Eurovision medal from UK's 1967 winning song to be auctioned

Bill Martin received the medal for co-writing the UK's winning Eurovision entry in 1967

A medal awarded to the co-writer of the UK's 1967 Eurovision-winning song is being auctioned.

Bill Martin wrote Puppet on a String with Phil Coulter, and it was performed by Sandie Shaw at the final in Vienna.

Two further medals are being auctioned for songs which won the BBC's A Song for Europe, which at the time decided the UK's entry to Eurovision.

The medals will go under the hammer at John Rolfe Auctions in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, on Saturday.

The 1967 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Vienna, Austria

Mr Martin died in 2020 and the medals were found among his possessions.

Auctioneer John Rolfe said he unsure of what they were at first.

"They look a lot like the death plaques that families of soldiers in World War One received when their relatives were killed," he said.

"(They are) very similar in size and presentation, so we didn't pay that much notice to them because those are very common."

Mr Rolfe said he believes this is the first time a Eurovision winners medal has been auctioned.

Because of this, no guide or reserve prices have been set.

Bill Martin won medals for co-writing winning entries on the BBC's A Song for Europe in 1967 and 1968

"Auction houses will gather information by looking at historical prices, so if something has sold well previously, it's likely to do so again, usually for similar money," he said.

"We've checked the archives and online databases, and we don't think a Eurovision winners medal has ever gone to market before

"We agreed with the family that the medals should be sold with no estimate and we'll see what happens."

Two other medals, awarded to Mr Martin for co-writing winning entries on the BBC's A song for Europe, are also being sold.

They were awarded for Puppet on a String in 1967 and Congratulations, which was performed by Cliff Richard and finished as runner-up in Eurovision 1968.