An early and fine quality prize trophy associated with Nottingham Forest Football Club dated 1st May 1886, in the form of a Victorian brass bound deca

An early and fine quality prize trophy associated with Nottingham Forest Football Club dated 1st May 1886, in the form of a Victorian brass bound decanter box veneered in burr walnut, the lid mounted with a brass shield engraved NOTTINGHAM FOREST F.C., MAY 1st 1886, the box opens to reveal a fitted interior with a full set of four cut-glass decanters and stoppers, one stopper with a small chip to the bottom, no key, 29.5 by 24.5cm. The occasion of this presentation can be found by an advertisement placed in the Nottingham Express by Nottingham Forest FC on Saturday 1st May 1886 for a Sports Day at the Trent Bridge ground. The advert reads in full: FOREST FOOTBALL CLUB SPORTS, THIS DAY (SATURDAY), TRENT BRIDGE GROUND, COMMENCING AT TWO O'CLOCK, OVER FOUR HUNDRED ENTRIES, INCLUDING ALL THE BEST ATHLETES OF THE DAY, POLICEMAN'S RACE, BICYCLE AND HURDLE RACES, TUG OF WAR, STEEPLECHASING, FOOTBALL, RACING, SCHOLARS' RACES (78 BOYS HAVE ENTERED), SOUTH NOTTS YEOMANRY BAND, ADMISSION SIXPENCE In 1865 a group of Nottingham-based sportsmen who participated in the game of shinney - a simple form of hockey - determined to begin playing football. The birthplace was the Clinton Arms on Shakespeare Street, where J S Scrimshaw's proposition was passed. The founder members were, A Barks, W Brown, W P Brown, C F Daft, T Gamble, R P Hawkesley, T G Howitt, W I Hussey, W R Lymberry, J Milford, J H Rastall, W H Revis, J G Richardson, J S Scrimshaw and J Tomlinson. The first official football match took place on 22 March 1866 against their neighbours Notts County, who had formed three years earlier in 1862. Nottingham Forest were one of the founder members of the Football Alliance in 1889, set up as a rival of the Football League established the year before. Forest were crowned Alliance champions in season 1891-92. At this point it was decided to merge the Football and Alliance Leagues, and a FL 2nd Division was formed. However, as Alliance champions Forest gained entry straight into Division One, finishing 10th of 16 in their first season. 1886, the year of this decanter box, is also the year when Nottingham Forest famously influenced the choice of kit of the newly formed Arsenal Football Club, first known as Dial Square FC. A small group of Nottingham Forest players, Fred Beardsley, Bill Parr and Charlie Bates joined Dial Square FC and brought their old kit along with them. Forest played in 'Garibaldi' red, named after the leader of Italian Camicie Rosse (Redshirts) freedom fighters, who enjoyed populist support in England at this time. Working to a tight budget, the Club decided the most inexpensive way of acquiring a strip was to kit out the team in the same colour as the ex-Forest players. The Gunners' famous white sleeves were not introduced until 1933.