A British collector has paid £3624 ($10,800) for a rare medal a New Zealand woman has been keeping in her button jar.
Daniel Parker, of Gawber, in Yorkshire, bought the Barnsley Football Club FA Cup winners' medal on the internet from an elderly woman who inherited it when her brother
died two decades ago.
Now Parker - a factory worker who splurged his home savings on the purchase - is keen to find out how the medal ended up in New Zealand.
And he would like to track down the other 11 medals awarded to the Barnsley team after they won the FA Cup final replay 1-0 against West Bromwich Albion in 1912 at Bramall Lane, Sheffield.
The New Zealander had been keeping the gold medal, awarded to George Travers in 1912, in her button jar, the Yorkshire Post reported.
Parker said he used savings he had earmarked for his new home to pay for the medal, but had since been offered up to £10,000 by other collectors.
"When I saw it I knew it was rare and valuable. It's the only time Barnsley won the FA Cup, so there will only be 12 of them and I had not heard of any others turning up.
"I did some research and saw that other FA Cup winners' medals from the 1940s and 1950s had sold for £5000 and £6000, so I knew it was worth it.
"I also thought it was important that it came back to Barnsley."
The piece is on display at Barnsley Town Hall, and Parker said any New Zealanders with information on it could email him using the link below.
