the reverse inscribed ARCHIE HUNTER DIED NOV 29TH 94 AGE 35 MEMORIAL MATCH SEP 23rd 95, in sterling silver

Note: Archibald Hunter was a Scottish Footballer who, in 1887, became the first captain of Aston Villa to lift the FA Cup. He was one of Victorian football’s first celebrities.

Born near Ayr in 1859, he played for Ayr Thistle and Third Lanark, before signing for Villa in 1878, but four years after the team’s formation.

During his league career, he represented them 73 times, scoring 42 goals. In the FA Cup, his 33 goals remain to this day a club record.

Despite being one of the greats of the day, he never fulfilled his dream of playing for Scotland vs. England, this due to the Scottish Football Associations policy not to pick ‘Anglo-Scots’ (i.e. Scottish players who played in the English system – not repealed until 1896).

The Villa fans loved him, and he became the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup, this during the teams successful 1887 campaign.

During a league tie vs. Everton in 1890, Hunter suffered a heart attack and collapsed on the pitch. Whilst making an initial recovery, he would never play again, and would ultimately pass in November 1894, aged 35. It is rumoured that on his death bed, he asked to be lifted up to see the crowd making their way to Perry Barr (Villa’s home ground) one last time.

In 1998, Hunter was inducted into the English Football League’s list of 100 Legends.

This medal comes from a match played in his memory, with a contemporary flyer for the game noting ‘Handsome Silver Medals will be presented to the Winners at the conclusion of the Match.’