Aust. Historical Medals

Lot 732    Session 3 (2.30pm Tuesday 24th March)    Aust. Historical Medals

Estimate $200
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $150

HELENSBURGH FOOTBALL CLUB, Season 1894 merit medal in 9ct gold (4.4g; 27x31mm), handcrafted by S.D. & Co (Stewart Dawson & Co), reverse inscribed, 'Presented/to/M.Hall/of the/Helensburgh/Football Team/by/C.T.Bode. Esq/As a token of Merit'; B.F.A. Gardiner Cup medal, 1895, in 9ct gold (5.1g; 22x32mm), handcrafted by W.Kerr, reverse inscribed, 'Won by/Balmain F.C./M.Hall/For'd'. Good fine. (2)

Sydney businessman W.S. Gardiner donated a trophy made in England, called the Gardiner Challenge Cup which was contested every year from 1888 and was open to all teams from the state of New South Wales, members of the British Football Association. Prior to 1900, Balmain Football Club won the Cup in three consecutive years, 1895-1897.

It was reported in the The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 30 May 1895, p6 that 'a meeting of delegates to the British Football Association was held on Tuesday evening in the Protestant Hall, Castlereagh Street, Mr W McMillan (President) being in the chair. The principal business was the drawing for the Gardiner Cup competition, for which the following clubs had entered:-Balmain, Pyrmont Rangers, Thistle, Minmi, Parkgrove, Adamstown Rosebud and Helensburgh. The Hon secretary (Mr D Gunn) notified that the Helensburgh Club had withdrawn, and the delegates decided in order to allow of four clubs remaining in the semi final to have two byes, and the draw resulted as follows- Pyrmont Rangers v Minmi, at Wentworth Park; Adamstown Rosebud v Thistle, at Adamstown; Balmain, a bye, Parkgrove, a bye. The competition is to start on the 29th June.'

A further report in The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 14 October 1895, p6 stated, 'The Balmain Football Club (British Association rules) held their second annual social gathering in the Balmain Town Hall last night, when there was a large attendance. A pleasing ceremony was carried out by the president who presented gold medals in connection with the Gardiner Challenge Cup competition to the following players -G. O'Connell, J. Gibson (captain), A Tomb, A. Ferguson, R. Thorburn, W. Harrison, J. Ferguson, A. Phillip, T. Shipton, F. Holt, C. White, M. Hall, and H. Bradley. The handsome cup won by the Balmain club was on view, together with an excellent photo group of the team. The proceedings were under the guidance of Messrs. A. Donnolly and J. Ferguson, and capital music was rendered by Hartley's string band.'