A Norwich City championship medal which was put on an internet auction site has snapped up by a die-hard Canary fan for a four-figure fee - but the riddle of which player won the medal has still not been solved.

A Norwich City championship medal which was put on an internet auction site has snapped up by a die-hard Canary fan for a four-figure fee - but the riddle of which player won the medal has still not been solved.

The medal, which was won by one of the players who helped the Canaries to promotion to the Premiership in the 2003/04 campaign, is now the prized possession of life-long City fan Neil Hall, 39, a freelance photographer.

Mr Hall, who fell in love with the Canaries while living in Norfolk as a youngster in the early 1970s, has the piece of sporting history framed and mounted on a Norwich shirt from the same season which has been signed by the title-winning team.

He could not believe his luck when he saw the item listed on internet auction site eBay and snapped it up

“I saw it on eBay and thought it was something that was too good to be missed,” he said.

“I've always got my eye out for something unique, be it Norwich City or anything else, and I knew you were not going to get something like that come up again.”

Mr Hall, who now lives in Essex, said he emailed the seller who had a reserve price of £1,000 for the item and made him an offer which was accepted.

It is the end of a long-running saga for the medal which was originally put on eBay last year by a Sheffield-based collector for £3,000.

But the price was too high, and as the Evening News reported in January the price was slashed to £2,000 before plummeting to the £1,000 price it finally went for.

The only remaining mystery is to whom the medal belonged. A message on the website stated the medal was initially donated to charity by a player who asked to remain anonymous before being bought by the seller from the last owner.

“I would like to know whose medal it was,” said Mr Hall. “I don't think there's any shame attached to it. I really do think it's someone who maybe thought they didn't have as much claim to it as players that were there all season and decided to raise money for charity.”

Peter Crouch, the 6ft 7ins Liverpool and England striker who scored four times in 15 outings as part of a loan spell during City's title-winning season, is one of the players Mr Hall thinks might have donated his medal.

Former Wolves midfielder Kevin Cooper, who proved a big hit during his two month loan spell with the Canaries' during the title-winning season, is another candidate.

But whoever's medal it is Mr Hall, originally an East End boy, is just delighted to have his hands on a little piece of Carrow Road history - and he certainly won't be letting it slip from his grasp

“When I got the medal I took it straight to the framers,” he said. “I've made it up with the shirt. It's just into four figures, but it's not a commodity for me - it's a great memory from a great season.”

Mr Hall now has his eyes on one of the limited-edition poppy-embossed shirts worn by City player's in the Armistice Day win over West Brom at the Hawthorns to add to his special collection.

Have you broken the bank in your pursuit of Canaries memorabilia? Call Evening News reporter Peter Walsh on 01603 772439 or email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk

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