Star Exhibits
9. The first League Championship Medal, which Everton themselves introduced.
It is confirmed on reading the ledgers that Everton were the first team to adorn the Championship Trophy. They have been crowned League champions on nine occasions – 1890/91, 1914/15, 1927/28, 1931/32, 1938/39, 1962/63, 1969/70, 1984/85 and 1986/87.
The Collection includes 40 medals for the major competitions won by the Club between 1890 and 1985 and comprises those for seven League Championships, four FA Cup victories, and one European triumph (1985).
Back in 1981, the Football League did not make awards to the players, so the original Championship medals were produced by Everton and presented to those players who had been on the Club’s books at the start of the 1890/91 season.
A medal and a £5 bonus were given to 12 of the 20 players who played during the Championship campaign. The other players received cash bonuses reflecting their number of League appearances. The medals, which cost £2.60 each from Vaughan and Sons, resembled an eight-point star with a gold Liver Bird inset and were presented to the players along with the League Championship Trophy at a Club concert in early May 1891. Sadly, goalkeeper Angus never received his medal, as he died in the close season from typhoid fever at the age of just 24.
By the time Everton next captured the title, the Championship medals were awarded by the Football League. They were tailored to reflect the victors and the gold and enamel medal for 1914/15 includes the red rose of Lancashire as well as the Liver Bird. After World War I, the Football League settled on a standard design, which was adopted for the next 60 plus seasons.
