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Today at Spink the Victoria Cross awarded to Commander, Later Rear-Admiral John Bythesea for his brave service in the Crimean War was sold for £155,350. This is the second Victoria Cross ever to be awarded, dated 12th August 1854. The auction room was standing room only with several people bidding furiously as the price rose well above estimate for the medal. In the end Michael Naxton, an agent, walked away with the prize piece.

On 7th August 1854, the Captain commanding the HMS Arrogant was informed that important dispatches from the Russian Tsar were arriving at Waldo Island (in the Baltic), which would be of great use to the Royal Navy if intercepted. Bythesea stepped forward to take on the challenge of retrieving them and recruited one of the Swedish sailors on board to aid him in his efforts, Stoker William Johnstone. Bythesea was forewarned that he was putting himself in a great deal of danger and was encouraged to take a larger group of men to perform the interception. He convinced the Captain that a large group would attract too much attention and would jeopardize the mission. The only way to successfully capture the dispatch bags would be for two men to utilize the element of surprise and risk their lives in the process.

Bythesea and Johnstone went ashore on the 9th August. They took up residence with a local farm owner who helped them immensely in their quest. The farmer’s horses had all been stolen by Russian forces and he was eager to cooperate with the two gallant heroes. On the 12th of August the two men hid alongside a road the Russians had cleared for safe transport of the dispatches. They planned to attack once the military escort had fallen back and only five men remained with the bags. The two brave men then jumped out of the bushes armed with just a single pistol and halted the Russians couriers in their tracks. Two ran off into the darkness and the remaining three surrendered with their dispatch bags. The prisoners were then forced to row back to the HMS Arrogant.

Rear-Admiral John Bythesea and Leading Stoker William Johnstone were among the first to receive the newly established Victoria Cross. Johnstone was overseas on duty when the awards were presented by Her Majesty the Queen on 26th June 1857 in Hyde Park. Sixty-two of the ninety-three recipients were in attendance for the event, including Bythesea. The recipients were awarded the decoration in order of precedence, by service, unit and rank, and as a result Commander Bythesea was the second man to have his Victoria Cross pinned on him by the Queen. The Hyde Park investiture was the first public occasion on which Queen Victoria appeared riding a horse in London, and she remained seated on ‘Sunset’ whilst conferring each award.

Bythesea’s surname comes from an earlier family member found by the sea as an orphan and given his name based on the location of which he was found.
The Victoria Cross was instituted on the 19th January 1856 with the first awards backdated for the Baltic and the Crimea gazetted on the 24th February 1857. The first Victoria Cross to be actually won was that to Lieutenant Charles Lucas.

Spink is the world’s leading auctioneer of coins, stamps, medals and banknotes. Since its foundation in 1666, the Spink name has become synonymous with tradition, experience and integrity. Holder of three royal warrants and numerous records for prices achieved at auction, Spink offers an unparalleled range of services to collectors worldwide. Spink is headquartered in London and holds over 35 auctions a year around the globe. In June 2006 Spink shattered the world record for a British Coin sold at auction with the sale of the Double Leopard Gold Coin for a staggering £460,000.

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Second Victoria Cross Ever Awarded Sells for £155,350 at Spink