An historic medal from the first Italian National Football Championship in 1898 awarded to a player from runners-up Internazionale Torino, silver, Ins

An historic medal from the first Italian National Football Championship in 1898 awarded to a player from runners-up Internazionale Torino, silver, Inscribed CAMPIONATO NAZIONALE, 2 [2nd place], PREMIO TORINO, 8.5.98, ribbon in the colours of the Italian national flag The Italian Football Championship of 1898 was a major event in the history of football in Italy. It was the first Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio endorsed league competition and as such is considered the official predecessor of Serie A. It was a knock-out tournament involving three clubs from Turin and one from Genoa. All three matches were played at the Velodromo Umberto I in Turin over the course of one day, 8th May 1898. In the semi-finals Internazionale Torino defeated FBC Torinese 2-1; whilst Genoa beat Ginnastica Torino 2-0. In the final Genoa won the Championship beating Internazionale Torino 2-1 after extra-time. This runners-up medal, inscribed ''2'', was awarded to an Internazionale Torino player and the medal in the following lot is a runners-up medal from the 1899 Italian National Football Championship when for the second year Internazionale Torino were the competition's runners-up again defeated by Genoa. Regrettably, the identity of the original recipient of the medals is lost in the mists of time. During 1900 Internazionale Torino merged with F.B.C. Torinese, who had been founded in 1894. They competed under the Torinese name. This specific strand of Italian football history would end in 1906, when FBC Torinese was dissolved. The present day Serie A club Torino F.C. was formed in December of the same year, 1906. Their great city rivals Juventus had been formed in 1897 and competed in the National Championship for the first time in 1900.