One of the two copies, prepared by the English Sheffield Club in 1858, was sold at auction in London.
France Press agency
One of only two known versions of the first written rules of footballWritten by The English Club Sheffield In 1858, it sold at auction on Tuesday for 56,700 pounds ($77,200, €65,900) in London, Sotheby’s UK auctions said.
This number ranges in the range estimated by the auction house from 50,000 to 70,000 pounds.
It is one of two well-known versions of the first version of the Football Regulations, in which modern sport was developed. It was printed by Sheffield FC, which was founded in 1857 and is considered the oldest football club in the world, Sotheby’s said.
The 16-page booklet was found in good condition in a Victorian-era album of Sheffield souvenirs.
In addition to introducing the sport’s first codified version, it also includes an evolution of the rules, with handwritten annotations and a printed apostille highlighting the prohibition against “hitting” or “pushing” the ball by hand, which was previously permitted.
He described the club as “the first expression of modern football culture” “The club played a crucial role in the development of the modern game: the indirect free kick, the corner kick and the crossbar are innovations from Sheffield’s game”.
The pamphlet includes the pencil signature of William Baker, one of Sheffield’s best players and a member of his committee, who approved the final draft of the regulations on October 21, 1858.
This was printed the following year and distributed to all club members, according to the auction house.
The only other known specimen was part of the club’s archive, which was sold in July 2011 for £881,000 ($1,120,000). (Dr)
