Looking for medal

[John M H]

Hi, I'm looking for news of my Papa's (Grandfather) Military Cross which may have been sold in 2018. Norman Thomas Crichton Hunter was a 2 Lt in C/58 Royal Field Artillery in WW1. He received the medal on the 6th Oct 1918.

Thank you.

[The Inspector]

Hi John M H,

Searching.....we may as well see his photo.

Leave a comment on his MIC on Ancestry.

. Regards Barry

[PRC]

Hi @John M H and welcome to the forum.

As @The Inspector says, even with a free account on Ancestry you can leave a comment on the Medal Index Card asking to be contacted, although I'd suggest doing so via your Ancestry account name rather than giving your e-mail address \ mobile phone number etc, as these things tend to get harvested.

If you subscribe you will also have access to the related service medal rolls and so can leave a comment there as well.

It's also a good idea to set up searches on the likes of e-bay so that you get a notification if someone attempts to sell there.

While there are a number of medal collectors here, they and many more can be found at the British Medal Forum, where there is a long running thread for individuals looking to be re-united with family medals. https://britishmedalforum.com/ucp.php?mode=login

Finally I take it you have tried to find the seller and asked them to pass your details on to the buyer.

Hope some of that helps,
Peter

[John M H]

Thanks for all the helpful tips and ideas. I’ll follow them up.

[RNCVR]

Are certain his MC was named?  The MC was normally issued un named altho many Officers had their MC's privately named.

[John M H]

That I don't know. If his name is not on it it will be harder to locate. Thanks for letting me know. 

[RNCVR]

If his MC is un named then you wont find his original award, you will have to obtain an un named 1WW example & these are not difficult to obtain.

[John M H]

 Good to know, thanks.

 

[RNCVR]

John, I assume you are in UK, there are many medal dealers represented in UK, it should not be difficult for you to source an un named MC.

Do you know how your ancestor's MC was sold? - ie: the dealer's name, & also was it accompanied by his 1WW medal entitlement?  if so you could make contact with that dealer & perhaps he might be able to assist you by contacting whom he sold the medal(s) to in 2018. 

However, as you approach this process pls be aware that the George V MC's have been heavily faked/reproduced & there are many fake examples (both named & un named) on the market, so it would be best for you to obtain a genuine example from a recognized/respected medal dealer.

PM me if you wish & I could give you a couple recommendations as I dont know if mentioning dealers on the GWForum is permitted.

Best...Bryan

[John M H]

Thanks to everyone for the great advice and in depth information. I've decided to go no further with the search as it really needed to be the medal he held. Funny how that emotional connection is so important. But having worked in a museum for a few years I learnt the strength of connection to an artefact and all it can tell.

Thanks again 

John

 

 

[MartyG]

On 24/01/2022 at 16:26, John M H said:

Thanks to everyone for the great advice and in depth information. I've decided to go no further with the search as it really needed to be the medal he held. Funny how that emotional connection is so important. But having worked in a museum for a few years I learnt the strength of connection to an artefact and all it can tell.

Thanks again 

John

 

 

 

I think you probably do already know about this 58th Brigade site, John, but if not…there’s a long and interesting entry for your Grandfather in the Personnel section (of course, you may well have added it there ):

https://58fab.com

https://58fab.com/personnel/

In case you do decide to start looking again (and his Pair, BWM and VM, should be named, of course) then you could do no better than having a look on the British Medal Forum, as Peter wisely suggested.

You just never know if one of the members there may even have his medal group in their collection. The site also has a comprehensive list of medal dealers and auction houses, which you may find useful.

You may not be aware of Medal Tracker but, if not, here are some links which might also help (these are courtesy of a member on the BMF):

https://www.tokenpublishing.com/medaltracker

It is possible to put a notification on Medal Tracker to advise that you are searching for the medals:

https://www.tokenpublishing.com/medaltracker/submission

There is also this website:

https://www.britisharmyancestors.co.uk/find-a-medal-medals-sought/

It is also possible to set up an auto search for a surname on Ebay, The Saleroom and Easy Live Auction:

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-alerts

https://www.easyliveauction.com

I have no connection to, nor business interest in, any of the above websites.

Good luck John, I hope you find it!

Martin

Edited 11 February , 2022 by MartyG

[John M H]

Hello Martin

Yes, that’s the site/s I realised the medal had gone on the market. The details of my Grandfathers war record were fascinating and  married up nicely to a group of family photos and press cuttings that had been passed onto me recently.

Thank you for the in-depth details about medal search. I didn’t know there was so much information and networks out there. 

Best wishes

John

[Coldstreamer]

On 24/01/2022 at 12:04, RNCVR said:

Are certain his MC was named?  The MC was normally issued un named altho many Officers had their MC's privately named.

WWI Military cross’ are not issued named