Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Medal Collectors


kevinseddon

Recommended Posts

Interesting thread. I have some experience on the other side of the fence with this when thanks to the kindness of another forum member, I was able to arrange the purchase of my wife's great-great-uncle's medals, etc:

They weren't cheap, but we were happy to pay the asking price and it certainly never occurred to us that he 'ought' to give them to us for nothing. I can only assume that relatives who start from that assumption are greedy and / or not very bright.

 

I also have experience with contacting relatives about medals in my possession. As described here:

I did wonder if she would ask to have them, which would have placed me in a dilemma. I didn't offer, but on the other hand I have a clear conscience that there was no hint in her correspondence with me that she wanted them. He wasn't a close relative and she just seemed to be interested to know of their existence and to receive some pictures to display on her Ancestry family tree.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, peregrinvs said:

Interesting thread. I have some experience on the other side of the fence with this when thanks to the kindness of another forum member, I was able to arrange the purchase of my wife's great-great-uncle's medals, etc:

They weren't cheap, but we were happy to pay the asking price and it certainly never occurred to us that he 'ought' to give them to us for nothing. I can only assume that relatives who start from that assumption are greedy and / or not very bright.

 

I also have experience with contacting relatives about medals in my possession. As described here:

I did wonder if she would ask to have them, which would have placed me in a dilemma. I didn't offer, but on the other hand I have a clear conscience that there was no hint in her correspondence with me that she wanted them. He wasn't a close relative and she just seemed to be interested to know of their existence and to receive some pictures to display on her Ancestry family tree.

Another very valid point. One relative who I contacted wasn't interested in acquiring the medal I had. Another was offered to the family and they never got back to me. Maybe some don't attach the same importance to medals as others. All were offered at the original purchase price.

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have, in the past, paid way over the odds for a WW1 star awarded to my great uncle and, on the other hand, I have given away a WW1 pair to a member of the recipients family.

swings and roundabouts!!

 

Trev

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have helped and more than willing to do so again, once again I will say it depends now on the attitude of the family. I am afraid that my experience with the photograph album has made me very shall we say not critical but wary.

 

heres a thread from a few years ago

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm sure KB settled things entirely reasonably and amicably with the family of the stolen medals, but I believe a more strictly legal approach would have been for KB to return the medals free of charge to their rightful owner (or to the police). As a holder of stolen goods (albeit entirely innocently), KB had no legal claim to them.  It would then be open to him to seek compensation from the person who had sold them to him in the first place (who also had no legal claim to them); for that person to claim compensation from the person who sold them to him, etc, down the line until you reach someone who was actually guilty of theft or handling. I'm sure this would all be going too far in the case KB describes of a simple BWM, stolen from another country, etc: but the principle remains that if you have stolen goods in your possession (in the UK), they are not 'yours' and you have no legal ownership of them, and no right to compensation for the cost of acquiring them except from the person who sold them to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have returned medals to family members on a number of occasions, including some high-end gallantry. Most experiences with family have been good but there are a couple that have left a sour taste in my mouth - Like a desirable officers medal which fit perfectly into my theme. I gave the medal to the family for around half of its market value (what I paid) and didn't even receive a response after sending it, let alone a thank you. On another occasion, on posting about the group online, I was contacted by a man asking if I would return the group to the family (a pair & plaque). When I offered I to sell it for what  paid (below the current market value), I was told that the lady who wants it is a very elderly lady and she doesn't have much money. I told them I wasn't willing to lose money on it and didn't receive any further correspondence. I must admit this one did set alarm bells ringing.

 

So, I have, and still would, return medals to family, but it would all depend on the attitude of said family.

 

Neil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have returned for free, for what I paid, sent in exchange for a similar group, given first refusal or broken contact.

 

All depending om the circumstances, no fast and easy rule on this!

 

Lars

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Quote

 

a member of the BMF contacted me with the details of family medals that were up for auction.

I thanked him.

 I was out bid, by the person who told me about them.

his original email then dissapeared, I then get another a few weeks later offering them to me at a £100 mark up.

I politely declined,!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

26 minutes ago, chaz said:

a member of the BMF contacted me with the details of family medals that were up for auction.

I thanked him.

 I was out bid, by the person who told me about them.

his original email then dissapeared, I then get another a few weeks later offering them to me at a £100 mark up.

I politely declined,!!

 

Sorry, I must have missed something.That makes no sense to me. Why would somebody out-bid you at auction (thereby demonstrating that they had gone beyond what you were willing to pay) and then think that he/she could sell them to you for £100.00 more? Would your informant have recognised that it was actually you that he/she was bidding against at this auction?

