayrshire Consolation Cup as well as reaching the first round proper of the Scottish Cup for the first time.
It appears that the season 1901 - 02 was the most successful in the club's history as they retained the Ayr Consolation Cup & won the North Ayrshire Cup and as can be seen from the medal for sale they won the Kilmarnock Charity Cup. As mentioned above, the club became a Junior Club from the 1907 - 08 season and moved to the Irvine & District League; their loss of senior status meant it had to abandon its entries to the Scottish & Ayrshire Cups for 1908 - 09 onwards. The last records of the club playing date to May 1936.
Summary: As can be seen from the photos & history (above) this is a rare medal relating to the early days of football in Kilwinning. The medal was won by Kilwinning Eglinton during their time as a senior club in Scotland who then reverted to junior status in 1907 - 08 and sadly became defunct after 1936. Good luck!