May 2005 Medal Newsletter

AUCTION NEWS
We are very pleased to report yet another most successful auction of orders, decorations and medals held on 28 April. The sale totalled over GBP 410,000 pounds (hammer price). Once more strong prices were the theme of the day, with most of the major groups performing extremely well against estimates.

Additionally, throughout the sale, there were some lots that produced not just strong but exceptional results. In this category was a Second World War rare Defence of Leros 1943 Military Cross group of six to Lieutenant F.J. Belle, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, who was wounded and taken prisoner. Sold with many interesting documents and photographs, it sold at a hammer price of GBP 5500 (estimate GBP 1200-1500). Several family groups contained awards that also attracted a good deal of attention, among these were the 1914 Star and Bar, Victory Medal and Memorial Plaque to Captain A.T. Greg, Royal Flying Corps, late Cheshire Regiment, with Victory Medal and Memorial Plaque to Lieutenant R.P. Greg, Cheshire Regiment, which sold at very healthy GBP 1300 (estimate GBP 250-300); the 1914-15 Star trio to Major Sir P.V. Pryce-Jones, Welsh Horse Yeomanry, late Royal Welsh Fusiliers, with 1939-45 Star and condolence slip to Lieutenant J.P.H.M. Vaughan, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, attached 7 Battalion South Lancashire Regiment which brought over three-times estimate at GBP 950 (estimate GBP 240-280); and an exceptional El-Teb Distinguished Conduct Medal group to Corporal D. McPherson, Gordon Highlanders, wounded at El-Teb and later promoted in the field for gallantry, sold together with the First World War and Long Service medals to Engineer F.K. McPherson, which produced a hammer price of GBP (8200 (estimate GBP 4500-5000).

Fine quality Napoleonic period medals are regularly in demand and particularly notable in this sale were the Naval General Service Medal 1793-1840 clasp ' 1 June 1794' to Midshipman Alex Ellis, HMS Leviathan, which brought GBP 3400 (estimate GBP 1800-2200); the Military General Service Medal 1793-1814 clasps 'Roleia' and 'Vimiera' to Ensign Edward Jordan, 38 Foot, which sold for GBP 1650 (estimate GBP 600-800); and the Army of India Medal 1799-1826 clasp 'Ava' to the Honourable Richard Gore, second son of Sir Arthur Gore, 1st Earl of Arran, which made GBP 1800 (estimate GBP 600-800).

Among a good run of foreign items were several that realised excellent prices against estimates, these included a first type 1815-55 fourth class badge of the Italian Military Order of Savoy GBP 3100 (estimate GBP 200-300) and a USSR third class Order of Kutuzov GBP 1700 (estimate GBP 150-200). Among a miscellaneous section of awards was a mid-19th century Pectoral 'Jewel' of St George' in metal gilt and enamel with over 120 pastes, again this significantly overshot its estimate to bring GBP 1000 (estimate GBP 100-150).

Among other lots that also enticed bidders to pay considerably more than estimate, sometimes many times more, were a Boer War 1899-1902 Distinguished Conduct Medal group of five to Sergeant G.H. Hale, King's Royal Rifle Corps which brought GBP 3000 (estimate GBP 1200-1400); an extremely rare Colonial Police Gallantry Medal and Bar group of five to Sergeant P.R. Adams, Palestine Police Force which sold at GBP 4200 (estimate GBP 2000-2500); a most scarce combination of campaign medals to Major the Honorable B.R. Pellew, Rifle Brigade, late 43 Foot, containing medals which ranged from the South Africa wars 1834-53, via the Crimea 1854-56 and China 1856-60, to the Indian Mutiny 1857-58, which made GBP 5500 (estimate GBP 2400-2800); a most interesting group of 12 to the Right Honorable Sir Philip Sassoon PC, GBE, CMG, MP, Private Secretary 1915-1918 to Commander in Chief of the British Armies in France, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Under Secretary of State for Air 1924-29 and 1931-37, but whose life as a socialite and society entertainer is equally fascinating, which was hotly contested to GBP 7800 (estimate GBP 2400-2800); and a South Atlantic Medal 1982 with silver rosette in case of issue to Leading Seaman M.J. Hancox, HMS Antelope which fell to the hammer at GBP 1150 (estimate GBP 400-450).

