1889 Celtic winner's medal realises $13,000

A rare 1889 Celtic winner's medal has auctioned for £10,000 ($12,969).

It was the star lot of a sale held at McTear's in Glasgow on August 12.

Celtic winners medal
The medal has passed down through McLaughlin's family

James McLaughlin was awarded the medal for his part in Celtic's Glasgow North Eastern Cup victory in 1889.

This was the first competition the team had won.

Very few of these medals are known to exist.

McLaughlin played as full back and occasional keeper for two seasons before moving on to other local teams Hibernian and Battlefield.

It passed down through James' family, as his grandson Bill attests: "One day he [McLaughlin] called me into his room where I found him and his eldest daughter Cis.

"He showed me the medal and said, 'This is for you but, until you are old enough to look after it, I am asking Cissie to take care of it for you'."

Bill explained he had discussed auctioning the piece with his family: "They love the stories behind the medal but when we talked about what should happen to it in the future we all felt that it would be entirely appropriate for it to be passed to a football fan who would treasure it."

We have some incredible football memorabilia, including a programme signed by the 1966 England World Cup squad.

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