Fears rise that WW1 centenary will spark crimewave against memorabilia

[Sepoy]

I have just found this Independent Newspaper article via Facebook's Great War 100
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/fears-rise-that-ww1-centenary-will-spark-crimewave-against-memorabilia-8947719.html

I thought that their quoted price of silver might result in a lot of WW1 medals ending up in the "pot".......

A bit of scare mongering or a real concern?

Sepoy

[John_Hartley]

Scaremongering, IMO.

Most unlikely that a toe-rag is going to target a house just for the small amount of silver that'd be in a medal. They might target it for granny's silver teapot if granny had been telling all the local toe-rags that she had one.

[T8HANTS]

I am not so sure; I believe the warning is aimed at the many short term displays that are planned. It will not just be the odd medal that could go, bayonets make nice money, militaria will always sell, I know I had my modest collection nicked ten years ago. I knew the dealer who had it, he even told me he did, as the police had someone for the crime, they were not interested in recovering my stuff. I would waive my interest in all that I lost, just to get my Grandfathers NWMP fur hat back, that he was issued when his ship (H.M.S. Cochrane) went to Russia.

G

[keithfazzani]

Silver has never been £2000 an ounce! It is currently just over £12 an ounce. Some websites quote silver prices in Kg, that "well informed reporter" has his decimal point well and truly in the wrong place. As I never cease to say don't believe anything you read.

[Old Owl]

I do wish that the national press would check their facts, or type-setting, prior to publishing such nonsense!! I believe that silver has topped £20 an ounce on occasion, but never £2000--what a bunch of wallies!!

This is just the sort of nonsense that could encourage theft on a grand scale.

[David Ridgus]

Even gold is only about £800 an ounce at the moment and silver rarely gets above £12. What ever happened to editorial oversight?

[hazelclark]

Any self respecting robber would know that 2000 is a typo. However, collections are something else. Having been burgled twice.................................

hazel

[IPT]

It could possibly encourage a spate of selling granddad's old medals.

[centurion]

The article also uses confused logic The centenary might well increase the sale value of medals but this has nothing to do with the price of silver which will go up or down due to more global economic circumstances. The two are independent of each other.

Once again "never let the facts get in the way of a good story"

[John_Hartley]

I literally flogged off the family silver a couple of years ago. Big tray that was my grandfathers. Thought it would have intrinsic value as an antique - but no - all I could get was scrap value (albeit that was £700).