 |
|
           |
|
|
||||
September 2003 Medal NewsletterMedal Auctions at Spink We recently returned from the very successful Orders & Medals Society of America Convention in Philadelphia and the Military Collectors Club of Canada Convention in Edmonton having had an interesting and productive stay. We are now preparing to attend the Orders & Medals Society Convention (London) in September. Attendance at these events gives us the opportunity to talk to old clients and to meet other collectors and potential clients. We look forward to meeting collectors at OMRS and anyone who would like to talk to us at this event may contact us in advance to make arrangements to discuss Spinks' medallic services and how we can assist you. From your comments, it is clear that many readers of this website newsletter were most interested in the article by our Consultant John Hayward on copy 1914 and 1914-15 Stars and that you found his analysis most enlightening. For those of you who have not seen it, you can still read it by clicking on the July Newsletter. In the Autumn John will be writing a similar piece on copy Great War British War and Victory Medals 5 November Auction As we go to press with our auction catalogue, we are able to bring you details of some of the most interesting items that will be offered for sale. These include 50 lots from the large collection being dispersed under the title "Property of a Lady" which were briefly listed in the May newsletter including the interesting KCB group to Sir G.V. Fiddes, Permanent Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, late Private Secretary to Lord Milner, High Commissioner for South Africa 1897-1905, and also Political Secretary to Field Marshal Lord Roberts in South Africa 1900. The group includes his KCB Badge and Star, Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, no clasp, named to G.V. Fiddes CB Esq., Secty to CC, and two Coronation medals 1902 and 1911 (estimate GBP 800-850). The Zulu War pair to Major-General W.H.D.R. Welman, 99th Foot, who commanded the Regiment during the whole campaign in Zululand and was present at the action at Inyezane and the investment and relief of Ekowe, comprises his gold CB Badge and the South Africa Medal, clasp 1879 named to Lt Col W.H.D.R. Welman 99th Foot (estimate GBP 2,000-2,500). A most interesting group of seven to Group Captain C.R.S. 'Braddles' Bradley, Royal Air Force, late South African Forces, Inniskilling Fusiliers, Indian Cavalry, and Royal Flying Corps, includes his OBE breast Badge, Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, three clasps, 1914 Star and Bar, War and Victory Medals, General Service Medal GVR, one clasp, Kurdistan, and Delhi Durbar. As a Major in the RFC, Bradley was appointed to command 31 Squadron on the North West Frontier March 1916-May 1917. A popular commanding officer, he was known to his men as 'Beautiful Braddles' (estimate GBP 800-1,000). Among six Distinguished Conduct Medals from this collection are an emotive Western Front Tunnelling Company DCM group of four to Sergeant H. Davies, Royal Engineers, for conspicuous gallantry underground (estimate GBP 1,000-1,200) and for the Second World War, an immediate Battle of Caen DCM in a group of four to Sergeant W.F. Trevis, Royal Artillery who, on 9 July 1944 during the operations around Chateau de Fontaigne, assumed command of his Battery when the Battery Major was killed and 'did a job which would have been a credit to any Battery Commander' (estimate GBP 1,400-1,800). Among 16 Military Medals in the collection are several awards for D-Day and the subsequent campaign in Normandy including the Immediate MM to Sergeant D. McCrindle, Royal Artillery (estimate GBP 500-600), the MM for gallantry from the landing in Normandy to the crossing of both the Rhine and the Elbe, to Bombadier G.J. Skinner, Royal Artillery (estimate GBP 550-650), and a MM for conspicuous bravery especially on D-Day to Sergeant G. Keiller, Royal Artillery (estimate GBP 550-650). Mention also should be made of the post D-Day MM to Despatch Rider Private T.H. Cross, Middlesex Regiment, for the Lebisey Woods Operation prior to the advance on Caen (estimate GBP 600-700). The auction includes three other collections. First there is a run of over 60 medals of Indian interest, including a good run of Indian Mutiny Medals 1857-59, which come from a very old collection, again being gradually dispersed under the heading 'Property of a Lady'. There are also two collections both with an emphasis on RAF groups, including several gallantry groups, some with log books. The extremely important group of medals and decorations to Major General Sir Denis Pack were illustrated in the August newsletter. His Army Gold Cross for eleven actions is certainly the most important to be offered at auction. Only the Duke of Wellington himself could boast a Gold Cross for more actions, having thirteen, the highest number of all. The estimate for this group of British medals and decorations is tentatively set at GBP 60,000-80,000, though the final price might well be higher and it is possible we will see a new auction record established for a Peninsular group. Sir Denis' foreign orders are also highly significant, being awards for Waterloo and therefore extremely rare and desirable, and these will be offered as separate lots. Other medals to the Pack-Beresford family consigned to the sale include the India General Service Medal, Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, and 1914 Star trio group of five to Major Charles George Pack-Beresford, Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, the India General Service Medal and 1914-15 Star trio to Lieutenant Colonel H.J. Pack-Beresford, Highland Light Infantry, and the Military Cross, Queen's South Africa Medal 1899-1902, China Medal 1900 and 1914 Star trio group of six to Major R.E. Harman, RGA. The catalogue for this sale will be available towards the end of September. To pre-order your catalogue, please contact Client Services by email on catalogues@spink.com or telephone 020 7563 4008. For further information about this auction please contact: John
Hayward on 020 7563 4049 or Richard
Our representative in Australasia is Mike Downey who can be contacted
at:
British Battles and Medals As a result of our appeal in last month's newsletter, we have had an excellent response from collectors. Thank you to those who have submitted corrections and additional information in response to our appeal for assistance in producing a new edition of this classic work. Everyone will receive a letter of thanks in due course. Many letters and emails have included a considerable amount of detailed material and some collectors have even gone to the trouble of photocopying pages from the last edition of British Battles and Medals and making their corrections directly on the page which is most helpful. Any help is most welcome. Here again are the details of what we are looking for from
medal collectors and others: An Editorial Team (Richard, Bishop, John
Hayward and Diana Birch) is currently working on a new edition of British
Battles and Medals. The improvements made to each successive edition of
this key reference work have relied heavily on the knowledge of many specialist
collectors. To ensure that the forthcoming edition is the most accurate
and useful of all, again the Editors will be dependent to a large extent
upon the cooperation and help of collectors. The Editorial Team is seeking
information on the following: Please include the provenance of any information you send as it is important that the new edition acknowledges all necessary references (in the case of books and journals, give the title, name of author, publisher, place and date of publication). The Editorial Team looks forward to hearing from collectors. The names of those who assist in the preparation of this new edition will be acknowledged in the book itself. The deadline for information is 31 December 2003. All information to:
Available from: This is the first to be published in a series of volumes containing Medal Rolls of the Royal Engineers. The book contains notes and photographs of the medals together with a roll of 8,900 names of those awarded the medal(s). An appendix includes a list of RE units which took part in the campaign in South Africa together with issue details for the Medal and clasps.
Spink Contact Address
|
|
|
© Spink 2008. All rights reserved
Tel: +44 (0)20 7563 4000
|
|
