Scarce winner's medal issued for football (soccer) at the London 1908 Olympics. Silver, 33.5 mm, 21 gm, designed by Bertram Mackennel; manufactured by Vaughton & Sons, England. The front, inscribed, "Olympic Games, London 1908," features a victorious athlete being crowned with a laurel wreath by two seated females; the reverse depicts St. George, the patron saint of England, slaying a dragon as a goddess looks on. The edge is engraved with the name of the placing and event, “Runners Up, Association Football.” A hole has been bored to the upper rim and a small loop attached to allow for presentation purposes.
The London 1908 Games represent the debut of an official football tournament between national representative selections; the Games of 1900 and 1904 featured club football teams. The tournament, which featured a total of six teams, was held at White City Stadium from October 19th to the 24th, with Great Britain defeating runners-up Denmark in the gold medal match 2 to 0. Of particular note, Sophus ‘Krølben’ Nielsen of Denmark set a record by scoring 10 goals in a 17–1 win over France, and the mathematician Harald Bohr, the younger brother of physicist Niels Bohr, also won a silver medal as a member of Denmark. A highly desirable winner's prize from a popular event.
