Last season, Port Vale FC announced a new crest design based upon a club crest that was introduced in 1956.

The new design was a new incarnation of the 1956 design and thanks to OVF user Stuart Dean, we have some pictures of the original design in action

Firstly, here is the brief chronology of the new crest and how it came into being.

January 10

The club ask fans to vote on whether the above crest design should be used for the 2013/14 season. It incorporated the strapline “For all who have gone before” and based on a design “first introduced in 1956.”

February 12

The club announce that the fans have voted in favour of the design but following feedback, there were a few changes to the final design including the replacement of the “For all who have gone before” strapline with a Staffordshire knot.

The old crest in action

So, thanks to OVF user Stuart Dean, here are some vintage photos of the original Vale crest in action.

In this picture, manager Norman Low (left) is signing Ralph Hunt (right) from Swindon Town for £3,500 in December 1961.  Low was in hospital recovering from an Achilles tendon operation. Note the blazer worn by Club director Arthur McPherson (centre and with the crest enlarged bottom right):

This second image (of Terry Alcock) shows the crest in more detail. Alcock, born in Hanley, made over 100 appearances for the club before signing for Blackpool in 1967 for a then-club record fee of £30,000. He rejoined Vale for a brief spell in 1977.