THIS IS ONE OF THE RAREST ITEMS I HAVE FOUND FOR SOME TIME!
Within the beautiful bespoke moulded presentation case in red leather, silk & velvet is one of the rarest medals in Continental football. It is a winner's medal from the very first Austria-Hungary Challenge Cup, won by a player from Vienna Cricket & Football Club in the season 1897 - 98. In the Final they beat Wiener FC 1898 by the score of 7 - 0 to lift the trophy.
As well as the medal described above the presentation case also contains a rosette dated 1898 which most probably relates the the first Final & will be a rare survivor. The second medal in the case was also won by Vienna Cricket & Football Club (& probably by the same player) as the club finished runners - up to First Vienna FC in the 1899 - 1900 Cup Final, the third season of the competition.
1897 - 98 Medal: Weight: 30.3 gm. Diameter 35 mm. Probably made from solid silver but untested.
The front of the medal depicts the trophy itself in relief & is embossed:
"VIENNA CRICKET & FOOTBALL CLUB. AMATEUR CHALLENGE CUP"
The obverse is engraved:
"1897 - 98 WINNERS. VIENNA CRICKET & FOOTBALL CLUB"
1899 - 1900 Medal: Weight: 25.2 gm. Diameter: 35 mm. Probably in bronze but appears to have been gilded to the obverse.
The front of the medal depicts the trophy itself in relief & is embossed:
"VIENNA CRICKET & FOOTBALL CLUB. AMATEUR CHALLENGE CUP".
The obverse is engraved:
"1899 - 1900 RUNNERS - UP. VIENNA CRICKET & FOOTBALL CLUB"
Included with the two medals & the rosette in their presentation case are two Wikipedia page printouts; the first relating to Vienna Cricket & Football Club and the second to the Austria-Hungary Challenge Cup. Also included is a photo reprint of the Vienna Cricket & Football Club team that won the first trophy & is dated 1897.
Vienna Cricket & Football Club: The club was founded in 1894 by English men in Vienna under the name of Vienna Cricket Club. When they founded a football section they changed the name to First Vienna Cricket & Football Club but Vienna FC were registered one day earlier so they had to drop "First" from their name.
The club's first major Honour was the Austria-Hungary Challenge Cup which they won in 1897 - 98 (the medal for sale). They were runners-up in the same competition in the season 1899 - 1900 (the medal for sale) and went on to win the trophy for the second time in the season 1901 - 02. In the season 1903 - 04 they again finished runners - up.
The club still exists today as a sports club with tennis & athletics sections but remains most famous as being one of the oldest football clubs in Austria.
Austria-Hungary Challenge Cup: This was an international competition for football clubs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that ran from 1897 to 1911. Today it is seen as the predecessor to the Austrian Cup (first held in 1918) and the Mitropa Cup, established in 1927.
The competition was invented in 1897 in Vienna by John Gramlick who was one of the founders of Vienna Cricket & Football Club. The competition was open to all clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire but practically all the participating teams came from the three major cities of Vienna, Budapest & Prague. It was played on a knockout format.
Vienna Cricket & Football Club were the first winners in 1897 - 98 and Austrian teams won the trophy 9 times in the 10 seasons it was played for. The only exception was in 1908 - 09 when the trophy was won by Ferencvaros.
Summary: Rarely do medals such as this example come up for sale as they are usually held in museums. This is a very interesting piece of European football history & a medal package of great importance to the county of Austria and the city of Vienna in particular. Good luck!