A magnificent football pennant presented by the Management and Employees of the Nepstadion, Budapest, to the England football team on the occasion of
£2,000 - £3,000
A magnificent football pennant presented by the Management and Employees of the Nepstadion, Budapest, to the England football team on the occasion of the international match v Hungary, 23rd May 1954, of exceptionally high quality silk work, the large pennant depicting London's Tower Bridge and Budapest's Chain Bridge crossing the River Danube, above the Nepstadion, flying British and Hungarian flags and with a leather panel football inscribed BUDAPEST 23RD MAY 1954, below with an inscription reading THIS FLAG IS OFFERED WITH SINCERE RESPECT AND AFFECTION TO THE ENGLISH TEAM IN MEMORY OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL MATCH BETWEEN THE ENGLISH AND HUNGARIAN TEAMS, THE MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES OF THE PEOPLE'S STADIUM, the lower half of the pennant in the colours of the Hungarian national flag, the borders with elaborate olive leaf decoration in raised relief, with original hanging bar, 95 by 73cm. In this match England suffered their record defeat in an international match, losing 7-1. It is without parallel the finest example of a football pennant the auctioneer has ever seen. Provenance: Consigned from the Bryan Horsnell Collection (lots 587 to 804).