Dickinson's Real Deals

Anyone see it ? What a tragedy......

A 50 something year old women was selling her Grandfathers medals from WW1 and his two Son's WW2 medals (Her uncles and fathers).

Admittedly as you can see from the picture they are service and campaign medals and not worth a lot on the market. But she couldn't care less and just wanted the money. Whilst I can appreciate some people sell them because of hard times etc. which I totally understand. I think the key thing that was missing here was Respect !

She got £200 from the expert rather than go to auction.

Here they are. Her uncles are on the left, her fathers to the right and obviously her grandfathers at the bottom.


I wonder what stories they could all tell.

Cheers
Andy

 

How sad, and she got well below the value for them.

 

Thats a sad day when something like this happens. What is the going rate for these medals, just out of interest?

 

It would really depend on unit. The two bar GSM and the UN medal in the top left group are intriguing.

 

I can understand why some may sell. Personally I reckon I'll inherit my relatives medals and seeing as I'll never have kids they'll be donated to their regiments museums.

What upset me was her attitude when asked why she was selling them......'Oh they've been stuck in the draw and are no use to anyone'. When she was asked what she intended to do with the money she thought for a bit and gave a rather diplomatic answer, 'Oh I'll split it with my two sisters'.

A piece of family history forever gone and she didn't bat a eye lid.

Oh well

 

ps I should have shamed her more and took a picture of her on the TV and posted that too

 

I was about to say £200.00 is quite cheap for those 3 groups. I would never sell my families medals. If these medals were donated to a museum they would be sat in a dusty draw because though they are nice medals they dont have a Gallantry gong and i doubt ever make it on display. I think its nice to think that they might have gone to a collector who will appreciate them, looked after them and will respect the memory of who won them. If she had nobody to pass them onto and even though i hate to say it, it was her choice.

Donnie

 

I have been a collector for more than 40 years and twice in that time period folks have come and given me their medals which their family did not have any interest in. I don't think I will ever forget when the chap cornered me at the Legion and said, "Phil, I've asked my sons and they don't want them. Would you take care of them for me." With that, he took off his medals and put them in my hand. I nearly cried with him in that moment. I treasure them among the many bits in my collection.

Part of the covenant of society is to remember that where we are today is on their shoulders. We owe guys and gals like our friends here on the Forum and our family and all who served a debt that we can never repay. So, we do what we can to keep their service and sacrifice green in our minds and we remember -- or just think.

At the going down of the sun,
and in the morning,
We will remember them.

 

Our Fathers, Grandparents and Great Grandparents fought two world wars to preserve our freedom of free speech and rights.

This is the price that we are now paying for those who gave their lives and blood for these rights.

We may not like it, but there it is.

Regards
Tom

 

I am sure that I shall be speaking for many veterans who survived their youth - when I say that we did fight for many freedoms including that of free assembly - speech et al -

now in my 85th year I watch the insidious moves of governments to restrict all those freedoms on one baseless excuse or the other - the latest being the news that - in the name of terrorist control - they will now track all of the movements of the whole population of the UK - with no doubt exceptions from their own ranks - to enjoy a well earned vacation in the search for some sunshine....for a decade in some massive computer in Manchester !

So the whole of the British population is deemed to be terrorist suspects......"some chicken - some neck "...."we shall fight on the beaches ...we shall never surrender "
......hollow words to-day.

It would appear that George Orwell had it right as Britain now has more "spy" cameras than any other country in the whole world - the schools appear to be "dumbing down" the youth in order that they will jump to the command of some TV
gaulieter in the future - so can the One World Government be getting closer to runnng our lives......?

one of the very small type conditions of the newly elected and installed President of the United States is one which should concern the whole world - 'any recipent of the new "bail Out " funds can NOT participate in any religious activity ( as I recall - the Americans fought for "religious freedom" ) .....SO ...God has been kicked into touch ..again....Europe has been in "Silent Apostasy" for many years now.....how long will it be before the whole world joins them .... we have the German Chancellor telling the Pope how to act ...as well as the jews interfering with another's religion ?

Just an old man's thoughts really......to-day....and I thank my God that I am nearly 85 as I shall not see the end result of this madness which was described at Fatima in 1917 by Our Lady to Sister Lucia as "Diabolical Disorientation"....I do think she got that right as well as Orwell

Gosh - I have now discussed religion and politics on a public forum - sure to lose more friends.... heigh ho !

