The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Money
How much is a piece of war history worth?
Passed down through the generations, wartime memorabilia often has a significant sentimental value, but growing demand for collectables means trinkets hidden away in lofts and cupboards could now be worth hundreds of pounds.
As the country has commemorated the centenary of the First World War, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who wish to own a piece of history. Mark Hill, an antiques dealer and expert on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, said: “Anniversaries cause a peak in interest as people look at what collectables they’ve got, or perhaps start a new collection.”
Medals are cherished by families whose fathers and grandfathers fought on the front line and, unlike Second World War medals, those awarded in the Great War had the recipient’s name inscribed. They are generally more valuable than those awarded in later conflicts.
Jason Connon of Provenance, a specialist insurance broker, said around 18 million medals were distributed after the First World War. While the value of many medals s is largely sentimental, others could d be insured for significant sums.
“The value of a First World War service medal can range from £10 10 to more than £1m,” he said. “The most expensive medal sale on record is £1.5m for a Victoria Cross awarded ded to First World War Captain Noel l Chavasse, one of only three people ple to have received two VCs.”
Collections that include medals als from other campaigns are typically ally more valuable, Mr Connon said. . Condition and rarity are also key y factors in determining a medal’s value. More than two million “star” tar” campaign medals were awarded d during the war and typically fetch ch less than £50 at auction. A rarer r Distinguished Conduct Medal would be expected to raise £600.
“Medals from famous events such as the Battle of Mons would fetch much mor more than those from other battles, even though the medal is the same,” he said said. “A Distinguished Service Order from Mons is worth around £4,000.”
St Steve Nuwar, of antiques dealer War & Son, said increased interest in gene genealogy and ancestry had boosted pric prices of items with strong personal stor stories. “Collectors and enthusiasts are t trying to find items with local reso resonance,” he said. “Medal groups with ‘death plaques’, ornately framed sets one imagines once hanged from wall walls in family homes, and items rela relating to local “pals’ regiments” have been doing well.”
M Mr Nuwar said his firm recently sold a personalised set of binoculars insc inscribed with the holder’s name and regiment that still had the original 1908 receipt. “From this we found that he was a Liverpool Pals officer who died of wounds in 1918,” he added. “Suddenly the buyer could imagine [the wounded soldier] handing these over, 100 years ago, from the field hospital stretcher to be returned to his father who had bought them.”
It is for this reason that small mascot teddies known as “soldier bears”, or Farnell bears after their manufacturer, are in demand. “These items have the most charming stories,” said Mr Hill.
“During the First World War young men went to serve and their mothers, girlfriends or wives would send them away with a little mascot – a miniature teddy bear. They were small enough to go inside a pocket and were a way of remembering loved ones and home.
“The bears have a mousy look and their eyes gaze up, the idea being that a soldier could tuck this tiny bear in the top of his tunic for good luck.”
Mr Hill said mascot bears were often hidden away in boxes, with some modern-day owners having no understanding of their significance.
“People might have glanced past it and thought it was just a tiny little teddy bear, but these teddies have possibly seen the horrors and traumas of trench warfare first hand,” he said.
Mascot bears come in several colours. Mr Hill said those with blonde fur were typically worth between £180 and £280, while blue or red are scarcer and are valued at £300 to £400. A rarer white bear may be worth £450.
“This is for a bear that is not even four inches high,” he added.
But not all mementos from the war have increased in value over the past century. Mr Hill said some of the most common items seen on Antiques Roadshow were Princess Mary gift tins but the majority were worth little.
“A lot of people find these tins in the loft,” he said. “These were given to troops in the trenches and contained chocolate or cigarettes and a little message. We see them incredibly frequently and they often come rusted and dented. They’re only worth a couple of pounds.
“Troops who were sent these tins in the war ate the chocolate and smoked the tobacco, so what you’re looking for is a tin that’s full. The ones that are intact are the ones that fetch the most. In full condition they could be worth more than £100.”
It is not just British collectables that have increased in value in recent years. Allied soldiers often returned from the battlefield with German Stahlhelm helmets as trophies. These were known as “coal scuttle” helmets as they resembled the buckets used for keeping coal by the fireplace. Mr Connon said many of these German helmets had been passed down in families and had risen in value.
“Ten years ago a coal scuttle helmet in good condition would be worth around £350 – now it might sell for up to £600,” he said. Items do not have to be old to become desirable either. Ceramic poppies displayed at the Tower of London in 2014 were originally sold for £25 to raise money for charity. These items are now listed for sale for up to £300.
Mr Connon encouraged both amateurs and professionals to ensure that their collections, whatever size, were adequately insured. Antiques would not typically be covered by standard home insurance policies, he warned.
“Collectors should always have upto-date valuations, a home inventory, copies of invoices and purchases, any appraisals on the item’s history and past ownership, and photographs. Photographs are the perfect record and are easy to store online,” he said.
Despite the growing demand, Mr Nuwar said many people were still unaware of the value of items in the loft. “It is amazing what items families bring to our shop for appraisal, with no idea of their value,” he said. “First World War memorabilia often looks commonplace and there is a humble nature to even the most outstanding medal for the most gallant acts.
“It is changing from the notion that only Victoria Crosses equal huge worth. The stories behind the award are starting to eclipse the medal.”
First World War collectables are in high demand. Adam Williams looks at the treasures that could be hidden in your attic ‘The value of a First World War service medal can range from £10 to more than £1m’