The Bellewaarde 1915 Memorial Appeal

Watch out for a windfall

Mobile phones, cameras and watches have one thing in common; we all own a succession of them throughout the course of a lifetime, and yet seldom dispose of the old ones. Furthermore, watches in particular are a very personal possession, and inherited examples often exercise a special sentimental hold on the descendants of their original owners. For this reason large numbers of long neglected watches are to be found in many a bureau drawer or jewellery box, passed down through generations.  

As an auctioneer I am commonly presented with such accumulations of timepieces. Often replaced because of a fault, possibly a cracked crystal or over-wound mainspring. Sometimes simply forsaken because of changes in fashion or technology; how many good mechanical watches were abandoned at the advent of the digital age? While some of these remnants to time long-since past are of but modest value, most are collectable to come extent, and others are valuable in the extreme. 

First things first, let’s get one thing out of the way, and differentiate between gold and silver-cased watches. Regardless of variety or condition, the former will have a value, so for the purposes of this article assume we are discussing silver or non-precious metallic examples. Now let us divide the subject into those worn in the pocket, and those on the wrist. The origins of the former lie in the 15th Century, when they were first known as pocket-clocks, though these are rare, and most of us will only encounter those from the Georgian or Victorian eras. The former most commonly run on a verge type movement, using an escapement ancient in origin, indeed most old church tower clocks are of this type. These watches also commonly have two cases and are thus termed ‘pair-cased’. Not rare as such, the value starts at around £100, although early 18^th century examples can sell for £2,000-3,000. The verge was gradually replaced during the 19th Century by the more accurate lever escapement, a watch of slimmer proportions. 

Such Victorian examples are the most commonly encountered, and variations include smaller examples worn by women, known as fob watches, and hunters and half-hunters, both with hinged protective covers to their faces for more active pursuits. Unexceptional examples generally sell at between £30 and £80, although again, higher values can be achieved. Find one such with a repeater movement, indicating the time by means of chimes, or having a chronometer movement, or perhaps a Masonic or military example and you could be looking at closer to £1000. 

The First World War changed the way watches were worn, and how indeed the majority of us wear them to this day. It is generally accepted that it was demands from soldiers serving in the trenches for a more practical means of carriage that brought about the wristwatch. Small wristwatches dating to the early 20th Century are today commonly (and erroneously) referred to as trench watches, and regardless of quality or condition the market for such is strong, and prices high. Poor examples start at a few tens of pounds, though examples with prestigious movements such as Longines or with patent guards to protect the crystals can sell for closer to £300. The current vogue for military issue watches of all periods has driven prices of late. Values often appear out of proportion to the utilitarian appearance of these military issue pieces. Find a Second World War army or RAF issue watch by say the International Watch Company and you’ll likely have a timepiece worth £2,000-3,000 at auction. A military issue Rolex Submariner can fetch up to £50,000.

In our modern, brand-driven economy, names such as Rolex, Omega and Breitling are as familiar as Mercedes and Ferrari. More than anything else it is such names that add value to post-War wristwatches. As money in the bank is viewed as a wasting asset, many are choosing to enjoy their wealth and indeed wear it. Demand for elite watches is strong, and prices for such are on the rise. 

Perhaps now is the time to revisit Grandad’s old army wristwatch or Dad’s long-service presentation Rolex.

Going, Going, 'Gong'!

Besides old boxes of play-worn Dinky and other toys (a subject for another day perhaps), one thing to be found in most homes, lurking at the back of a bureau drawer or in the bottom of a jewellery box, is the odd military medal awarded to some distant ancestor. As Great Britain built it’s now long gone empire, or indeed fought for the liberty of its allies in two World Wars, it recognised the sacrifice of its soldiers by awarding medals, and most families won’t have to climb far into their respective family trees in order to find an ancestor who served King and country.

To the untrained eye one ‘gong’, a term coined by soldiers to refer to their medals, looks much like another. For this reason we auctioneers are commonly presented with inherited family medals which turn out to be Royal commemoratives or school attendance awards of relatively little collector value. However, find the right medal in that pile of old papers and it could prove to be rather valuable indeed. Just recently a client did just that, arriving at our saleroom with their late uncle’s Second World War group, or more specifically a SOE gallantry group with Military Medal, later selling for £12,100 at auction. 

So what does one look for to help identify and value those dusty old family medals? Well, the good news is; aside from campaign medals issued for the Second World War, the British generally struck the recipient’s details around the edge of the award. Get a magnifier, take a look and you will most likely identify the rank, name and unit of your ancestor. While the medals themselves are generally self explanatory, their design incorporating the monarch, date and campaign, or reasons for the award. All of these factors contribute to the medal’s value; those for obscure campaigns, or to ‘sought after units’ such as the SAS or Special Forces commanding greater values than those say to the ubiquitous artillery Gunner of the Great War. Take for example a pair of First World War medals, issued let’s say to an artilleryman. At auction they would cost around £20-30 to purchase due to the large number issued, reflecting the tens of thousands of soldiers fighting. 

Medals can further be categorised as either campaign or gallantry awards. The former were issued to all soldiers serving in a given war or campaign, while the latter were issued for specific acts of bravery and generally command the highest prices. The first officially issued campaign medal was done so retrospectively by Queen Victoria, to those still alive who had fought at Waterloo, prices for these start at around £2000. However the aforementioned campaign medals for World War Two, not individually named as an economy measure, and indeed a great source of hurt to those who received them, can be valued at around £10 per medal.

So there you have it. Take a closer look at those old military medals; they’ll tell a tale and also have the potential to be very valuable indeed.