Wolves player's Cup medal for sale

A 100-year-old FA Cup winner's medal belonging to a Wolves hero from yesteryear is expected to fetch up to £3,500 when it goes up for auction.

The 15-carat gold medal was presented to Jack Pedley after the Molineux side beat Newcastle 3-1 in the 1908 FA Cup final at Crystal Palace in London.

The match became known as a triumph for the underdog, with Second Division Wolves victorious against the First Division giants.

The inscribed medal marking the win will now be auctioned by Bonhams, in Chester, on February 27.

Jack, a West Bromwich-born former steel worker, was playing amateur football for Wednesbury Old Athletic when Wolves spotted him. He was 24 when they signed him in November 1905.

In a book by Tony Matthews about Wolves' history, he is described as having an "ability to beat an opponent by sheer speed over 20 yards" as well as "overall class".

But even with Pedley in the line-up, Wolves could not avoid relegation from the first to the second division in the 1905/06 season.

Nearly 75,000 people watched them beat Newcastle in the 1908 final, with gate receipts totalling £5,988. Goals from Harrison, Hedley and Hunt secured victory. It was the first of three FA Cup final wins for Wolves in the 20th century, after also winning it in 1893.

Pedley continued playing until 1911 when he was forced to quit through injury. He became a steelworker again but later ran the Plumber's Arms pub in West Bromwich.

Back in 2005 a host of the footballer's memorabilia went under the hammer.

A silver miniature of the FA Cup presented to him on winning the trophy sold for £7,200 while a 15-carat gold medal for winning the FA of Wales Senior Cup while at Wrexham in 1911 went for £480.

An 18-carat gold watch that was bought by grateful Wolves fans as a gift for winning the cup, going under the hammer alongside Jack's club contract, did not sell after failing to reach its reserve price of between £1,500 and £2,200.

But a pre-war Wolves-Grimsby FA Cup semi final programme fetched £600.