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March 2006 Medal NewsletterOur first auction of Orders, Decorations, and Medals in 2006 will take place on 20th April. Cataloguing has now finished, and the proofs with the printers; we expect that the finished catalogue will be available towards the end of this month. As usual, as soon as the finished version is ready, it will be available on our website.
The Deadline for the April sale has now passed; however, we are starting to take in consignments for our end-of-season sale, to be held on 20th July. For more information about consigning lots for this sale, please do not hesitate to contact us. Numismatic NotesThe Distinguished Flying Cross Given the number of RAF awards in our forthcoming sale, it seems appropriate to focus this month on the D.F.C. As with all high value awards, fakes and forgeries are beginning to appear with sadly greater frequency. We have recently come across a very convincing fake, dated 1944, and shown below alongside a genuine D.F.C. dated for the same year. In both cases the copy D.F.C. is on the left, with the genuine D.F.C. on the right.
From first impressions it is difficult to spot the fake; true, the finish is not quite as sharp as the original, but this could simply be due to a worn die, or variations in the Cross due to the different contractors used for their manufacture. However, on closer inspection, the fake can be identified by the designer’s initials at 5 o’ clock. On the genuine Cross the initials ‘E.C.P.’ appear very faintly on the outer edge of the centre circle. With most copies these initials are absent- on the fake pictured below, the initials have been punched onto the cross in its manufacture, with the obvious intention to deceive. Only under magnification can the difference between the die struck original, and the punched fake, be seen. The fake D.F.C. is on the left, and the genuine D.F.C. on the right.
It should be noted however that the designer’s initials on a genuine Cross are sometimes so faint, due to a particularly worn die being used, that they become extremely difficult to spot. Interestingly, it is known that a number of dies used for the manufacture of D.F.C.s dated 1944 and 1945 omitted the designer’s initials altogether, and so a complete lack of initials is no guarantee that a particular D.F.C. is not genuine. EventsORDERS AND MEDALS RESEARCH SOCIETY, LONDON BRANCH Now in its second year and firmly established, the London Branch of OMRS meets on the second Tuesday of odd numbered months here at Spink. A core of around 15 active members emerged last year, and it is hoped that attendance will continue to grow this year. The full itinerary for 2006 is now finalised, and forthcoming events include a Blitz Walk in the area around Spink, on Tuesday 9th May, and a visit to the Coldstream Guards Regimental HQ and medal collection on Tuesday 4th July. The last meeting took place in the Auction Room at Spink on Tuesday 14th March 2006, when Stan Bates gave a talk entitled ‘Special Duty Airmen’, speaking on the supply to Special Operations Executive by the Royal Air Force during World War II, and providing an overview of Special Operations Executive activity. His talk was very interesting and thoroughly researched, and was much appreciated by the audience. Members and their guests are asked to arrive before 6:15pm, as after this time the doors are closed. Newcomers are always welcome. For more information please contact Stan Bates on 01226 79072. Books ReviewBRITISH BATTLES AND MEDALS, SEVENTH EDITION Spink is pleased to announce that the Seventh Edition of British Battles and Medals is due out later on in 2006. Much re-written, which has gone a long way to correct errors of omission and commission, and incorporating a lot of new information on modern campaign medals, which is being published for the first time, it promises to be the essential guide to medal collecting. The Editors would like to thank the many collectors who have supplied corrections, addenda and suggestions which will add significantly to the comprehensiveness and accuracy of this book. SUPREME COURAGE: HEROIC STORIES FROM 150 YEARS OF THE VICTORIA CROSS by General Sir Peter de la Billière With a new afterword on the recent award of the Victoria Cross to Private Johnson Beharry, the paperback edition of Supreme Courage is otherwise as last year’s hardback edition. Nine of the fourteen chapters are substantial essays on individual winners of the Cross, which allows the reader greater insight into the character of the individuals concerned, and the circumstances surrounding the award. There are also welcome sections on those awards to men from the modern-day Commonwealth, fighting at the far reaches of the Empire and beyond. There is, however, a noticeable bias towards the 20th Century, and it comes as no surprise to learn that of all the heroic feats performed by VC winners, the author singles out that performed by Sergeant Norman Jackson, RAF, as the most astonishing, a choice confirmed by the world record price his Victoria Cross achieved at Spink’s April 2004 auction. BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE: THE STORY OF THE VICTORIA CROSS by John Glanfield Following hot on the heels of General Sir Peter de la Billière’s book Supreme Courage is yet another offering on the history of the Victoria Cross. Bravest of the Brave tracks the history of the Victoria Cross from the first award to Midshipman Charles Lucas in the Baltic, right through to the most recent award to Private Johnson Beharry in Iraq. Throughout the book controversy is never far from the surface, as Glanfield tells how the award, intended to be above political interference, has nevertheless had a most colourful and, at times, murky past. In particular, history shows how different Commanders have interpreted the Warrant in a variety of ways, not always to the integrity of the award. Most importantly, the author provides the definitive log of where the famous gunmetal used for each Cross has actually come from, and readers will be surprised to learn that it is not all from guns captured in the Crimea. The book will prove of great intrigue to all those interested in this country’s highest award. The Spink Book Department will be pleased to assist you with any enquiries about their stock of books on orders, medals and decorations, a selection of which is available online. If you prefer to contact them directly with your enquiry, you can do so on +44 (0)20 7563 4056, or by email. AUCTION AND PRIVATE TREATY SERVICESPRICES REALISED Click here to view the prices realised for the 24 November auction. CATALOGUES To take out an annual subscription for our auction catalogues, or to purchase catalogues individually, please contact us on 020 7563 4000, or email catalogues@spink.com. A breakdown of charges is provided here. AUCTION BIDDING 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 BY PRIVATE TREATY 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. BUYING MEDALS ON THE SPINK WEBSITE 2006 will see increased activity on the Spink Website. We are committed to adding more Orders, Decorations, and Medals on the website at an increased frequency. Due to the new facilities we have for in-house photography, already much in evidence in our last auction catalogue, we hope to update our online stocklists every fortnight. 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. 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. •Click here to browse a selection of medals online
Best regards, The Medal Department
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