Rare 9ct gold football medal won by Herbie Roberts as Arsenal FC won their second ever Football League Championship in the season 1932 - 33.
The front of the medal is embossed:
"THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION 1"
The obverse is engraved:
"ARSENAL F.C. WINNERS. H. ROBERTS 1932 - 33"
The medal comes with a quality antique presentation case in blue leatherette, silk & velvet but this is not original to the medal. Also included is a modern Futera Platinum card depicting Herbie Roberts together with a printout of the Wikipedia page relating to the player.
9ct Gold Medal: Weight: 26.7 gm. Diameter: 28 mm. Hall Mark: Birmingham 1932. Maker's Mark: Vaughton & Sons.
1932 - 33 Football League: In the 1932 - 33 season Arsenal were crowned Football League Champions for just the second time having first won the Championship in 1930 - 31. They amassed 58 points, four more than their nearest rivals, Aston Villa.
It is my understanding, at this time, players needed to have played 14 games in a season to qualify for an official League Championship medal meaning, according to my research, that only 12 Arsenal players would have received such a medal for the 1932 - 33 season. Those players are as follows:
Cliff Bastin 42 games
Frank Moss 41 games
Alex James 40 games
Joe Hulme 40 games
Eddie Hapgood 38 games
Bob John 37 games
Herbie Roberts 36 games
George Male 35 games
David Jack 34 games
Ernie Coleman 27 games
Frank Hill 26 games
Charles Jones 16 games
Herbert "Herbie" Roberts (19th February 1905 - 19th June 1944): An English professional footballer who was signed by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in December 1926 from Oswestry Town.
Between 1926 and 1937, Roberts played 296 League games for Arsenal, scoring 4 goals. He won four First Division titles with the club and picked up an FA Cup winner's medal in 1935 - 36 after winning a runners-up medal in the 1931 - 32 Final. He won a single cap for England, against Scotland on 28th March 1931.
Roberts' long & successful career with Arsenal came to a sudden end in the 1937 - 38 season when be broke his leg against Middlesbrough and was forced to retire. In total, he played 335 matches for Arsenal, scoring 5 goals.
Summary: As can be seen from the photos & history (above) this is a rare medal in the long & successful history of Arsenal FC. In total the club has won 13 League Championships between 1930 - 31 & 2003 - 04 and this is a rare medal from their second ever Championship. With only 12 official Championship medals awarded to players in the 1932 - 33 season, examples of these medals are rare indeed. Good luck!