Victoria Cross tailors copy

[Stevie]

Last week I came across an unnamed Victoria Cross copy being auctioned on eBay, and at the end of the auction I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had won it for £26... Now I know that replica VC's are not everyone's cup of tea, but this one is a bit different from the usual junk encountered - and must have slipped under the radar of any collectors who might have given it a casual glance on the auction website. I knew that I had seen something similar a good while ago, and after a long trawl through pictures on the internet, I came across two tailors copies which were auctioned by SPINK in November 2019. Both were named, and both were exactly the same as the eBay example. The first copy was named to Pte J. Doogan of 1st Dragoon Guards who was awarded his VC for his actions on January 12th 1881. The second copy was named to Sgt J. Danaher of the Connaught Rangers who was awarded his VC for his actions on February 12th 1881 - both during the first Boer war. The description given by SPINK for both copies is: 'A fine quality tailor's copy of some age'.

 Here are pictures of the SPINK copies - and also of the one that I purchased. Unlike original VC's, the detailing is extremely crisp. I have only ever seen one other example similar to these three, and that one did have quite noticeable differences. Sgt Danaher VC died in 1919 and Pte Doogan VC in 1940. Assuming that the tailors copy was originally purchased by him to wear instead of his official VC, it could possibly indicate that this type of copy is around 100 years old. Pure speculation on my part I know, but my example does show signs of considerable age.

Cheers,

           Steve

 

[Ivor Anderson]

A very convincing aged looking copy. It always amazes me how much variety of colour and sharpness there is, even among original VCs.

Your recent purchase looks very similar to the two tailor's copies in the first photo you posted. It may come from the same source?

Hancock's 2006 150th anniversary limited issue of 1352 numbered replica VCs (e.g. below) are (to me) not as convincing as some other copies.

Edited 8 October , 2023 by Ivor Anderson
Additional Info

[58 Div Mule]

A very good quality copy which looks to have some age. Strong similarity to those sold by Spinks. Well done!
58 DM.

[Stevie]

Since the original post, I have tracked down yet another copy of this medal that matches both mine and the two sold by SPINK in 2019. This copy is named to Captain Arthur Martin-Leake of the South African Constabulary who won his first VC in 1902 during the second Boer war. I have to stress that the copy I purchased is not artificially aged, but has gained it's patina through the normal ageing process. In hand it looks totally different and not quite as dark as in the pictures, but there is no doubting the quality of the detail and even the suspension ring is soldered. No claims were made on eBay about this medal, it was just sold as a replica VC with some signs of wear. 

The pictures below were posted by the late 'Bobgee' on WMF, and in the post he recounts how he took the medal to Hancocks when he visited London from Texas some years ago. As you might expect, Hancocks confirmed that it was not one of theirs. I owned one of the Hancocks copies a while back, and in my humble opinion it is not as good as this tailors copy. They do seem to be struggling to sell them too, and since 2006 they have only managed to sell less than half of the 1352 made. The Hancocks replica is 2mm smaller than the original, and this tailor's copy is 3mm larger.

Cheers,

           Steve

Edited 8 October , 2023 by Stevie

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

I've found this thread doing a research on the VC and its tailor's copies.

I am the happy owner of the two copy-VC's auctioned by Spink in November 2019: both pieces were accompanied with a thorough research, presumably done by the former owner, or by the Auction House itself.

I can confirm that both pieces are accurately made and showing a nice patina of age; the naming, differently done on each piece, have been very well engraved too; the ribbons, very, very old.

Both my pieces are from the same manufacturer of Stevie's cross and I can only congratulate for the lucky purchase -at a very convenient price- of one of the finest tailor copies available, of this important award.

Best wishes,

Enzo

[Stevie]

I do like these old tailors copies, and although the detail is very finely executed, they are quite different from an original VC - but probably better than the Hancocks replica's.

Cheers,

           Steve

[Ivor Anderson]

12 hours ago, Stevie said:

I do like these old tailors copies, and although the detail is very finely executed, they are quite different from an original VC - but probably better than the Hancocks replica's.

I agree. Do you think it likely that these tailors copies were specifically made for the actual VC recipient to wear in public, rather than risk their valuable original?

Ivor

Edited 25 January by Ivor Anderson

[Stevie]

When you consider that this particular type of copy is in excess of 100 years old, it is doubtful that they were produced for the collectors market. The very fact that they are referred to as 'tailors copies' implies that they were made for wear in place of an original.

Cheers,

           Steve

[Ivor Anderson]

Thanks Stevie, That is what I thought, given the specific engraving on some.  It gives these copies a very special significance and potential provenance!

[Elmar Lang]

Thank you for the further details in your replies. 

Curiously, both the named pieces, belonged to Irishmen... 

And with the 3rd one, we can see that all the three crosses are related to the 1st and 2nd Boer War. 

Edited 25 January by Elmar Lang