A century-old England football shirt that nearly ended up at a jumble sale has been unearthed – but mystery surrounds which sportsman wore it 109 years ago.
The historical treasure dating back to 1911, which displays the three lions, was uncovered in Wolverhampton by Hansons Auctioneers. It’s now set to go under the hammer on February 18 with an estimate of £800-£1,200.
The shirt was worn in an England v Wales British Home Championship game at The Den, London on March 13, 1911 Credit: Hansons
The shirt was worn in an England v Wales British Home Championship game at The Den, London on March 13, 1911, in front of a crowd of 22,000.
Though records reveal England won 3-0 and provide full team line-ups, it’s not known which England player wore the shirt, as it ended up in the possession of Welsh international footballer Ted Vizard.
The shirt is a traditional long-sleeved men’s shirt with buttons, cuffs and a collar and is made out of thick material. Credit: Hansons
The shirt is a traditional long-sleeved men’s shirt with buttons, cuffs and a collar and is made out of thick material.
It reportedly nearly ended up at a jumble sale but for the intervention of the Midlands family who own it now.
Ted Vizard during his time as QPR manager Credit: PAThe Wales football team in 1911 (back row, l-r) AH Thompson, secretary T Robbins, Thomas Hewitt, Ted Hughes, Ernie Peake, Bob Evans, Charlie Morris, Llew Davies, reserve George Lathom, reserve Evan Jones; (front row, l-r) linesman RJ Jones, Billy Meredith Credit: PA
Ted (Edward) Vizard was born in Cogan, Wales, in 1889. The outside left joined Bolton Wanderers in September 1910 from Barry and made 512 appearances scoring 70 goals. He also notched up 22 international caps for Wales and went on be a manager for Swindon, QPR and Wolves. He died at the age of 84 on Christmas Day in 1973.
