West Ham co-owner David Gold has pocketed nearly £760,000 after selling the oldest-surviving FA Cup at auction on Tuesday.
Mystery surrounds the buyer, who chose to remain anonymous, amid fears the cup could now disappear abroad.
The trophy, presented to the winners of the competition between 1896 and 1910, was sold at Bonhams in London on Tuesday. It reportedly cost just £25 to make but was expected to fetch up to £900,000. After 'a lot of interest and some spirited bidding,' it eventually sold for £759,062.
David Gold sold the oldest-surviving FA Cup at auction in London on Tuesday for £759,062
That means Gold has made close to £300,000 profit on the cup which he bought at auction in 2005 for £478,000 while chairman of Birmingham City.