March 2007 Medal Newsletter

AUCTION NEWS

Our second auction of 2007 took place on 19th July, and, at 1,456 lots, was our biggest ever sale in terms of the sheer amount of material that came under the hammer. The morning session started, as has become the established custom, with a small section of Militaria, followed by the collection of India General Service 1908-35 Medals formed by Major C. Wilcox, O.B.E. This comprehensive collection, containing no fewer than 336 lots, and including virtually every unit and clasp combination, was very well received, with 99% of the lots selling- an outstanding result for 20th Century material. Following on from this was a collection of Great War Medals to the Machine Gun Corps and Guards Machine Gun Regiment. The highlight of this collection, and indeed the ‘signature’ lot of the sale, was the first ‘Immediate’ Tank Operations D.S.O., for the first tank attack of the Great War group of five to Major A.M. Inglis, who commanded his tank ‘Crème de Menthe’ with great success. The lot was keenly fought for in the room, and eventually sold for £11,200.

The afternoon session was devoted entirely to the collection of the late Alan Marginson, who died this April, having been collecting from the 1960s right up until his death. A Colonial theme ran throughout, with a significant proportion of his collection related to non-British units- indeed, it was the first time for a number of years that some of the more obscure Long Service awards had appeared at auction. An example of the range of material was the fact that no fewer than 17 Badges of the Certificate of Honour were offered for sale. As with the morning session, the quantity of similar items was a strength rather than a weakness, with 99.5% of the collection selling for a hammer price in excess of £100,000.

The Evening Session contained some of the more eagerly anticipated items. The top price of the day was the £39,200 paid for the Important Falklands War ‘Goose Green’ M.M. Group of Four to Lance-Corporal ‘Bill’ Bentley, 2nd Parachute Regiment. Also of note was the Extremely Rare Inter War ‘Palestine’ 1939 G.C. Group of Five to Sergeant T. Atkinson, the Green Howards; and the Field Officer’s Gold Medal for Nivelle to Major John Walmsley, 82nd Foot, which was made the more attractive by being sold with two fine miniature portraits on ivory of the recipient. In total the sale realised £625,000.

Our final auction of 2007 takes place on the 22nd November, and consignments can be accepted up until the middle of September. Amongst items already consigned is the Superb and Important ‘Dhofar’ C.B.E., ‘Battle of the Imjin’ M.C. Group of 17 to Brigadier ‘Mike’ Harvey, Who Commanded “D” Company The Glorious Glosters During the Battle and led the Survivors of the 1st Battalion to Safety After Their Position Had Been Completely Overwhelmed by the Chinese 198th Division; He Went on to do Two Tours of Oman, the Latter at the Personal Request of Sultan Qaboos, Where he Commanded the Brigade in Dhofar, Including 22 SAS Regiment Teams in Operations Against the Rebel Insurgents, 1971-72

We are also pleased to include a selection of 18th Century and Early 19th Century Awards, ranging from the Carib War Medal of 1773, to the Coorg Medal of 1837. These early awards are amongst the most visually pleasing of all the campaign medals; arguably the greatest of these is the Seringapatam Medal, showing the British Lion triumphant over Tipu’s Tiger.

Also consigned are the Honours and Awards Bestowed upon Sir Charles Stuart Bayley, G.C.I.E., K.C.S.I., I.S.O., whose 47-year career in India culminated in the appointment as the First Governor of Bihar and Orissa. The two Indian Orders are renowned for their lavish designs and great beauty, and the Collar of the Order of the Indian Empire is one of the scarcest pieces of insignia on the market.

Full details of other lots in the November auction will be covered in future Newsletters, and the full catalogue will be out towards the end of October.

SPINK OUT AND ABOUT

It has been a busy summer, with the Spink Medal Department travelling to Houston, Texas, to attend the annual Orders and Medals Society of America (OMSA) convention. Held in the beautiful and idyllic surrounds of the Woodlands, it was a great opportunity to catch up with old acquaintances and make new friends. A large contingent had flown over from England and the rest of Europe, and business was brisk over the full four days of the convention.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

ORDERS AND MEDALS RESEARCH SOCIETY, ANNUAL CONVENTION

The OMRS 2007 Annual Convention takes place on Saturday, 22nd September, at its usual venue at the New Connaught Rooms in Great Queen Street, just up the road from Spink. The Medal Department will, of course, be there, with a selection of Campaign Medals for sale, and we very much look forward to seeing you at some stage during the day, be it to buy, sell, or consign items for auction, or simply just to talk about medals.

ORDERS AND MEDALS RESEARCH SOCIETY, LONDON BRANCH

Now in its third year, and well and truly established, the London branch of OMRS will continue to meet on the second Tuesday of odd numbered months here at Spink. Membership continued to rise last year, with most meetings attended by over 20 members; it is hoped that attendance will continue to grow this year. The full itinerary for 2008 is now being planned.

The next meeting will take place in the Auction Room at Spink on Tuesday 11th September 2007, which will be a ‘Member’s Own’- last year's meeting was particularly interesting due to the quantity and variety of medals brought in and therefore all attending this Tuesday are encouraged to bring along something worthy of discussion.

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 contactStan Bates on 01226 79072.

BOOK REVIEWS

BRITISH BATTLES AND MEDALS, SEVENTH EDITION

by John Hayward, Diana Birch, and Richard Bishop
London: Spink Ltd., 2006. Hardback, 798 pages, b&w illustrations with colour riband chart
Available from Spink and Son Ltd, London, WC1B 4ET priced at £85. Tel 020 7563 4000.

The long awaited and fully revised edition of Major Gordon’s classic reference work was released at the end of November. Since the last edition not only have a number of new medals, from the Gulf Medal 1990-91 to the new Operational Service Medals for minor conflicts, been instituted, but further research has greatly increased the accuracy and content of the earlier sections. Of particular interest is the fact that not only every single medal, but also every single clasp (with the exception of some of the rarer Naval General Service 1793-1840 clasps) has been illustrated. A vast quantity of numismatic information has also been included, particularly on the various naming styles adopted, together with illustrations where possible. Lists and number of Ships, Regiments, and Units present has been revised where necessary, including the addition of more so-called ‘odd men’. The 18 appendices have, for the first time, gathered together in the most accessible form a wealth of reference material, including nominal rolls for such actions as the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Defence of Rorke’s Drift, the Charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman, the Defence of Legations, and the Yangtze incident. There is also a complete list of recipients of Naval and Army Gold Medals, and Army Gold Crosses, believed to be the first such table of this kind to be published.

AUCTION AND PRIVATE TREATY SERVICES

PRICES REALISED

Click here to view the prices realised for the 19 July 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.

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

The Spink website goes from strength to strength, with items from £10 to £10,000. We aim to update our online stocklists every fortnight, although on some occasions, such as around auctions, this might vary. 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.
Please note that items cannot be reserved and will remain on the site available for purchase until a firm sale has been completed.

•Click here to browse a selection of medals online

MEDAL DEPARTMENT
Mark Quayle                                                    020 7563 4064
Oliver Pepys                                                     020 7563 4061
John Hayward (Consultant)                               020 7563 4049
Charles Webb (Militaria Consultant)                 020 7563 4092