Hello all,
As I am sure some of you are aware, a very big insignia collection came up for sale recently at a UK auction house. It was called the "Grace Gibson collection". She was in the ATS during the war and avidly collected British and American cloth and metal badges.
The details of the auction along with pictures and prices realised can be found here:
http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/wspd_...&iSaleNo=11009
Now the part that makes me sick...big dealers like Regimentals come along and buy loads of the Airborne/Commando insignia probably not knowing an awful lot about it but know that it is a popular collecting area. So, having bought it they put it on their website for ridiculous amounts of money.
Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing at all wrong in bidding at auction and reselling the stuff, but I think this guy has just set new world record prices for cloth insignia. If you check his website out, you will see what I mean! Some prices from his website:
Single embroidered Pegasus patch £110
Pair printed Pegasus patches £150
First Allied Airborne patch £150
Single printed "INDIA" Pegasus patch £175
Single embroidered Parachute Regiment title £120
Single printed Glider Pilot Regt. title £120
He must be a lunatic!
I do not think he will ever sell at these prices unless someone incredibly stupid comes along
Just my thoughts on the matter, from Jack.
As I am sure some of you are aware, a very big insignia collection came up for sale recently at a UK auction house. It was called the "Grace Gibson collection". She was in the ATS during the war and avidly collected British and American cloth and metal badges.
The details of the auction along with pictures and prices realised can be found here:
http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/wspd_...&iSaleNo=11009
Now the part that makes me sick...big dealers like Regimentals come along and buy loads of the Airborne/Commando insignia probably not knowing an awful lot about it but know that it is a popular collecting area. So, having bought it they put it on their website for ridiculous amounts of money.
Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing at all wrong in bidding at auction and reselling the stuff, but I think this guy has just set new world record prices for cloth insignia. If you check his website out, you will see what I mean! Some prices from his website:
Single embroidered Pegasus patch £110
Pair printed Pegasus patches £150
First Allied Airborne patch £150
Single printed "INDIA" Pegasus patch £175
Single embroidered Parachute Regiment title £120
Single printed Glider Pilot Regt. title £120
He must be a lunatic!
I do not think he will ever sell at these prices unless someone incredibly stupid comes along
Just my thoughts on the matter, from Jack.
). I wish I was though, as a kid after the Saturday morning cinema I used to poodle off to my favourite Militaria shop to spend the rest of my pocket money on badges. At that time it wasn't a case of chasing the elusive badge, it was a case of how many can I afford this week. Metal badges started at 9 old pence and it wasn't a case of rarity it was how big they were and if they were bi-metal. Cloth badges were 3 old pence each, slip-ons, curved, formation signs etc. I could have filled a carrier bag for a couple of quid. 20/20 hindsight is great, but what a great opportunity lost. The same shop lives on, though a few hundred yards from the original, the original owner is long gone as are the badges he had. The present owner shuts for 2 hours for a liquid luncheon, comes back bladdered and sells fakes. 
This despite them putting a big bright shiny ad in the Armourer which correct me if I`m wrong is AIMED at normal collectors. 
The few photos of the insignia they did show on their website were front only, no reverse shots? 
. I`m sorry but no one in their right mind bids sight unseen these days regardless of the integrity or name of the auction house or where the items supposedly came from. I found that extremely frustrating and I believe places like this auction house are more geared to selling entire lots to dealers rather than single items to genuine collectors like ourselves. 
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