Big badge sale at Bosleys

The October auction saw over

500 badges listed at Bosleys so let’s start with the very first lot, a South Wales Borderers Victorian officer helmet plate c. 1881-1901. Featuring a fine gilt crowned star, mounted with Garter and laurel sprays, bearing a silver scroll with the inscription ‘THE SOUTH WALES BORDERERS’. To the black velvet centre, a silver dragon within a laurel sprays. It hammered for £200 (prices listed don’t include Buyer’s Premium which was either 26.4% for room bids or 28.8% for online bids.

A nice example next, a King's Own Borderers Victorian officer Foreign Service helmet plate c. 1881-87. Good rare gilt crowned star, mounted with Garter and laurel sprays bearing silver scroll with inscription ‘THE KINGS OWN BORDERERS’. The black velvet centre with Edinburgh Castle in silver. It hammered for £720.

If you were looking for a low cost item to start a collection, then how about this Welsh Regiment helmet plate c. 1901-14. Good die-stamped brass crowned star bearing laurel sprays and detachable circlet, inscribed ‘THE WELSH’. White metal, Prince of Wales plumes with brass coronet on ‘GWELL AUGAU NEU CHWILYDD’ scroll to voided centre. This sold for £50.

We covered the Royal Fusiliers museum in the November issue so if that piqued your interest, here was a Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) Victorian glengarry grenade c. 1881-96. Good, rare die-stamped brass flaming grenade, the ball bearing the Rose within a crowned Garter. It sold for £200.

A scarce item next, reflected in the hammer price of £700. It was a Scottish 31st (Blythswood) Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, Victorian pre-1880 shako plate.

Good, scarce, die-stamped white metal crowned bugle horn ornamented with laurel, ‘31’ to voided centre. The Corps was originally formed from leather workers in Glasgow on 21 December 1859.

One to provoke a few schoolboy sniggers now, a cap badge for the Canadian Women's Volunteer Reserve Corps, otherwise known as the Canadian Beavers. This was a WWII badge, good diecast, oxidised silvered Maple leaf, displaying a beaver above the inscription for ‘CANADIAN BEAVERS’. It sold for £130.

Finally, another scarce item, a Hong Kong Volunteer Corps cap badge c. 1908-19. Good, diestamped white metal, crowned title circlet resting in laurel sprays on ‘NULLI SECUNDUS IN ORIENTE’ scroll. With Royal Arms to voided centre, it hammered for £720.

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