‘Those who attended the auction will have noticed that not only were the telephones active, but we also had live internet bidding, which can be quicker, and less disruptive, than telephone bidding. This was the second time we had used the system, and on this occasion we had 177 registered bidders and 97 commission bids via the internet. The ‘catalogue viewing’ statistics make for interesting reading, with over 1500 ‘viewings’ a day taking place over the ten days before the auction, with a peak of just over 4,000 on one day. As might be expected, the registered bidders were mostly from the USA (40%) and the UK (33%).

Cataloguing is well under way for our next auction on 21 July. In addition to the items mentioned in the April newsletter, we have also published details of an extensive collection of plaid brooches (see below). In the campaign medal section the sale will be remembered for a large collection of Mutiny Medals, over 180 medals in total, to both the British and Indian Army, and covering artillery, cavalry, and infantry. Most are single medals, and the catalogue will no doubt provide a useful price guide. Among the foreign awards is an extensive collection of Imperial Russian awards, including a rare Collar of St Andrew. Illustrated below is an interesting group to Lieutenant Colonel Randle Montague Feilden, 52 Oxfordshire Light Infantry and Egyptian Army, who served in operations against the Nyam-Nyams 1904-05 and commanded operations against Agaskir-Dinkas in 1913. The medals, consigned for sale by the family, come with Colonel Feilden’s sword, and many interesting photographs and documents.

Also from the family of the recipient, and so well supported by photographs and documents, we have the D.S.O group of seven to Lieutenant Thomas Douglas Laverick Platt R.N.R., for his part in the daring attack on the German Naval Base at St Nazaire. Platt commanded H.M. Motor Launch 447. The citation for the D.S.O reads ‘For great gallantry in command of a Motor Launch Flotilla. In the face of steady fire at point blank range, and bombardment by grenades from the jetty above, Lieutenant Platt tried to run his craft alongside, and when, ten feet from the jetty, it became a blazing wreck, he did all he could, under heavy fire, to save survivors.’

Also in this sale: a large and interesting collection of Scottish Regimental Plaid Brooches
At a time when the future of many Highland Regiments is in doubt these handsome and emotive objects are evocative memorials of a time when the Scottish Regiments were serving with such distinction in every corner of the Empire... more details here

For more details, and also if you are interested in consigning items to our sale later in the year, please contact Richard Bishop 0207 563 4053 or Mark Quayle 0207 563 4064.

Prices Realised
Click here to view the prices realised for the 28 April auction.

Catalogues
To take out an annual subscription for our auction catalogues, or to purchase catalogues individually, please contact Client Services on 020 7563 4089, or email catalogues@spink.com. A breakdown of charges is provided here.

Buying Medals on the Spink Website
We continue to offer more items for sale via our Website sales list. For those who have expressed an interest in receiving updates by email from Spink, we can contact you when new items are added to our online stocklists, usually every two to three weeks. If you are unsure whether we hold an email address for you, please email your details to enquiry@spink.com, stating that you wish to receive medal stock updates from Spink.

Please note that items cannot be reserved and will remain on the site available for purchase until a firm sale has been completed.

Auction Service
For those who prefer to engage an agent to bid on their behalf at the major auctions in London of Orders, Decorations and Medals, Spink now offer this as a free service. A representative from the Medal Department attends all major auctions and will be pleased to act on your behalf. The procedure for retaining Spink in this capacity is very straightforward, just contact John Hayward on 020 7563 4049

Selling Medals at Spink
Although sale at auction of orders, medals and decorations is very successful, some clients still lean towards sale by private treaty. We at Spink are most interested in the straight purchase of both collections and individual items and will be pleased to discuss such arrangements. 

•Click here to browse a selection of medals online