An almost 100 year old medal from Partick Thistle’s only Scottish Cup triumph has been snapped up for £8,100 at auction, well above its estimate.
The winner’s medal, which was awarded to Jimmy McMenemy following Partick Thistle’s 1-0 victory over Rangers in the 1921 Final, was one of the star attractions at McTear’s Sporting Medals and Trophies auction in Glasgow.
McMenemy had joined Partick Thistle in 1920 after 18 glorious years with Celtic. Whilst wearing the hoops, McMenemy collected numerous trophies (11 league titles and 6 Scottish Cups), earned himself the nickname of Napoleon and left a legacy making him one of the greatest Celtic players of all time.
The forward was 39 years old when he signed for the Jags and had turned 40 when he stepped out onto Celtic Park in front of 28,000 fans for the Scottish Cup Final on 16 April 1921.
Commenting on the auction, McTear’s Managing Director, Brian Clements, said: “We see a good number of Old Firm medals coming to auction due to the number of trophies both clubs have won, but this is something quite different and very special. Partick Thistle has only won the Scottish Cup once in their 144 year history so anything related to that historic moment is going to be of great interest to football fans and sports historians alike.
“Bidding on Jimmy McMenemy’s Scottish Cup medal was fierce and we were not surprised to see the value soar well above the higher estimate for the lot. This is a true piece of Scottish football history and we are delighted that it achieved such a good price.”
Sunday morning thoughts 🤔
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— jamief (@jamiebhoy2009) November 22, 2020
Commenting on the item, former Thistle and Celtic keeper, Alan Rough, said: “This is a fantastic piece of Thistle history. Jimmy McMenemy was a legend in Scottish football and earned his place in the Jags history books as a member of the all-conquering 1921 Scottish Cup winning squad. It will be 100 years next year since the Scottish Cup win and 50 years since we won our last piece of silverware, so maybe 2021 will be our year again.”
After hanging up his boots in 1922, McMenemy was appointed as coach at Partick Thistle before becoming assistant manager to Willie Maley at Celtic in 1934. He is largely credited with taking control of the team and introducing modern tactics, which led to the Empire Exhibition Cup success in 1938.
The Partick Thistle medal, which was consigned by an anonymous seller, appeared in the November auction at McTears.
