A collection of medals belonging to Ibrox legend and former Rangers Captain, Bobby Shearer, has gone to auction in Glasgow.
The collection, which was sold by the family of the late player, covers the period 1955 to 1965 and is believed to be the largest set of Rangers medals to feature in a single auction.
Amongst the items that went under the hammer were Bobby Shearer’s League Cup and League Championship medals from Rangers momentous treble winning 1963/64 season, which fetched £2,600 and £1,900 respectively at McTear’s Sporting Medals and Trophies Auction on 19th July.
In addition, the sale also included the player’s finalist medal from the European Cup Winner’s Cup in 1961, which Rangers lost over two legs to Fiorentina. The lot sold for £2,700 on the day.
Commenting on the auction, Bobby’s wife, Helen Shearer, said: “I wasn’t a big football fan but I enjoyed going to the games to support Robert. He loved playing for Rangers and was very well respected by all the players. He was tough on the pitch but always fair.
“He had lots of football friends, including a lot of folk at Celtic. Robert was lucky enough to play with and against many great players who became close friends. He was honoured to become the captain of Rangers Football Club and captained the treble winning team in 1963/64.
“There are a lot of lovely memories tied in to the collection, and the family have kept a few medals, but to be honest I thought the time was right for the others to come out of their boxes and to be passed on to football fans who will treasure them.”
Nicknamed Captain Cutlass due to his combative playing style, Bobby Shearer played right back for Rangers in 407 games between 1955 and 1965. During his time at Ibrox he won five league titles, three Scottish Cups and four League Cups, and also played four times for Scotland. He passed away on 6th November 2006, aged 74.
Commenting on the auction, Brian Clements from McTear’s, said: “Bobby Shearer was a true Rangers legend who picked up every honour going in the Scottish game, including a treble haul of medals in season 1963/64.
“We see a lot of Old Firm medals coming through the doors at McTear’s but this was by far the largest collection associated with a single player. There were some fantastic individual pieces which resulted in a lot of interest from football fans across the country.”
In addition to the Rangers items, the Bobby Shearer collection also included medals from the player’s time in the RAF in the early fifties. Helen Shearer added: “Wherever Robert was posted he would play football. When he was in the north of Scotland he won a tournament with Inverness Thistle and he also won a medal playing for the Royal Air Force Football Association.”
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