Sheriff of London Charity Shield

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The Sheriff of London Charity Shield was an English football competition played once a year between the best amateur and best professional side in England.

The first game was played on March 19, 1898, after being devised by Sir Thomas Dewar. Proceeds from the annual game were distributed to hospitals and charities.

The competition was short-lived due, in part, to the dominance of the professional sides, and also to a rift in the Football Association which saw the creation of the Amateur Football Association. The shield was last competed for in 1907 - although the charitable spirit of the trophy was to continue on in the Charity Shield.

The Shield itself, commissioned by Dewar, was over six feet high - the largest trophy to be competed for in the history of football. In the 1980s the trophy was put up for auction and sold for £26,000 to a private American owner. Its current whereabouts are unknown.