 

If somebody was trying to make money out of you, it seems a particularly stupid way of going about it. It would have been a far more intelligent plan to keep quiet, buy them, and then say "look what I've found". I don't suppose this guy's ID on the BMF is Baldrick - As in "cunning plan"?

 

Well done you for sticking to your max bid at the auction - not always an easy thing to do when something extra special turns up.

 

Regards,

Mike

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mike , I suppose it was a bit obvious in as much as I knew his forum name when he first emailed me, and also it was he who offered them to me.

and why did he delete his pm to me, when I had a copy of it.

also I knew what he paid for it, even with comission and postage it wouldnt have added twice as much to the extras.

 

the reason I added the post was , obviously he was going to generously go out of his way to acquire them and offer them to me to add to my family named theme. had they been actual family who knows, I suppose I would have had to buy them . but , as posted above, had they been in his collection already, could I ask for them now ? would he sell them to me at the price he paid for them? dont think so

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had 3 expereinces. I was contacted by the recipient of the medals who told me they were stolen from him yrs before3 & asking if I would considerf selling them back to him. I'd only had them a few months & had gotten them from a reputable dealer & long time friend. I contacted the dealer with copy of the letter & he agreed to refund my purchase price. I returned the mdals to him & he sent them to the owner. We boht recd a very thankful note from him & I was glad to help.

Second time I contacted the recipient  who told me a family member had stolen them & sold them. I said I would return them if he paid the postage. He said "NO", they hada good home now & he was happy, even sent me some copies of photos of him during his service. A nice fellow.

#3 was not good. I found a sister in law of the recipient who was dead as was his wife & no children. She had quite an angry attitude & demanded I return them to her. She got madder & said the recipient would never have parted with the medal & must have stolen it & she would get the police  on to me. After she finally calmed down she said  he & his wife had both died on dates that were BEFORE I was even born! She did not even know where they were buried so not very close family ties. She  said she was contacting the police & hung up. It's been 22 yrs since this episode & I've never heard any more from anyone. Her attitude was very accusing & would never have handed it over to her.
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The recipe for a successful medal wanted advertisements is simple. Just quote what you are willing to pay in the advertisement. To further increase your chances, offer a price that cannot be refused.

I honestly do not consider anyone who doesn't include price a serious advertiser. It is most certainly not the applicants job to guess how little the advertiser is willing to pay.
 

Edited by yellow
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently acquired a very nice group to an officer with a connection to my home town. Within a few weeks I had exchanged emails with the recipient's granddaughter who turned out to be very friendly and helpful (she happily provided lots of additional information unknown to me). She was curious how I had been able to acquire the medals but did not express any interest in having them back. If I do ever decide to part with them she will certainly have first refusal. This was my first experience with this type of thing and it went rather well but I have heard some absolute horror stories. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The common theme being the present day descendants never seem to know when or how the medals left the family in the first place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, Derek Black said:

The common theme being the present day descendants never seem to know when or how the medals left the family in the first place.

 

Hardly surprising in view of the almost 90 years or so that have passed since the last of the trios and pairs were originally distributed... If I remember rightly, Harry Patch's duo was sold by his son when in need for ready cash, and I would not be surprised if that was what my granddad did with his. Thus 3rd and 4th generation family members may well be completely ignorant as to where they went, especially if large families are involved... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
2 hours ago, Khaki said:

I would never sell medals to a descendant, I have seen too many groups/trios/pairs split up amongst siblings.

 

khaki

 

Well I'm so glad and grateful that the person who managed to obtain one of my ancestor's medals (a particular pair that I had been seeking for most of my life!) didn't think like that when he sold them to me at cost price!

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Dave,

 

It is of course great that you recovered a family pair, it sounds like the person concerned who sold you the medals recognized you as not only a descendant but as a collector/student who would value the medals from all perspectives. An in-law of mine a couple of years ago split up her uncles British medal pair for each of her daughters I did gently suggest to her that the historical integrity of the pair was best served in keeping them together, but as far as she was concerned they had no more significance together than a wedding ring does to a signet ring. When I dispose of my medal collection I want them to go through a specialist auction house hopefully to collectors and if any family sleuths track them down they can compete on an equal footing at market values.

 

khaki

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear Dave,

I would have to concur with khaki, here.

In general (in my experience), next-of-kin have very little interest about their erstwhile Soldierly relations - and next to no appreciation of the medals themselves.

At least we Collectors have amassed considerable knowledge on the subject, combined with a healthy respect for the recipients of even the humblest BWM and Victory pair - let alone a decoration (which were few and far between)...

