The FA Cup’s first trophy is stolen in the infamous ‘little tin idol’ theft

The first ever FA Cup trophy, nicknamed the “little tin idol”, was stolen in 1895 after Aston Villa’s victory. The £20 trophy had been displayed in the window of a Birmingham bootmaker so supporters could see it, but disappeared during a night-time burglary. Despite a reward being offered, the cup was never recovered, leaving behind one of football’s oldest mysteries. A replacement trophy was commissioned, but the fate of the original remained unknown for decades. In the late 1950s, an elderly Birmingham criminal claimed he and two accomplices had stolen the cup and melted it down to produce counterfeit half-crown coins. The confession was never proven, but it remains the leading explanation for what happened to football’s first FA Cup trophy.