Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Winter 2020
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/26/2020
While ice hockey hasn’t exactly enthralled the masses in England and the United Kingdom, the sport enjoyed considerable success with the British in the 1930s, with thousands attending English National League games. From his time coaching in Great Britain, we have a trio of British hockey medals that were presented to Percy Nicklin. Included, we have B.I.H.A. (British Ice Hockey Association) medals for the Richmond Hawks from 1935-36 (runners-up), the Harringay Greyhounds from 1937-38 (runners-up) and the Harringay Greyhounds from 1938-39 (champions!). Each rarely-seen medal comes in its original presentation box, with an LOA from the Nicklin family to accompany.
The 1935-36 medal is approx 1” x 2”, with a generic player and “British Ice Hockey Association” over the front in blue enamel, with “National League” and crossed hockey sticks over the reverse along with the engraved text, “Season 1935-36 Runners Up Richmond Hawks P. Nicklin (coach)”. There are also hallmarks, with light to moderate surface wear over both the front and reverse. The 1937-38 medal is just over 1” x 1 ¾”, with a detailed shield and wreath motif over the obverse, with “B.I.H.A. National Tournament 1937-38 Runners Up Greyhounds P.H. Nicklin Coach” engraved on the reverse. There are also hallmarks, with light to moderate surface wear and oxidation over both the front and reverse. Lastly, the 1938-39 medal is approx 1” x 1 ½”, with a detailed shield and wreath motif over the obverse, with “B.I.H.A. London Cup 1938-39 Winners Harringay Greyhounds P. Nicklin Coach” engraved on the reverse. There are also hallmarks, with light to moderate surface wear and oxidation again over both the front and reverse.
The Percy Nicklin International Hockey Collection
Born in Simcoe, Ontario, just before the close of the 19th century and hailing from a Scottish family, Percy Harold Nicklin rose to hockey prominence coaching the Moncton Hawks to back-to-back Allan Cup championships as the top senior amateur club in Canada, in 1933 and 1934. Moving on to unlikely hockey locale England in 1935, Nicklin took the reins of the Richmond Hawks before assuming coaching duties with the ENL's Harringay Racers and Harringay Greyhounds. Nicklin would again put his magic behind the bench to work in 1936, when he and international hockey legend Bunny Ahearne built a strong Great Britain national team that would defeat Canada at the 1936 Winter Olympics to claim the gold medal. The successful Nicklin would go on to lead Great Britain to further glory, winning consecutive World Championships, in 1937 and 1938.
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