Notts County is one of the oldest League clubs in the world, wearing their history like a badge. Literally. County’s badge has changed a lot since its inception and has been a canvas for superstition, symbolism and interestingly, fraud. However, through it all, one thing has been (sort of) constant: the magpie.
The club’s iconic black and white striped kit (which went on to influence the Juventus kits in 1903) was joined for the first time by their feathery companion in 1922.
It was an early example of clubs using an original emblem, rather than adopting their town’s coat of arms and with this, they won the Second Division title for the third time.
This was short-lived.
They were comfortable in the First Division for three years before relegation descended upon them, and they fell into the Second Division once more, the magpie enduring the drop with them.
The bird stayed with them for the early 30s before it was replaced by a no frills no feathers plain black shield in 1948.
By 1950, Notts County were struggling again in the Second Division, and so the magpie returned.
However, with the persistence of poor form, the chairman demanded the ‘unlucky’ lone magpie be taken off the crest. Maybe it was superstition, but as fate would have it, they won their next match and the magpie didn’t return for the rest of the season.
From there, they entered a long stint of using a crest similar to the Nottingham coat of arms, until 1977 when their feathery friend returned for good. A signal of good luck? Well…
After promotion to First Division in 1981, they found themselves stuck in a cycle of relegation, and by 1985 they were in the Third Division.
Maybe someone in the boardroom knew their nursery rhymes? Or the club saw the crest redesign in 1986 as one last shot at hope? Either way, the lonely bird was joined by a second magpie – two for luck – in that season.
Since then, the two magpies have been ever present on the County crest, even after a tumultuous 2009 takeover that saw Russell King introducing a new badge with the Swiss Commodity Holding logo front and centre, and without consulting fans no less.
In 2010, the current badge was born: the two magpies returned to their rightful place atop the football, beneath the Notts County name.
For Notts County, the badge isn’t just a decoration. It’s a reflection of legacy, of luck and loyalty, and of history.
Maybe magpies really do stick together.
