Albion cup replica may fetch £5,000
A solid silver replica of the FA Cup that belonged to a West Bromwich Albion director is expected to fetch up to £5,000 at an auction next week.
It was commissioned after the Baggies won the FA Cup and were promoted to the top division in 1931.
It was supplied by West Bromwich jewellers, Haslehurst and presented to Albion director, Mr L Nurse. It is tipped to sell for £3,000-£5,000 at Bonhams, Chester, on Wednesday.
It is thought Mr Nurse may have been Louis Nurse, who became Albion chairman in 1937 and an FA councillor in 1941. The cup bears the engraving: "Presented to LJ Nurse Esq, director, by the shareholders of the West Bromwich Albion Football Club Ltd to commemorate the club winning the English Cup and gaining promotion to the first division of the Football League season 1930-1931."
At the same auction Mr Nurse's bound volume of Albion programmes from the 1930-1931 cup and promotion season is expected to sell for up to £1,500, while seven other bound volumes of 1920s and 1930s Albion programmes which he owned could sell for a further £7,500.
Dan Davies, sports memorabilia expert at Bonhams, said the 10 Nurse family items for auction may attract interest from fans, museums and West Bromwich Albion Football Club. He said the trophy could get thousands because it was a rare item.
"It's what it represents more than anything else that makes it valuable," he said. "It represents a year in the life of West Bromwich Albion, it's a piece of history for that club and I'm sure the interest will lie with the fans of West Bromwich Albion and it is possible that it might finish in a museum."
The 1930-1931 season was the year the team won the FA Cup even though they were in the second tier of English professional football – then the second division, now the Championship.
They beat teams including Charlton, Spurs, Portsmouth, Wolves, then Everton in the semi-final and Birmingham 2-1 in the final, with both goals coming from Bill Richardson who was born in Great Bridge, Tipton.
