HE picked it up for a few pennies at a jumble sale but now a Poulton man is negotiating with a museum to sell a little piece of Lancashire sports history.

It is one of the first football medals to be won by a North West team more than 100 years ago.

Andrew Conquer, from Blackpool Road, Poulton, was seven-years-old when his eye was caught by something shiny at his school jumble sale in Blackburn where he used to live.

After parting with a "few shillings" for the item Andrew kept it throughout his various moves across the country and, indeed, the world.

Now he is considering selling the medal to Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery .

But mystery surrounds its origins.

The small silver medal was awarded to Blackburn Olympic FC striker Arthur Matthews in 1883. Although that was the year the team won the FA Cup, the medal is inscribed "runners-up" ruling out that possibility.

Andrew, 47, said: "My grandparents used to live near where Blackburn Olympic would played their home games. I've not got a clue where it was from or what it is for, I just bought it because it looked nice."

Even the experts are baffled by it.

One theory offered was that the FA had wrongly given a losers medal to Olympic for their famous cup victory but Graham Phythian, author of 'Olympic FC: The Forgotten Giant-Killers' said: "It is definitely not a mix-up with the FA Cup medals because they were gold and obviously had winners on them.

"This is quite a mystery but there was a Blackburn Association Trophy and in January ,1883, they were beaten 3-0 by Rovers, but I could be wrong."

He added an East Lancashire Charity Cup competition was around at that time when Blackburn Rovers, Olympic, Darwen and Accrington met each other.

If you think you may know where the medal may originate from contact The Citizen sportsdesk on (01253) 729081.