1953 FA CUP FINAL MEDAL Stan Matthews for sale

[BAZZABAGGIES]

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en.....-282697841

[dvsgooner]

Wow!!! Is that the most legendary FA Cup medal ever? Any other candidates?

Dan Lewis' losers medal from 1927 as an honourable mention!
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My collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielskaardal

[BAZZABAGGIES]

No name on it could be anyones

[wandererpaul]

The current vendor is Nick Hancock, the tv comedian and personality.

Taken from here...... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fin.....20000.html

Quote:

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST INDULGENT PURCHASE? I am a massive Stoke City fan and a lover of sporting memorabilia. So it made perfect sense to buy Sir Stanley Matthews' FA Cup-winning medal from 1953 as he was the club's greatest ever player (although he won the FA Cup playing for Blackpool). It cost me about £20,000 and was money well spent as it brings a lot of joy. I don't actually have it but have given it to Stoke City to put on display at the stadium. I have also bought one of Gordon Banks' England caps for £5,000, although I've never worn it.

[Wullie]

Yes Nick Hancock is the owner. And he loaned it to Stoke City. He must need the money ??? I'd be surprised if Stoke or Blackpool don't buy it....

[tackler7]

I can think of at least one individual not connected with either club who would be interested and has the money - sadly not me

[bisphamseasider]

Wullie wrote:

Yes Nick Hancock is the owner. And he loaned it to Stoke City. He must need the money ??? I'd be surprised if Stoke or Blackpool don't buy it....

It certainly won't be Blackpool FC buying it - not under the present regime anyway.

Many more important things need financing but that's not happening either.

[markb9060]

Just reading this post had me thinking that although I`d heard about this game and it`s 'Matthews Final' tag, I didn`t know much else about it.

Anyway, evidently it was the first ever televised FA Cup Final and is on YouTube. I decided to watch (most of ) it for the first time and it didn`t disappoint for excitement and drama.

Blackpool were losing 3-1 at half time and were all but written off but something amazing happened during the game in the form of injuries picked up.

Nearly half the Bolton players (five) were hobbling around injured in the latter stages of the game with Blackpool having two carrying injuries.

Obviously this could never happen nowadays. Some of the tackles would be straight 'Red`s' and of course their were no substitutions allowed.

Blackpool ironically scored the winner in the four added minutes of injury time to make it 4-3 although the Wembley scoreboard operator, perhaps himself caught up in the mayhem had it at Blackpool 4 - Bolton 4.

Although this game is often called the 'Matthews Final' I would say that this is more of a reference to the fact that this was his third appearance in the FA Cup final in six years, being a runner-up in the previous two and there was a general sense of sympathy for him. Even the commentator suggested Bolton players wouldn`t mind too much if Stanley Matthews finally got a Cup Final medal !!

Don`t get me wrong, he had a great game and was a strong contender for man of the match but to have a game named after him especially as his team mate Stan Mortensen scored the first and only ever FA Cup Final hat-trick reiterates my previous observations.

I would be interested in other people`s imput regarding this game and also why it was nicknamed the Stanley Matthews Cup Final?

If it`s because he was just a brilliant player...that would be good enough for me, because he was.

[derby1884]

Part of the explanation for it being labelled such might be simply to do with his age.
He was 38 at the time which, both then and now, would be unusually 'mature' for an outfield player.
Combine that with his iconic status (in those pre-TV/internet days, a player's legend would grow by word of mouth primarily) and the fact he created the winning goal and there you have it.

As an aside, he apparently found Derby's Jack Howe one of the few left backs who could get the measure of him on occasions. Or perhaps it was just the Baseball Ground mud that slowed him down
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[markb9060]

derby1884 wrote:

Part of the explanation for it being labelled such might be simply to do with his age. He was 38 at the time which, both then and now, would be unusually 'mature' for an outfield player. Combine that with his iconic status (in those pre-TV/internet days, a player's legend would grow by word of mouth primarily) and the fact he created the winning goal and there you have it. As an aside, he apparently found Derby's Jack Howe one of the few left backs who could get the measure of him on occasions. Or perhaps it was just the Baseball Ground mud that slowed him down

Well there you go, I`m showing my ignorance here because I hadn`t realised that Matthews was 38 years old in this game.

That would really crank up the sympathy vote especially as there was a lot more genuine respect around in those days. Not forgetting also that this Final would have only been 8 years after the War.....a time of rationing etc where everyone pulled together no matter what your class was.

Getting back to your 'word of mouth' suggestion, perhaps the newspapers were also responsible for the famous 'Matthews Final' nickname?

[bisphamseasider]

markb9060 wrote:

Although this game is often called the 'Matthews Final' I would say that this is more of a reference to the fact that this was his third appearance in the FA Cup final in six years, being a runner-up in the previous two and there was a general sense of sympathy for him. Even the commentator suggested Bolton players wouldn`t mind too much if Stanley Matthews finally got a Cup Final medal !!

derby1884 wrote:

Combine that with his iconic status (in those pre-TV/internet days, a player's legend would grow by word of mouth primarily) and the fact he created the winning goal and there you have it.

You've both hit the nail on the head with this.

Matthews was no doubt one of the greatest players of that era and the whole nation appreciated his approach to the game and not least his many skills and bursts of pace. He was a player everyone wanted to watch.

After failing to win a medal in the finals of 48 and 51, the groundswell of opinion was that this should be the occasion when he finally got his winner's medal.

The national newspapers built the game up into the Matthews Final before a ball had been kicked and even a hat-trick by Mortensen was not going to change that.

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

I remember hearing Tommy Lawton talking about Stan and comparing him with the bloke on the other wing, Tom Finney. Lawton said how lucky he'd been to play between the two of them but when asked who was the better, he said this. Finney could cross the ball every time onto his head. Stan would cross it onto his head every time but with the lace facing away from him.

Here's a photo I have of Stan bamboozling an Australian defender on Blackpool's tour in 1958 - when Stan was about 43.

[PompeyPhil]

A very nice signed PR Card of the Great Man himself.......not Pompey I know but I couldn't resist adding it to my collection!

[whosbrianwilson]

Auction today Lot 742. Apparently Nick Hancock is on his uppers and is selling a lot of his memorabilia. Gordon Banks cap is his as well.

Also up for grabs is Ray Wilsons 1966 medal - est £100-£120k Gulp!!

[whosbrianwilson]

Matthews medal sold for £220,000

Ouch!!

[bisphamseasider]

Unless my eyes have deceived me this has sold for £220,000.

Quite a profit from what was originally paid (around £20,000) I think.

Ray Wilson's medal has just gone for £136,000.

[Cantona93]

Indeed..I followed this on the internet..I think Graham was in need of a lie down after the hammer came down on that item!

[goonerboy]

just think of of his commission........from both buyer and seller