Sports Memorabilia
Sporting memorabilia such as medals and autographed objects relating to football, boxing,
cricket, golf and tennis appear at McTear’s auctions regularly.
The rarer and more valuable examples appear in regular specialist sales.
Sold for £5,400
Alec Bennett's Scottish Football League versus Southern Football League medal, awarded to
the player on the 14th October 1912, made in nine carat gold Note: Alec Bennett was born
in 1881, signed for Glasgow Celtic Football Club in 1903 where over the five seasons he
played there won four Scottish League Championships as initially a centre forward and
later outside right. He won three full international caps with Scotland during his Celtic
career, before signing for Glasgow Rangers in May 1908, ten days after scoring the winning
goal against them, becoming the first footballer to play for both Celtic and Rangers. This
transfer caused an enquiry to be called for though Celtic's complaint that the player had
been approached by Rangers was found without substantiation owing to a clause in the
players contract. He continued to play for Rangers until 1914, winning three more league
championship medals and eight further full international caps. Quotes of the period in
respect of the player included "A veritable artful dodger with rare speed and command of
the ball" and "He had a rare and speedy stride and when he ran it took a good man to catch
him". He died in 1940.
Sold for £1,450
Alan Morton's Scottish League Championship medal ,in nine carat gold and enamel, the front
inscribed "Glasgow Rangers F.C.", the reverse "Scottish League Championship 1926-7, won by
A.L. Morton" Alan L. Morton began his career with Queen's Park and was a Scottish
internationalist even before joining Rangers in 1920. Compared with Stanley Matthews in
talent he became known as 'The Wee Blue Devil', named so by a noted English journalist and
played in every international game for Scotland against England between the years 1920
till 1932, except in 1926, the year that became known as 'The year Morton did not play'.
He was a 'Wembley Wizard' and it was for Morton's crosses that Alex Jackson scored his
three goals. During his Rangers years he had played 495 games and scored 115 goals. He
retired in season 1932-33 and was immediately taken on to Rangers Board of Directors.