In September 1895, a little piece of football history vanished from a shop window in Birmingham, creating a mystery that would fascinate fans for over half a century. The item in question was the most coveted prize in English football: the original FA Cup.
The story begins in April of that year, when Aston Villa secured their second FA Cup by defeating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 in the final. As was customary, the trophy, a small silver bowl, was put on display for the public to admire. Its temporary home was the window of a sports outfitter named William Shillcock, located on Newtown Row.
But on the morning of September 12th, Mr. Shillcock arrived at his shop to find a scene of disarray. A hole was smashed through the roof, and the cash drawer had been emptied of a small amount of money. Then, his heart must have sunk: the FA Cup, a national treasure, was gone.
A furious Aston Villa, responsible for the cup, offered a £10 reward for its safe return—a princely sum at the time. The police launched a frantic search, but despite their best efforts, the trail went cold. The beautiful silver bowl, “The Little Tin Cup” as it was affectionately known, had simply vanished into the grimy streets of industrial Birmingham. Aston Villa were fined £25 by the FA for the loss, more than the trophy’s original cost, and a new cup had to be commissioned.
For decades, the mystery of the stolen cup became a legendary tale. Football fans, journalists, and police alike speculated on its fate. The case was cold, and the FA Cup was presumed lost forever. Then, in 1958, an incredible confession emerged. An elderly, career criminal named Henry “Harry” James Burge, then in his 80s, approached a newspaper claiming to be the thief. He told a fantastical story of breaking into the shop with two accomplices and melting the trophy down that very night to create counterfeit half-crown coins.
Burge’s confession was a sensation, but police were sceptical. There were key discrepancies in his account compared to the original police reports, and with Burge’s long history of crime and lying, they decided not to prosecute. Was he simply seeking fame in his final years, or was his story the incredible, albeit flawed, truth?
To this day, the true fate of the original FA Cup remains a riddle. It may have been melted down as Burge claimed, or it may lie forgotten in an attic, a lost relic of a bygone era. What is certain is that its disappearance created one of football’s most enduring and fascinating unsolved mysteries.
