Western Morning News (Saturday)
Fascinating military medals
ELDREDS sale of collectors’ items on Tuesday, April 27 boasts an eclectic range of over 600 lots, from teddy bears to coins, stamps to Victorian dress.
There can be few more illustrious heroes than Sir Ernest Shackleton and included in the sale is a quantity of diary extracts of Arthur E Harbord who served as first Officer alongside Shackleton during the Nimrod expedition of 1907-1909, in which Ernest Shackleton achieved the largest advance to the South Pole in exploration history.
Mr Harbord’s son, Derek A Harbord, served as Senior Medical Officer aboard RFA Sir Percivale during the Falklands War and received the South Atlantic Medal which is also in the sale. Another member of the same family, Mr O S Penn was part of the team who invented the tank in the 1st World War and was awarded a Military Medal: his medals are also included in the sale, £400-600. An extraordinary catalogue of achievements from just one family.
Forgeries often draw as much attention as the genuine article and Eldreds sale has three bank notes forged by the Nazis during ‘Operation Bernhard’. The sale has three such notes, £5, £10 and £50, estimated at £40-60 each.
The stamp section includes an iconic stamp – the Golden Monkey stamp, issued in China in 1980. Certainly not rare – five million such stamps were printed – this stamp symbolises the market for collectable postage stamps in Asia. Catalogued as ‘marginal, mint’, this single stamp is estimated at £400-500.
Other notable lots include books signed by George V and Queen Mary and a selection of Ian Fleming’s James Bond first editions. A huge selection of toys includes an early Steiff teddy bear, with original boot-button eyes and button in ear, estimate £600-800 and a late-19th century French fashion doll with slender waist rather than the usual child’s torso, is dressed in hand-made 19th century dress and boots and is estimated at £500700.
A larger than normal textile section boasts several Victorian dresses, a corset, bustles, shawls, silk under garments and vintage, mainly 1950’s, evening gowns. Estimates vary from £30-100.
Viewing for the sale will be on Friday 23 and Monday 26, 9am-5pm, and will be by appointment only in-line with Covid-19 regulations. An illustrated catalogue and live internet bidding are available at www.eldreds.net