It seems like a lifetime ago but Hansons’ last sale before lockdown was a specialist Medals and Militaria Auction – and it was a roaring success, writes Charles Hanson.
In fact, it was a white glove sale. This is auction house parlance and means that every single lot sold, nearly 300 items in total.
Our Medals and Militaria sales gain more success with every passing year and huge thanks must go to our expert and valuer Adrian Stevenson, a Derbyshire man renowned for his knowledge and a keen collector himself.
As Hansons gets ready for take-off to launch our first sale since lockdown, an online-only Historica and Coins Auction on May 6-7, it seems timely to look back on some successes to inspire you.
After all, being stuck at home means many people have had the opportunity to tidy and clear out rooms and forgotten corners that have lain dormant for years, sometimes brimming with unwanted items. And if you’d like to turn your finds into money, we can help.
Family and friends tell me their spare bedrooms, old cupboards, drawers, sheds, garages and attics have been thoroughly overhauled as they’ve had so much time on their hands.
Consequently, lockdown treasures are emerging, items they’d forgotten about, or didn’t even know they had. Following the success of a charity NHS auction, broadcast from my garden shed in April, which raised £38,000 for the Derby & Burton Hospitals Covid-19 Appeal, I plan to relaunch Hansons with an NHS Auction.
The date is only pencilled in but, all being well, I hope to host a sale of fantastic finds and lockdown treasures on Saturday, May 30 with 5% of all commission charges donated to the NHS. More on that as it takes shape.
Meanwhile, if some old jewellery, watches, ceramics, vinyl records or quirky finds are languishing at home, I’d love to hear from you. Likewise, if some militaria objects have emerged, I’d be happy to help. We’re gathering items now for our July medals and militaria sale.
The aftermath of two world wars mean many of us have ancestors who fought in battles long gone but never forgotten. Sometimes their medals, military records or wartime photos are rediscovered in drawers, old shoe boxes or even under the bed.
Militaria objects are highly sought after. Collectors all over the world love to accumulate objects relating to wartime history and will be pay thousands to do so.
For example, in our March militaria sale lot 5000, an Army of India Medal named to ‘S Thornton, Commr. RN’, complete with original ribbon and pin, sold for £6,500. Commission bids came flying in from all over the world before I’d even lifted my gavel, such was its rarity.
Samuel Thornton (1797-1859) was named after his father, Samuel Thornton, a former Surrey MP, bank director, governor of the Russia Company, deputy-governor of the Eastland Company and brother-in-law to the late Earl of Leven and Melville
.
Samuel junior went on to have an equally impressive career, albeit on the ocean waves. In 1811, he became a midshipman on board the Amazon frigate and witnessed the capture and destruction of nine French vessels. He subsequently served under captains Richard Dalling Dunn and James Hillyar on the Armide and Phoebe frigates; the former employed in the Bay of Biscay, and the latter in the Pacific Ocean, where she captured American ship Essex in 1814.
His naval career went from strength. He passed examinations at the Royal Naval College, later served at the capture of Rangoon on May 11, 1824 and, soon after, was promoted to the Admiralty.
Another hotly contested item was lot 5122, a First World War diary – including extracts written during the Battle of the Somme – written by Sapper Arthur Edward Diggins, 29th Signals Section, Royal Engineers, 29th Division. It sold for £2,600 after being discovered in a Leicestershire barn.
The find sparked worldwide media interest, and rightly so. The first day of the Battle of the Somme, July 1, 1916, was the bloodiest in British Army history. Out of 120,000 Allied troops in the initial attack, nearly 20,000 were killed, most in the first hour.
Another item to spark national press interest was lot 5119, an outstanding collection of First World War RAF memorabilia relating to Lt Stuart Leslie. It included his Pilot’s Flying Log Book with entries running from November, 1917 to October, 1918. It sold for £2,500. Our militaria expert Adrian had previously only seen a WW1 Pilot’s Flying Log Book in a museum.
Other top sellers included lot 5091, a Georgian pipe-backed officer’s sword which made £1,600; lot 5006, a WW1 British Nurse Medal Group to Sister Jane Ellithorn, hammer price £1,000, and lot 5003, a WW1 British Medal Group to Company Quartermaster Sergeant H Finch, Royal Engineers, which made £920.
If lockdown has led to some discoveries you would like to have valued, get in touch. I can arrange a virtual valuation and, once lockdown rules, have eased Hansons will be launching a contactless valuation service at our Etwall headquarters. I can also provide free quotes for downsizing/house clearance and book advance dates for antique/collectables valuations at your home. If I can help in any way, please email [email protected].
