Rare 15ct gold football medal presented to Alex Fraser, playing right-back for Glasgow Rangers as they won the prestigious Scottish Cup in the season 1902 - 03, the club's 4th success in this competition.
On their way to the Final, Rangers had beaten Auchterarder Thistle 7 - 0, Kilmarnock 4 - 0, Celtic 3 - 0 & Stenhousemuir 4 - 1.
In the Final, Rangers met Heart of Midlothian and finally beat them 2 - 0 in a second replay held at Celtic Park on 25th April 1903 in front of a crowd of 35,000. The first game took place on 11th April 1903 and ended 1 - 1 and the first replay took place on 18th April 1903 and ended 0 - 0.
The 1902 - 03 Scottish Cup victory was Rangers' 4th after wins in 1893 - 94, 1896 - 97 & 1897 - 98. However it would not be until 1927 - 28 that they would win the trophy again but have now won it 34 times, second only to Celtic who have won it 43 times.
The front of the medal depicts the Scottish Lion Rampant & picked out in dark blue enamel is embossed:
"Scottish Football Association"
The obverse is engraved:
"CHALLENGE CUP WON BY RANGERS F.C. 1902 - 3. ALEX FRASER"
The medal comes with a quality vintage presentation case but this is not original to the medal.
Also included are printouts of the Wikipedia pages relating to the 1902 - 03 Scottish Cup and the medal recipient, Alex Fraser.
15ct Gold Medal: Weight: 12.5 gm. Width: 25 mm. Height: 40 mm. Hall Mark: Birmingham 1902. Maker's Mark: William Hair Haseler.
Alexander Currie Fraser (14th June 1882 - 25th January 1950): Scottish footballer who played mainly as a defender and made 43 League appearances for Glasgow Rangers between 1902 & 1906.
Alex joined Rangers from Clydebank Juniors in 1902 and scored on his Scottish League debut against Morton in September 1902 as a makeshift right-half. This would be his only goal for the club in major competitions. At the end of his first season with Rangers he helped them win the Scottish Cup by beating Heart of Midlothian (the medal for sale). His 1902 - 03 Scottish Cup winner's medal would be the only senior winner's medal won Alex Fraser.
After that early success, Alex suffered disappointments in not being selected for the 1904 Scottish Cup Final then losing the 1905 Final to Third Lanark after a replay. He also suffered a defeat to Celtic in a play-off for the 1904 - 05 Scottish Division One title after both teams finished the season level on points.
At the start of the 1905 - 06 season, Alex was injured against Kilmarnock and was forced to retire later that season. He did not play for another senior club and later emigrated to South Africa.
Summary: Early Scottish Cup winners medals are highly collectable with early medals won by Rangers being particularly sought-after. Good luck!