LONDON: The oldest surviving FA Cup is up for auction at Bonhams with an estimate of £700,000 to £900,000.

The silver two-handled FA Cup trophy was presented to winning teams between 1896 and 1910 including Manchester United, Manchester City, Everton, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

The cup was bought 15 years ago by the then Birmingham City chairman David Gold Christie’s for £420,000, then a record for a piece of sporting memorabilia. It has since been on loan at the National Football Museum in Manchester.

When this trophy was ‘retired’ it was presented in 1911 to FA president and former footballer Lord Kinnaird (1847-1923) in recognition of his service and remained in the family until 2005.

The silver two-handled trophy was cast from a mould of the original, which was stolen in 1895 while held by Aston Villa and was never recovered. Made by Vaughton & Sons, Birmingham, in 1896, a note on the underside reads ‘Made By/P.Vaughton & Sons/Birmingham/1896/From A Cast Of The Old Cup/Which Was Lost.’