The plaque is in an octagonal shape and made of bakelite with an easel fitting for display purposes. Attached to the plaque is a sterling silver roundel embossed "FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CHARITY SHIELD". It is further inscribed "CHELSEA F.C. v NEWCASTLE UNITED F.C. WEDNESDAY, 14TH September 1955".
The match was played at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday 14 September 1955 with Chelsea beating Newcastle United 3 - 0 to lift the trophy (due to the match being played on a Wednesday afternoon, 6 games into the new season, the crowd was a poor 12,802).
NOTE: John Harris did not actually play in the game and in those days there were no substitutes so I am presuming John received the medal due to his role in helping Chelsea win their 1st ever Football League Championship in the season 1954 - 55 where he played 31 games at Centre Half. Alternatively he could have been gifted the medal by another player. It was however his personal property (see Provenance below).
PROVENANCE: I acquired the medal through Sheffield Auction Gallery in 2023 when they sold a collection of 19 Lots of memorabilia formerly the property of John Harris. The Charity Shield medal was Lot 241 and a copy of the invoice confirming it was the property of John Harris is included with the medal (some personal details redacted) (see photos).
Included with the medal/plaque is a photo reprint depicting John Harris and a printout of the Wikipedia page relating to the player. Also included is a copy of the invoice from Sheffield Auction Gallery (with some personal details redacted) confirming the medal belonged to John Harris.
Weight: 229.3 gm. Overall Dimensions: 130 mm x 130 mm. Diameter of Silver Roundel: 95 mm. Stamped "STERLING SILVER".
John Harris (30th June 1917 - 24th July 1988): Nicknamed "Gentleman John", John Harris played for Swindon Town, Swansea Town & Tottenham Hotspur before joining Chelsea during WW2 and captained the club to victory in the Southern War Cup final at Wembley in 1945.
In September 1945, Harris signed permanently for the club for £5,000. He was a regular in the Chelsea side throughout his time with the club and was a member of Chelsea's 1954 - 55 First Division-winning side, making 31 League appearances that season. In the eleven years he was with the club between 1945 & 1956 he made 364 appearances, scoring 14 goals.
He left Chelsea in 1956 to become player-manager of Chester. In 1959 he took over from Joe Mercer as manager of Sheffield United and stayed with the club until 1973.
Summary: As can be seen from the photos & history (above), this is a rare medal in the long & distinguished history of Chelsea FC. It was from the club's first ever appearance in the FA Charity Shield Match following their first ever Football League Championship victory in the season 1954 - 55 with John Harris playing a key role in that title-winning season. Good luck!