Gunner Bailey Posted 27 October , 2013 Author Share Posted 27 October , 2013 The value of a 'Death Plaque' [horrible term]......... .........................................................................................One Human Life. Yes it is. Yet I find 'dead man's penny' just as bad. 95 years later maybe 'Honour or Remembrance Plaque' might have been used. Was there an official name? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark holden Posted 27 October , 2013 Share Posted 27 October , 2013 John, It was officially called the Memorial Plaque. regards Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben3095 Posted 27 October , 2013 Share Posted 27 October , 2013 Common name? Not a very fair term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Bailey Posted 27 October , 2013 Author Share Posted 27 October , 2013 John, It was officially called the Memorial Plaque. regards Mark Thanks Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 27 October , 2013 Share Posted 27 October , 2013 Chilling to think of earning one - and then for it to be sold on Ebay. But as has been said before , having someone who cares own it is no bad thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Bailey Posted 28 October , 2013 Author Share Posted 28 October , 2013 What appalls me about the buying and selling these plaques is that people rate a Regiment over a Corps and a certain date over a non noteable date. These anoraks forget that every plaque meant a family was in mourning and the effects lasted for years. To me there is no difference between an ASC driver killed by a shell than an infantry man killed on 1/7/16. They all gave their lives for their country and ultimately for us. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchtrotter Posted 28 October , 2013 Share Posted 28 October , 2013 John, Well said.....but we are where we are. 1/7/16 is a more notable event in history than 24/4/16 or 2/8/18 or 1/3/15. Nothing we can do about it. We associate collecting to what intersest us and like it or not these are now collectable items / curios now immediate pain in the family has pased. Not saying this saddens me cos it does. I have a few in my collection and each is special to me. Regards TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Bailey Posted 29 October , 2013 Author Share Posted 29 October , 2013 The collecting urge has a lot to answer for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawley Jockey Posted 29 October , 2013 Share Posted 29 October , 2013 The collecting urge has a lot to answer for! Why ? if there where no collectors and the families didn't want the medals/Plaques or the family line had finished where would all these medals/plaques now be to these brave men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Bailey Posted 29 October , 2013 Author Share Posted 29 October , 2013 Not all family lines are 'finished'. I know a man in Dartford who has 500 of these plaques. That's 500 families whose forebears let them go and whose relatives now will never get them back. I'm a firm believer that families should hold onto any named historic item. It greatly saddens me that people think these items are of little value and let them go, only for the next generation to try and get them back. Collectors really don't help the situation. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepoy Posted 29 October , 2013 Share Posted 29 October , 2013 May be Memorial Plaques should remain with the Families, but many Families today will have no idea who Great Great Uncle Fred was or any real interest in what the Plaques represent. My Nieces have absolutely no interest in history and when I try to encourage any interest in our the family tree (some 2000 plus people going back to 1620) they just say "He's off again". As I am now suffering with ill health, it is leaving me with a real quandary as to what to do with the Family Medals and Memorabilia when I shuffle off elsewhere. Most collectors treasure items like Memorial Plaques, not so much for the bronze item but for the person they represent. Great Great Uncle Fred may have been forgotten by his Family, but research by Collectors bring these people to life again. Better these items in a collection rather than melted down, like many silver medals in the 1970s/80s. Sepoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbob1001 Posted 29 October , 2013 Share Posted 29 October , 2013 Well said Sepoy Medal collectors tend to be vilified as a group, but a great medals that otherwise would have been lost or ended in the melting pot have survived in their care. Tim PS if any collectors on here know the whereabouts to the trip belonign to Pte R.A. Barbour 42nd Canadian Infantry do get in touch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawley Jockey Posted 31 October , 2013 Share Posted 31 October , 2013 I am always surprised and saddend when after giving talks about the First War, some people will always ask about the value of so and so medal that has come down to them through the family. Believe me when I say that many of them you can tell are only asking to see if they can get a few pounds in their pocket, regardless of whether it was great grandfathers or not. Medal collectors can be frowned at but the one's I know (including myself) will try and research these brave men and at least are keeping the memory of many a brave man's life, unlike unfortunately so many families who are not. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ridgus Posted 31 October , 2013 Share Posted 31 October , 2013 I am always surprised and saddend when after giving talks about the First War, some people will always ask about the value of so and so medal that has come down to them through the family. Believe me when I say that many of them you can tell are only asking to see if they can get a few pounds in their pocket, regardless of whether it was great grandfathers or not. Medal collectors can be frowned at but the one's I know (including myself) will try and research these brave men and at least are keeping the memory of many a brave man's life, unlike unfortunately so many families who are not. Dave I couldn't agree with you more Dave. My wife stopped me watching the antique shows where people sell their heirlooms after we saw one lady sell a relative's Pip, Squeak and Wilfred and when asked what she was going to do with the proceeds said that she was planning on putting gravel on her drive. I have one Memorial Plaque that was given to me by a student (I teach History at a Comprehensive School) because his family had found it when they moved into their house. His mother thought it would be better if I had it to use in teaching remembrance. At least in our little corner of Berkshire Christopher Churchouse, Stoker 1st Class, who died three weeks before the Armistice, is respectfully remembered. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connaughtranger Posted 31 October , 2013 Share Posted 31 October , 2013 Each plaque is unique to the man it commemorates and 800,000+ were issued Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
