Stanley C. Johnson

“ Reasons for compiling a history of one's collection—The part played by photographs—Armour suggested as an example—Material for grangerizing
In this concluding chapter we have a suggestion to make to the collector of ample leisure moments; briefly, it is that he should draw up a history of his treasures. Such a work has many valuable advantages; first, it helps to co-ordinate the pieces which our collection contains; second, it provides work of a fascinating nature; third, it leads us to hunt through books and collections and so increases our knowledge ”

“ Nelson says: "Such a debasement of a country's coinage as we have seen above must ever be regarded as a sign of national weakness: also, from the sense of insecurity so engendered, it must inevitably bring disaster in its train, and such a fate overtook the cause of James alike in Ireland and in England. It was doubtless the intention of King James to redeem his gun-money coins, month by month, as opportunity permitted. Circumstances, however, decreed otherwise, as after the Battle of the Boyne he departed for France and was compelled to leave his adherents to their fate." ”

“ The dignity which enshrines a collection of war medals is something greater and fuller than that which can be ascribed to almost any other branch of curio collecting. Coins, china, furniture, and prints are all fascinating in their way, but none seem to have the same depth of interest as is possessed by the average collection of war medals. ”

“ Royal Souvenirs.—In the time of Waterloo the soldier in the ranks received few of the little considerations which we now feel are the hero's just reward. Tommy was paid for his work and there the matter ended. To-day, however, the position has changed. We, who stay at home, can hardly think enough of those who are fighting our battles: such is the spirit shown by every one from the King down to the humblest citizen living within the realm. ”

“ For the benefit of the uninitiated, it may be well to mention that not only does the value of a medal depend upon its state of preservation—that is to say, whether it is in mint condition, slightly rubbed, much worn, scratched, battered, re-engraved, etc.—but also upon the number of clasps that go with it. It must not be thought that collectors tolerate the indiscriminate adding of clasps to claspless medals. A medal that was awarded with, say, one additional honour cannot be turned into a three-clasp decoration by purchasing two clasps from a dealer and placing them upon the slide ribbon. ”

“ But though these works, illustrated with military prints, are costly, the collector of moderate means may gather together quite an extensive collection of the pictures, torn from the complete works, at no great outlay. It may seem surprising to all of us who are curio-lovers but it is a fact that there are still people who are so ignorant of the value of books and pictures that they will snatch out the illustrations from priceless volumes and sell the former for a few coppers, throwing away the letterpress. ”

“ Hannibal, we know, raised the famous white and crimson Spanish regiments, and then, of course, there were the Crusaders, who wore the ordinary clothes of the times, ornamented with crosses of distinctive colours.
With the decline of armour, retainers went into battle robed in the cloth liveries of their masters, whilst the mercenaries wore the usual dress of civilians. The drawback to such an arrangement was obvious. Men could never tell who were their friends and who their foes, and unnecessary slaughter was consequently committed. ”

“ As a consequence, autograph collecting is seldom considered a serious hobby worthy of the attention of serious-minded people. This seems a great pity, for if letters and documents written and signed by real celebrities are collected, not only may much pleasure be gained from the pastime, but a great deal of instruction as well.
The wise collector will find that his best plan is to specialize in one definite direction, and if he follows our advice he will limit his interests to autographs of great soldiers. ”

“ In our own case, and we suppose it was much the same in those of our readers, army crests fascinated us long before we had a clear perception of what an army really was. In our early school-days, buttons bearing the various regimental devices attracted us; later our collection extended a welcome to cap-badges whilst to-day it contains such treasures as the crests on waist-belts, crossbelt-plates, helmets, collar-plates, and even those on the metal flaps of sabretaches. ”

“ To them must be accredited much, for in face of every conceivable obstacle they left no stone unturned until the coveted awards were shared by men as well as commanders. In the early days which followed Waterloo this little band displayed particular activity. "Are our ordinary soldiers, fresh home from the Belgian battlefields, to go unrewarded as the Peninsular heroes have done?" was their constant cry. The people took up the matter, and only when absolutely forced to did Parliament agree to strike a medal for all ranks of the victorious army. ”

