Blackpool Council stepped in to bid for numerous items that once belonged to Lucy Morton (later Heaton), who won the 200m breaststroke in the Paris Olympic Games in 1924.
The council secured 18 out of nearly 40 Morton lots at the Hansons (20% buyer’s premium) Football in Focus & Sporting Memorabilia Auction on August 22, spending a total hammer price of £12,255. Funding came from Blackpool Council and a grant from Blackpool Civic Trust.
The acquisition means a major part of the Lucy Morton collection will remain in the public domain. It is to be displayed in the History Centre at Blackpool Central Library. The Blackpool Museum Project, which is developing the town’s first museum, will also feature her story.
The gold medal sold for £8400 against an estimate of £10,000-12,000. An album containing various autographs obtained personally by Morton throughout her career sold for £1150 (guide £150-200).The Morton lots had been consigned by family.