Cheers

Cheers

 

This is a post about a women selling her relatives medals without little care for then

Cheers
Andy

 

Drew -
It is also a post about the effect of that woman selling her relatives medals for which they gave their youth in order to allow her to enjoy the freedom to sell those articles - and another veterans thoughts on that action - and the effects of Governments actions upon all of us - no matter what we fought for - and served for.... or didn't do either....

Does this mean that I have lost you as a friend ?
Cheers

 

Tom I didn't realise we were 'friends' persay but I'm happy to be your friend if you wish...Infact I'll request your friendship right now.

Cheers
Andy

 

Hi Tom, you dont have to worry about losing freindships. If somebody here is too over sensitive to disregard freindship over a post then they arent freinds in the first place. Im sure Andy will agree with me on that matter.

And for what its worth i personally couldnt agree more with your observations! ...

Donnie

 

I didn't agree nor disagree...I just thought it was a bot 'wow' for a thread about some women selling her relatives medals.

No harm done

Cheers
Andy

 

Thankfully ,the likes of the members on this Forum still respect and appreciate the sacrifices made by those who received those awards. I think nothing is more sad than anonymous dusty medals sat in the window of some junk shop. At least with a collector they will be better appreciated and cared for than being ignored and left in a draw. If I was a grandchild or great grandchild interested in the family history I would feel short changed if I found out what had happened.
My Dad had the Defence Medal and the Victory Medal which every one had. But like all service men at that time he was a stranger to his new young family, had frostbite and was affected by the chemicals he came in contact with. I think this is all about respect or lack of it.
My Greatest of Respect to Tom you have more than earned it.

 

I suppose that it comes down to wanting to put a price on everything but being interested in the value of nothing (with apologies to Wilde). Some people have little or no interest in history, whether their family's or others and to be honest, un-named WW2 campaign medals don't reveal much.

My dad's are still unclaimed and his attitude now, as then is "If they can't be bothered to engrave them and send them to me, I can't be bothered to claim them"

I think too that Donnie is correct when he says that museums aren't the right place for things like this. Sadly they often don't treasure items in the same way that a collector will. Museums and archives are good places to provide public access to documents but probably not for mass-produced items that are commonly available.

 

It seems to me that the freedom to do what you think best - knowing right from wrong of course - is paramount in any age - and the freedom to express your thoughts equally paramount - trouble to-day to me anyway - is that the young have no or much recognition of right or wrong thus leading to a lack of respect for ALL things and values are non existent - aided and abetted by spurious Governments.

Friendship with others are most important as they are the very threads of civilisation and the loss of even one friend is a tragedy in itself - I trust that I have not lost any with my thoughts.

Cheers

 

Thats a sad day when something like this happens. What is the going rate for these medals, just out of interest?

As Paul has rightly said it does depend a lot on the person and the unit involved but only for a general comparison here are some prices which similar groups have recently been sold for (Please bear in mind these are only guides and are based on current book prices before taking into consideration the details Paul has mentioned)

Group No 1 39-45 Star,Africa Star(clasp),Defence Medal,British War Medal,UN Korea,Two bar General Service (E2),Territorial Efficient Service Medal......£284.

Group 2 39-45 Star,France Germany Star,Defence Medal,British War Medal,Territorial Efficient Service Medal....£142

Group 3...I do not know if this is a 1914 Star Group or a 1914-15 Star Group so I`ll put prices for both

1914 Star Trio.....£250
1914-15 Star Trio £100

Like I said these are book prices as with anything out there its what someone is prepared to pay and if you have two people who fancy them then...who knows!

Intresting thing about the first group is the absence of a Queens Korea Medal which indicates he served in Korea after the Armistice of July 1952...or he may have lost it!
Regards
Verrieres

 

Despite my Father not talking about his war time service and not knowing anything about where and who he served with, my Family had his medals, paybook and his marriage photo beautifully framed and placed proudly on display at my Parents house. Occasionally I used to catch him looking at them with a smile on his face.

My Brother inherited them as the eldest Son and they now have pride of place at his house. Later on, I obtained miniature replicas along with the arm badges and framed them with details of his regimental history to give to my Sister.

Have other Forum members done similar things?