An 1892 banner once displayed by supporters of Scottish football club Celtic is expected to see strong results when it auctions through McTear's Auctioneers in the team's home-city of Glasgow on December 10.
 The brake club banner has spent much of its recent history in Baird's Bar in Glasgow |
Created just five years after the club was formed in 1887, the banner belongs to the St Mary's League, one of many "brake" clubs started. It is expected to sell for between £10,000 and £15,000 ($16,375-24,562).
Brake clubs, a Scottish football invention, were so called after the type of vehicle used to transport supporters to matches, while St Mary's League refers to the church hall where Celtic was originally formed.
There were annual gatherings of the brake clubs, where each club would display its banner with a portrait of its favourite player.
 The brake clubs were thriving just five years after Celtic's formation. The reverse of the banner is shown here, depicting Tom Maley. |
The example at auction shows Tom Maley on the reverse, one of the original players for the team and brother to long-serving Celtic manager and Scottish international Willie Maley.
Our sister company, PFC Auctions, sold Willie Maley's 1936-1937 Scottish Cup medal for almost £8,000 ($13,000) in September 2012.
The banner has spent much of its life in Bairds Bar in Glasgow, and is the property of owner Thomas Carberry.
"The banner took pride of place in the bar and attracted loads of interest and quite a few bids over the years," he said.
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