September 12, 1895: Aston Villa Lose the FA Cup -- Literally

September 12, 1895: Aston Villa lose the Football Association Cup. Literally.

Following their win in the 1895 FA Cup Final, a 1-0 win over nearby rival West Bromwich Albion on April 20, they put the Cup on display in a shop window in their hometown of Birmingham, in England's West Midlands. On the morning of September 12, it was no longer in the window. Apparently, it was stolen.

It has never been seen in public again. A replica had to be made to the same design. Villa were fined £25 by the FA. Luckily, they had it insured for £200.

They have won the Cup 7 times: 1887, 1895, 1897 (also winning the Football League, for "The Double"), 1905, 1913, 1920 and 1957. Their last appearance in the FA Cup Final was in 2015, but they lost to North London team Arsenal.

Pictured: The replacement Cup of 1895, patterned after the 1872 original. A new version was made in 1911, and that design is still used today. 

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September 12, 1895 was a Thursday. The only major sports league in operation at the time was baseball's National League, and these games were played:

* The New York Giants beat the Boston Beaneaters, 7-1 at the Polo Grounds.

* The Brooklyn Bridegrooms lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 18-5 at Union Park in Baltimore.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Washington Senators, 17-5 at Boundary Field in Washington.

* The Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates were tied 3-3 after 9 innings, at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh, when the game was called due to darkness.

* And the Chicago Colts and the Louisville Colonels were tied 2-2 after 9 innings, at Eclipse Park in Louisville, when that game was also called due to darkness. 

* And the Cleveland Spiders and the St. Louis Browns were rained out at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The game was made up the next day, and the Spiders won, 18-7.

The Orioles, the Senators, the Colonels and the Spiders were consolidated out of the NL after the 1899 season. The St. Louis Browns became the Cardinals in 1900. The Chicago Colts became the Cubs in 1903.The Brooklyn team took the "Bridegrooms" name after several players got married in the 1887-88 off-season, becoming the Superbas in 1899 and Dodgers in 1911. The Boston Beaneaters went through a few name changes before becoming the Braves in 1912.