A letter from Micheal inquires about a soccer medal from Italy:

 Hi, I have a 1970-71 scudetto winners medal belonging to an Inter Milan player. It was passed on to me by a neighbour who used to be a journalist. I was just wondering how I could go about identifying which player it belongs to, it has a signature on the back but have no idea if it is player specific. I am also interested in finding out if has any value. I'd be very grateful for any information you can give!

Michael,

What you have is a commemorative souvenir of INTER MILAN's 11th Championship from the 1970-71 season. The winning of the Italian League is called the "scudetto". The item you have is what they call a "fob" in English - much like a key chain. 

Unfortunately, this is not a championship winners medal, but rather a medallion struck by the club itself. It was most probably given to the team staff, and those closely associated with the club - which may or may not include the players.

When Italy won the 1934 World Cup, they struck their own winners medals as FIFA did not have one immediately to award them.

This practice is long standing in Italian soccer and is followed by many Latin American countries and clubs. Unlike the British Football Associations, which strike all the winners medals, many of the early Championship clubs were left to produce their own awards. Most often they have silver or gold content.

The signature on the reverse is that of former club President Ivanoe Frazzoli (1968-1984). Since I cannot examine the item in person, my guess is that at best it could be bronze, but more than likely made of brass.

It is not an extremely rare item, but it is a very nice collectible, especially desirable for Inter fans. Based on its condiditon, I would place a value of somewhere between $35 and $65 USD.