303man Posted 1 November , 2013 Share Posted 1 November , 2013 Afraid I fit the collector bit with Plaques 750+ but what started me off was being given a WW1 Trio and Plaque and related ephemera from a family that knew, I had an interest in WW1 and they had no living relations to pass them on to, I try and research all the ones I have, except the multiple casualties to one name. To the likes of William Smith, Ernest Evans, and William Allen. When I started plaques were stacked up in piles in the likes of Liverpool Coin and Medal with plastic buckets on the floor full of Victory Medals, 14-15 Stars and limited numbers of War Medals the majority of the War medals having long gone as scrap The Plaques were £3:00 each. At the same time dealers were willing to sell the plaques separate to the medals. I like to think I am keeping these soldiers Sailors and Airmen's memories alive for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekb Posted 1 November , 2013 Share Posted 1 November , 2013 Hi, All the men and women are important to me and I regard them all with respect. It is sad when families sell them off but without knowing the cicumstances who are we to judge, I have two excellent groups with family connections sold by two old ladies who though that once thay had passed away the items would be sold for pure gain, so why shouldn't the ladies benefit, at least they had cherished them for many many years. Once when I'd paid so much for a particular MM and Trio group together with the Memorial Plaque where there were not any descendants, the local newspaper chose to report that an anonymous buyer had paid four times their worth. When I went to pay for and collect the items, the auctioneers words to me were "your not a dealer are you" to which I replied "no" to which he then said "well at least they are safe now", and that is exactly the case, and when they are no longer mine I hope that they are still safe and I also hope that they are with my Grandson. Regards, Derek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Johnson Posted 1 November , 2013 Share Posted 1 November , 2013 Unless it is an absolutely unique name you are playing the odds. I have two like this: John Ogilvie - now you might use Occam's Razor and say that because it was bought in Canada in must be the one in the 10th Bn. CEF. But his NoK was in Scotland. Could even be the Australian, let alone the four or so Brits. Thomas Hardie - Could be a KOSB July 1st man, but since I bought it not far from the recruiting area of the 2nd Bn. CEF casualty, I would be more likely to invoke Occam's Razor. (And if you're not familiar with Occam's Razor, it states that the where there are several possible answers the most likely one is probably correct; or put another way, "If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." (at least if you're in Canada). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 1 November , 2013 Share Posted 1 November , 2013 In hindsight, it seems a shame that plaques did not have the name, rank, number and unit of the casualty engraved on the reverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulkheader Posted 1 November , 2013 Share Posted 1 November , 2013 Afraid I fit the collector bit with Plaques 750+ but what started me off was being given a WW1 Trio and Plaque and related ephemera from a family that knew, I had an interest in WW1 and they had no living relations to pass them on to, I try and research all the ones I have, except the multiple casualties to one name. To the likes of William Smith, Ernest Evans, and William Allen. When I started plaques were stacked up in piles in the likes of Liverpool Coin and Medal with plastic buckets on the floor full of Victory Medals, 14-15 Stars and limited numbers of War Medals the majority of the War medals having long gone as scrap The Plaques were £3:00 each. At the same time dealers were willing to sell the plaques separate to the medals. I like to think I am keeping these soldiers Sailors and Airmen's memories alive for now. In my original contribution to this thread, I was not denegrating anyone collecting plaques. I have several in my disparate collection. It was the 'cost' question, and the description [death plaque] that rankled with me. Full marks to anyone that rescues 'Memorial Plaques' and all other ephemera from being lost to landfill or the melting pot. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest exuser1 Posted 2 November , 2013 Share Posted 2 November , 2013 As with the original post what's the value based on ? Is very much like saying how longs a bit of string? as someone said not to long ago they were £3 take your pick in 1999 I picked up just the plaque to a RFC pilot paid £15 from a local auction ,and when later that month it raised £75 at Glendennings it was mentioned in Medal News as to the high price of plaques! They are worth what some one is prepared to pay for it and if he or she has the group it goes to then who knows ? And though many family's care about their past and heritage for every one who does 100 would sell the stuff to raise some cash to have a night out or buy a new telly . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hywyn Posted 2 November , 2013 Share Posted 2 November , 2013 And though many family's care about their past and heritage for every one who does 100 would sell the stuff to raise some cash to have a night out or buy a new telly . I know of the whereabouts of three which were thrown away with other material in a farmers field when he was looking for some backfill in one of his fields. (back in the 60s/70s). One of them is to an unique name! Hywyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 2 November , 2013 Share Posted 2 November , 2013 . . if you're not familiar with Occam's Razor, it states that the where there are several possible answers the most likely one is probably correct; or put another way, "If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." (at least if you're in Canada). Thankyou. In the army we used to call it KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Cox Posted 2 November , 2013 Share Posted 2 November , 2013 My Gt Uncle was K.I.A on the 1st July 1916 on the Somme, a friend of mine came across his plaque on a auction site on the web, his name is a one of one and I had to pay the guy £300 to take it off, I would have payed more, his war medal came up the year after. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collectorsguide Posted 2 November , 2013 Share Posted 2 November , 2013 WW1 PLAQUES ARE MEMORIAL PLAQUES.THEY ARE NOT....DEATH PLAQUES,DEAD MAN'S PENNIES,WIDOW'S PENNIES,DEATH PENNIES OR ANY OTHER UNDIGNIFIED TERM.BEST W, HOWARD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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