“ At the present moment, objects of no little interest are gradually finding their way into England, which have been made by the men interned in Holland who evacuated Antwerp after its fall, and, no doubt, many will be the treasures which our brave soldiers will bring back with them when they are freed from the concentration camps in Germany. Needless to say, all such curios will be valued by the collector more and more as time rolls on. ”

“ It is ordained that in the event of a gallant and daring act having been performed by a squadron not under 50 in number, or by a brigade, regiment, troop, or company in which the admiral, general, or other officer commanding such force may deem that all are equally brave and distinguished, and that no special selection can be made by them; then in such case, the admiral, general, or other officer commanding, may direct, that for any such body of sailors or soldiers, one officer shall be selected by the officers engaged for the decoration ”

“ Lately, however, owing to the War and the great spread of interest in all things pertaining to it, the circle of collectors has considerably widened, until to-day few things are more treasured by connoisseurs than the thousand and one souvenirs and emblems which emanate from our Army. ”

“ There is nothing in this state of things to cause the collector of weapons to grumble, for if he be wise he will add to his treasures when a bargain is to be had, but not when specimens are dear. The process makes collecting a somewhat slow business, but it enables us to get together a whole host of interesting things at a very small cost. ”

“ The Nepaul medal was the next to be struck by the Honourable East India Company. It bears the date of 1816. In granting this award, a departure was made from the usual custom of giving a decoration to every soldier, or his heirs, who actually set out from home with an expeditionary force. In this case, the medal was granted, first, to officers who reached the fighting area and, second, to the men who conducted themselves with conspicuous bravery. Mayo says that the feeling was probably gaining ground that too many medals were being struck and their value was becoming lessened in consequence. ”

“ With many forms of collecting there is a certain sameness about the things collected which is apt to produce monotony: with military curios, however, the treasures cover so wide a field that no such drawback can exist. ”

“ There are one or two kinds of military curios which we should not attempt to collect. First, we should avoid all such large objects as take up more house-room than we can afford to spare them, and secondly, we should refrain from accepting objects the genuineness of which it is impossible to verify. Concerning this latter class, it may be appropriate to mention that we have never visited the battlefield of 23
25Waterloo without meeting a particularly eloquent man who always tells us that he has just had the good fortune to dig up some trophy or other of the famous fight. ”

“ It is a little difficult to know what specimens to include and what to exclude from a collection of185 medallions, as there are no official issues, and as any metal worker can flood the market with original designs of his own or with facsimiles of rare and ancient strikings of bygone artists. Personally, we think that any medallion which is artistically fashioned and which commemorates an event of interest to us is worth adding to the collection, but, of course, we must learn to know the difference between an original and a counterfeit specimen. ”

“ In many branches of collecting comprehensive catalogues have been published which enable the student to classify, arrange, and price every piece among his treasures. With military curios, however, no such publications exist, but a very useful guide is the official catalogue issued by the Royal United Service Museum in Whitehall. The Museum itself is well worth frequent visits, for it is only by constant inspection of such exhibits as those displayed in this gallery that we can get to know of the existence of certain curios and of the shape, texture, and pattern of others. ”

“ Most forms of collecting require the expenditure of much capital, but this is not one of the drawbacks which confront the seeker after military curios. For a few pence an old-fashioned bayonet can be picked up; a rifle bearing a date in last century will cost but a trifle more, whilst such odds and ends as badges and tunic buttons may be had for almost nothing.
Of course, a good deal depends on knowing where20 to search for treasures. The old curiosity shops are capital hunting-grounds, but second-hand dealers who make a practice of buying up the contents of whole houses are even better. ”