Kindest regards,

Kim.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For humorous purposes only:D fictional account

 

 Having received a phone call from a well meaning stranger who has OUR family medals and offering to return them for,

 

'can you believe it', he actually expects us to buy them'? what a cheek!, he actually wants a fiver to cover his costs he say's, I bet he got them for 50p, you know what they meant to old uncle Bill, wore them at every parade he did, 

 

'Grand old lad was uncle Bill, he was at the Somme you know, had tea at our house, almost regular like, I was his favorite, those medals by right should have come to me'

 

I thought they were buried with him, who had them last? I bet his second wife you know the one with the short skirts and dyed hair. etc, etc, threats, recriminations. 

 

 

 

khaki

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Khaki said:

For humorous purposes only:D fictional account

 

 Having received a phone call from a well meaning stranger who has OUR family medals and offering to return them for,

 

'can you believe it', he actually expects us to buy them'? what a cheek!, he actually wants a fiver to cover his costs he say's, I bet he got them for 50p, you know what they meant to old uncle Bill, wore them at every parade he did, 

 

'Grand old lad was uncle Bill, he was at the Somme you know, had tea at our house, almost regular like, I was his favorite, those medals by right should have come to me'

 

I thought they were buried with him, who had them last? I bet his second wife you know the one with the short skirts and dyed hair. etc, etc, threats, recriminations. 

 

 

 

khaki

 

You missed the bit about them having 3 kids who wanted one each.

 

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Too true Mike, perhaps the etc etc includes the kids, this is an open ended fun story, members are free to expand or embellish any way they choose.

 

khaki

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a keen medal collector who has a great interest in family history and the great war, i personally know what it is like to be looking for lost family medals. I have been lucky enough to be given my great grandfathers 14/15 star from my uncle, but im looking for his war medal, victory medal and military medal. As a thank you to my uncle i had wrote an article about my great grandfather for the local newspaper. 

I also have been looking for my great uncles medals ( a trio ), who was killed on the somme in 1916. After years of searching i finally came across them by sheer chance, but they have been sold at auction in 2015 down in Leicester. Part of my trying to obtain the the medals back into the family was telephoning the auction room, i was told to email them, no reply from the auction room at all. I have tried numerous times to contact the auction room, but no reply, i have now given up hope on getting any feedback from the auction room and live in hope of them being sold again, i would be more than happy to pay the full price just to get them back.

 

On a more finer note, i did obtain a pair that were my friends great uncles medals, killed in the last month of 1918, and it was a lovely feeling handing them over to be reunited with the family, his smile said it all to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, kevin donaldson said:

As a keen medal collector who has a great interest in family history and the great war, i personally know what it is like to be looking for lost family medals. I have been lucky enough to be given my great grandfathers 14/15 star from my uncle, but im looking for his war medal, victory medal and military medal. As a thank you to my uncle i had wrote an article about my great grandfather for the local newspaper. 

I also have been looking for my great uncles medals ( a trio ), who was killed on the somme in 1916. After years of searching i finally came across them by sheer chance, but they have been sold at auction in 2015 down in Leicester. Part of my trying to obtain the the medals back into the family was telephoning the auction room, i was told to email them, no reply from the auction room at all. I have tried numerous times to contact the auction room, but no reply, i have now given up hope on getting any feedback from the auction room and live in hope of them being sold again, i would be more than happy to pay the full price just to get them back.

 

On a more finer note, i did obtain a pair that were my friends great uncles medals, killed in the last month of 1918, and it was a lovely feeling handing them over to be reunited with the family, his smile said it all to me.

 

A great pity that the Auction House are not playing ball. But it might be down to how you phrased the question and the Data Protection Act. If you asked them for the details of the buyer, that might easily cause problems with the DPA. On the other hand, if you asked them to pass your contact details on to the buyer, I can't see why they should have any issues. Unless, of course, the buyer that just doesn't want to contact you.

 

Regards,

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Medaler said:

 

A great pity that the Auction House are not playing ball. But it might be down to how you phrased the question and the Data Protection Act. If you asked them for the details of the buyer, that might easily cause problems with the DPA. On the other hand, if you asked them to pass your contact details on to the buyer, I can't see why they should have any issues. Unless, of course, the buyer that just doesn't want to contact you.

 

Regards,

Mike

I dont know if the auction room are not playing ball or just busy, i asked there advice on what to do, they said to email them regarding my enquiry, the buyer may not want to sell, but a reply one way or another would have been nice, if i knew the date of the auction i would have drove down from the North of England to buy them, but i live in hope, i may even contact the auction room again.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...