Moral Dilema - Splitting Medals

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

OK the subject of splitting medals has come up a few recently but I would like the views of forum folk on the following which I am faced with at the moment.

As some of you know I dabble on eBay. Some of the medals I sell are 'Commissioned' sales for want of a better term for friends. I have done specifically well in selling medals for freinds of my mother-in-law, particularly those who have no offspring to leave them to. Yesterday a lady dropped round and asked me to sell a medal trio for her but to split them up as she did not one person to have them. They had belonged to her father who in her words was 'a right old merchant banker', which for those of you conversant with the cockney dialect..................

Right so I say how it would be better to sell as a set etc etc But this old dear is adamant.

So if the families wishes are to split, and in this case one can view them as the client, what do you do?

Ian

PS I won't lie to her so selling them to one person and claiming they are split is off the menu!

[Geoff Parker]

Ian

You certainly have a dilema if she has asked you to split them. I have followed the previous threads on this subject although I am no medal collector and they have no interest to me, but a I have a couple of friends who do collect and they seem adament that a complete set is more collectable than a individual medals. Once they have a set they're off to PRO researching the chap who won them, which seems to be half the enjoyment for them. I know they only collect medals issued to members of specific regiments, so I suppose it depends what regiment the individual served with.

I guess you could try saying that she'd get more cash return on a set rather than selling them individually, but as I said I know nothing a medals nor the value of them

Geoff

[CROONAERT]

Ian.

How do you feel about splitting them? You could always refuse to sell them if you wanted.

Personally, I'd never split a group, no-matter what the circumstances. I believe that the only person who has the moral right to split a group is the actual original recipient him/herself. If this lady is totally 100% unshakeable on this matter, then I'd ask her to go elsewhere.She could always sell them one at a time to seperate dealers if she must.This'd get you off the hook.

One more thing - why exactly does she want to do this? If she hated her father so much as to describe him as she did, then why didn't she just bin the medals years ago?

Dave.

[mordac]

Hi Ian:

I'm offering you the same advice I submitted to Jock on his question. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

I you don't feel comfortable with splitting medal groups, decline the commission and offer the woman your reasons for declining. If you feel comfortable with splitting the group, accept the commission. A third alternative is to offer to purchase the group yourself, as an act of honouring the memory of the client's father.

And you absolutely correct, you can't lie to her.

Garth

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Guys,

Thanks for the advice. An ideal solution has appeared on the horizon that will satisfy everyone including me.

The 15 Star will remain in London, the BWM is going to a collector in Uxbridge, the Victory medal to a collector in Guildford and the silver war badge and ephemera to a collector in Southampton.

Ian

[David_Bluestein]

Ian,

The issue here really is this:

Act on behalf of family wishes VS Guarding the integrity of this soldiers medal/memory.

Acting on behalf of family can be a very noble gesture. Researching for a family or assisting a family in identifying certain war medals and what they represent etc.

The task aked of you may seem noble at first glance, assisting a family member in selling some medals. However what this woman is really achieving by selling the medals of her relative singly is to greatly disrespect and cheapen the memory of the soldier commemorated on them. It is anything but a noble gesture to split this group.

What may seem like a good idea now, for all the reasons she has expressed, is ultimately a terrible choice! These medals will be in the market place, and in and out of collections etc. for many years to come; years after she, and I have left this planet. Does she believe that it would be better for this soldiers remaining evidence of service and sacrifice be sold separately, his memorial effectively dismembered?

She really needs to understand that this soldiers memory will continue on by virtue of these medals, his memorial, as they were designed to be.

Personally I could never sell any medals singly for any good reason. Because I don't believe there is any good reasons?

My move here would be to buy them from her myself, and save the group. Then sell the set on ebay or elsewhere to redeem the money spent to buy the trio in the first place.

Good luck. Hope that helps,

David

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

David,

Thanks but as I say a solution has been reached and the medals are going to different people...................................all members of my family but that's between you & me

Ian

[Drummy]

Good solution Ian, That way technically they may be split but can all be easily regrouped.

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Guess what I am getting as a Xmas present from my family?

Ian