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Spink Highlights from 2004
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Medals
by Richard Bishop, Associate Director

Together with Coins, Stamps and Banknotes, the Medal department has also been busy breaking their own records. The new world record price for a Victoria Cross group was established in April when the group to Sergeant Norman Jackson R.A.F. sold for £230,000. Here the previous record price, £178,250 for the group to Major General D. Beak, had stood for less than a year, having been established at the Spink sale in November 2003. It is noteworthy that this is the third world record for a Victoria Cross group in succession to be held by Spink, confirming our position as world leaders in the sale of Britain’s premier award.

Awards for the Napoleonic wars are as popular as ever. Again after the success in 2003 with the Army Gold Cross group to Major General Pack which established a new world record of £115,000, it was difficult to imagine what could match this in 2004. The answer came in July when the large and small Army Gold Medals to Major General Sir William Ponsonby, killed by the Polish Lancers at Waterloo after leading the famous charge of the Union Brigade, reached exactly the same amount. This now gives us two equal world record prices for Napoleonic period awards to the army.

Spink Highlights from 2004
Please click on your department of interest:   coins    banknotes    medals    stamps   books