A lucky penny which saved a British soldier’s life in the First World War has smashed its estimate to sell for thousands at auction – and will remain in the family.
The penny from 1889, which belonged to Private John Trickett, was savagely bent by the impact of a pistol shot aimed at his heart. It sparked worldwide interest and numerous bids when it went under the hammer at Derbyshire Hansons Auctioneers on March 22.
From an initial estimate of £30-£50, later raised to £100-£200, the emotive object, part of a collection of war memorabilia relating to Pte Trickett including his British War and Victory medals, sold for £4,500. With buyer’s premium and VAT the total price paid was £5,445.
Six phone bidders as well as internet bidders battled to own the collection but it was sold to a buyer in the room – Mr Nigel Trickett, 55, of Owston Ferry, near Doncaster.
Mr Trickett, owner of a carpet business in Goldthorpe, near Rotherham, said: “Pte Trickett was my grandad and we wanted to keep the medals and penny in the family. It will be handed down. It’s where it belongs and we’ll take a lot of pride in showing it to family members.
“When the story went viral it brought 50 members of the family together – we all got in touch with each other. My grandad’s story is very interesting and true. Everything wouldn’t have happened in our family the way it has without that penny.
“I was born after my grandad died but I remember seeing the penny when I was seven. We plan to visit my grandad’s grave in Bolton upon Dearne, Yorkshire, on the way home.”
The medal was sold by Pte Trickett’s granddaughter Mrs Maureen Coulson, 63, from Duffield, Derbyshire, who plans to give some of the proceeds to charity.
She said: “I’ve experienced a mixture of emotions from beginning to end. Everyone has been fantastic and I would like to say a very big thank you to all. I’d lost touch with the side of the family who bought the medal and my cousin Nigel but I am delighted for them all.”
Pte Trickett kept the penny in the breast pocket of his soldier’s uniform, a poignant reminder of home.
It proved to be his lucky penny as, during the dreadful conflict which claimed 10 million soldiers’ lives including those of his two brothers, the coin took the full impact of a German bullet, brutally bending under the force but ultimately deflecting the danger.
Hansons’ militaria expert Adrian Stevenson said: “Today’s result is astonishing and deservedly so. That penny is a poignant reminder of a war that devastated a generation and underlines the fine line between life and death.
“It looks to me like a pistol bullet hit the penny at close range. I’ve come across many stories of random objects saving soldiers’ lives but I’ve never seen anything like this before.
“Soldiers used to keep objects in their breast pockets in an attempt to protect themselves from enemy fire and explosions. Shrapnel was the biggest killer in wartime.
“It’s likely John Trickett kept the penny there on purpose. When the bullet hit the coin, it ricocheted up through his nose and went out through the back of his ear. It left him deaf and disabled but still alive.
“He was honourably discharged from the Northamptonshire Regiment on September 7, 1918, shortly before the 1914-18 war ended.”
Mrs Coulson said: “Everyone in our family saw the penny and heard the story of how it saved my grandfather’s life – his two brothers, Horace and Billy, both died in the First World War. My grandad was the only survivor.
“My grandad was born in 1899 and would have been around 19 years old when the incident happened. He had to come home from France because of the injury. It damaged his left-hand side and left him deaf in his left ear. It also affected his balance.
“He was a great big guy from a Lincolnshire farming background but as soft as a brush. He worked with horses back home and couldn’t bear to see the way they were treated on the battlefield.
“When he returned to the UK, he married my gran, Clementine, and they had eight children. He had various jobs after the war including working as a postmaster and as a switchboard operator at Barnburgh Colliery in South Yorkshire. He collapsed at work one day and died at the age of 63 in 1962. I assume it was a heart attack. I was only six when he died.”
Pte Trickett’s war memorabilia was sold in the Medals and Militaria Auction, Hansons Auctioneers, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, on March 22. To find out more, email [email protected]
Next Medals and Militaria Auction
The next Medals and Militaria Auction is on July 26. If you have an item your wish to be valued, please call 01283 733988 or email: [email protected]