“ Gold pieces were given to senior officers, silver gilt pieces to field officers, silver pieces to junior officers, bronze pieces to the rank and file of the British force, and tin pieces to sepoys. The design was attractive: on the obverse appeared a landscape view of our gallant men storming Seringapatam, whilst a lion overwhelming a tiger filled the reverse. The medal was not made in Calcutta, as was usually the case with the Indian decorations, but at Birmingham.
Collectors have often been at a loss to know how the Indian awards were intended to be worn. ”

“ The ribbon is crimson for the Army and blue for the Navy.
The Victoria Cross may be won by soldiers of all ranks; when awarded to non-commissioned officers and privates it carries with it an annuity of £10, though this sum may be increased in special cases. If the medal be sold during the lifetime of the recipient the pension can be withdrawn, and if the possessor be convicted in the civil or military courts for any but trivial offences, the same punishment may be enforced. ”

“ We may say at once that we do not suggest that mutilation of any kind should be countenanced. The grangerite who needs extra illustrations can find material, in abundance, for his work in all sorts of quarters without tearing prints from volumes of worth. The old book-shop with its penny boxes and print portfolios provides all the pictures that are necessary in the ordinary way322 whilst back numbers of The Connoisseur are veritable gold-mines when representations of any kind of curio are needed. ”

“ Can the celebrity be considered a prolific letter-writer? This is another question which influences the value of an autograph, for according to the rarity of an individual's signatures, so will the price be affected. ”

“ Personally, we do not think that a history should be limited to an account of the pieces figuring in our collection, but that a welcome should be extended to brief descriptions, both written and pictorial, of specimens which we hope to obtain as well as interesting specimens which we can never hope to321 obtain owing to their unique condition. The wider history will prove more complete and, therefore, more valuable; it will also serve as an indicator of the things which we do not yet possess but which are procurable by the average collector. ”

“ From the sun becoming so overpowering it was found impossible to move with men already fatigued by their exertions, many of whom died from the intense heat. The troops, therefore, remained in occupation of the gates until six o'clock, when several parties were pushed into the Tartar city and to the public offices. On passing through the city and suburbs, the painful spectacle presented itself of hundreds of the dead bodies of men, women, and children lying in the houses, numerous families having destroyed themselves sooner than outlive the disgrace of their city being captured by foreigners. ”

“ There is much about the rankers' Peninsular medal which is unsatisfactory. In the first place, the reverse bears the figure of Victoria crowning the Duke of Wellington. As he took no part in many of the contributory campaigns, and as his veto so long delayed the granting of the decoration, some other design would have been more appropriate. Again, the date placed in the exergue, 1793-1814, is much too vague. And lastly, the head of Victoria on the obverse has often caused confusion, as she did not ascend the throne until some three years after the campaign had come to a welcome close. ”

“ Brasses are of great educational value in so much as many reveal interesting points in connection with matters concerning dress and armour. But the student is warned against putting too much trust in the dates which they bear, for specimens were often laid down before the death of the person whose memory they perpetuate. The date of death and the style of decoration might thus be, in such cases, at variance historically. ”

“ Most of the prints which we have seen of this period were originally published as illustrations to books, a good number were issued as sets in portfolios, whilst a few were sold separately. The books which contain these military pictures, especially when the latter are coloured, fetch high prices, but fortunately the collector can become conversant with these gems of the printer's art in such treasure-houses as the British Museum and the South Kensington Museum. Those of us who can afford to buy perfect copies of such illustrated works will find admirable collections for sale at Messrs. ”

“ To handle one of these tokens of strife and bloodshed is to call up feelings of reverence and honour for the man who spent his energies so freely in earning it, and it is probably on account of this extrinsic quality that war medals are so highly prized among connoisseurs. ”

“ The United Service Museum is by no means the only treasure-house of interest to collectors of military curios. The Tower of London, the Wallace Collection, and the Rotunda at Woolwich, each possess26 much that is worth inspecting in the way of armour and weapons, whilst the British Museum has a collection of medals which is almost unique. The traveller on the Continent will find many instructive exhibits in the Musée d'Artillerie at Paris, the Rijks Museum at Amsterdam, and the National Museum at Copenhagen. ”