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Battle of Britain medal 'clasp'

Good Morning,

I have inherited a group of medals to someone who supposedly was in the Battle of Britain and the 1939-45 star has the clasp ‘Battle of Britain’ on it. The question I have is it an original clasp as I have been told they are quite collectable?

Does anyone have any experience of these clasps and if so what do you think?

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By: cotteswold - 20th April 2013 at 07:12

£1500? Good God – no wonder the chap was so keen to buy mine some 20 years ago!

Didn’t realise that the Clasp had any value.

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By: rotradrive - 19th April 2013 at 13:00

I am waiting to delivery of the Bomber Command Clasp from Innsworth,will this have the same value as the Battle of Britain on?

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By: slippers - 3rd April 2013 at 19:11

Slippers,

Have a look at this web site for further information on identifying genuine clasps from copies:-

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/hartleyi/bobclasp.htm

Gerry

Thanks Gerry….yes found this site. It look slike the ‘single’ 1939-45 star with clasp matches all the signs of being an original as everything matches up, whereas the 2 with groups are definately copies. I assume it would be acceptable to put the original back with one of the Groups as he is entitled to it?

With regards to photos it may be a better idea for me to photo copy some of the docs as they may come out better…..if you could private message me with an address I can send them to I could do this over the next few weeks?

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By: gedburke3 - 3rd April 2013 at 17:14

Slippers,

Have a look at this web site for further information on identifying genuine clasps from copies:-

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/hartleyi/bobclasp.htm

Gerry

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By: gedburke3 - 3rd April 2013 at 09:58

Cheers Slipper,

That’s very decent of you.
I am in Kent if you are local and it is easier to meet up?

Regards
Gerry

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By: slippers - 3rd April 2013 at 08:09

Hi Gerry,

Thanks for your reply……yes fortunate in one way but not in another.

Will take photos of what I have over the next few days (back to work today) and will email them when done. Not much on Waller unfortunately but a few bits a pieces on Doughty. Will try and do the best pictures I can with the cameras I have.

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By: gedburke3 - 3rd April 2013 at 00:27

Cheers Slippers,

Now I’m going to push my luck!
Any chance I could accept your offer and ask for higher quality copies of these to be sent to my email address given in my last post?

I would love to see anything you have on both airmen.

Thanks for your willingness to share these and apologies for congratulating you on your good fortune. It is clear now that the death of your mother and your fathers current condition are not fortunate in any way.

Gerry

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By: slippers - 2nd April 2013 at 23:17

Thanks……hopefully you will see photos on flickr…..just set up an account which should show 6 pictures…..if this works I may add some more if people are interested of other documents and photos I have for Waller and Doughty?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16381696@N06/sets/72157633153676062/

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By: Arabella-Cox - 2nd April 2013 at 23:13

Slippers.

No. The clasps with the nick down the edge are originals. Not ‘replacements’.

If they have no nick they are almost certainly not original and you will find that very few medal dealers/collectors would accept the bar as original without this very distinctive mark – which would be well nigh impossible to replicate, anyway.

Unfortunately, I am pretty sure that a good many original groups owned by veterans (or family members) have had original bars switched for copy bars when they have been left for mounting with medal specialists. It would go some way towards explaining why so many otherwise wholly original and authenticated groups (with provenance) have dodgy bars. It might also explain how, from time to time, bars without a group attached have turned up for sale. Only a theory, mind.

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By: gedburke3 - 2nd April 2013 at 23:01

Hi Slippers,

Alternatively you can mail them to me at [email]gedburke3@yahoo.co.uk[/email] and I will upload them for you. ;0)
Cheers
Gerry

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By: SimonR - 2nd April 2013 at 22:45

Managed to transfer photos to computer….although cannot upload as size too big. Anyone any ideas how I can show the photo’s?

Hi there,

Register a free account on a photo-hosting site such as Photobucket or Flickr then you can upload the photos there and then link to them in the forum.

Good luck and thanks for the interesting thread!

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By: Mark V - 2nd April 2013 at 22:45

You can re-size images with Microsoft image re-sizer – you download it from MS website under ‘Power Toys’. Once loaded you just right click on an image and select the size you want and it creates a duplicate in that size 🙂

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By: slippers - 2nd April 2013 at 22:37

Managed to transfer photos to computer….although cannot upload as size too big. Anyone any ideas how I can show the photo’s?

Regards

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By: slippers - 2nd April 2013 at 20:07

Thank you everyone for your replies and especially the link to Doughty’s bio- thanks PanzerJohn.

In answer to some questions-

Simon Spitfire- Why do say there are no photo’s of Doughty? I have a full file with lots of original information including photo’s. I will try and upload these later but I am struggling to at the moment.

Moggy C- ‘Inherited’….my Mother passed away in February and my Father has had to go into a home at which point he told me that the medals were for my inheritance and to have them now which is how I have them.

The claspin the picture has the ‘nick’ down the edge as described and from what I can establish this is possibly a later issue, issued to those who had lost there originals. Originally I thought the picture I had took was ‘Wallers’ but I mixed them up. The picture originally is the single 1939-45 star whereas it is plain to see that the other 2 bars I have on Wallers and Doughty’s groups do not have the nick and also have a large ‘o’ in the Of.

Many Thanks again for all the information and I will try and upload the pictures as soon as I can figure how to get them onto my laptop without a lead (my son has gone away until the end of the week with the lead!)

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By: Mr Merry - 2nd April 2013 at 18:19

Neville Doughty sure had an interesting career.

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By: gedburke3 - 2nd April 2013 at 18:03

Sorry gents,

I don’t have part two, I have only just discovered part one!! ;0)

My knowledge re Battle of Britain clasps is not good.
I generally rely on someone far more knowledgable who has helped me in the past.

Gerry

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By: Moggy C - 2nd April 2013 at 18:00

It might be helpful if the OP actually defined his use in this context of the word ‘inherited’

Moggy
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By: PanzerJohn - 2nd April 2013 at 17:33

http://www.bbm.org.uk/as-doughty.htm

Very well done biog.

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By: SimonSpitfire - 2nd April 2013 at 17:20

Battle of Britain Clasp

How interesting Slippers you have ‘inherited’ two Battle of Britain groups, you are lucky – especially as Wallers DFC group has gone through four auction houses and two medal dealers since 1998 for over £2000 and Doughty’s group was sold on E bay in 2005 for over £1000. I would suggest buying a few lottery tickets with your luck of inheritance!
By the way there is no photo of Doughty so don’t look for one, and his is a very sad story.

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By: Arabella-Cox - 2nd April 2013 at 16:26

I don’t have a copy of the Part II. Gerry Burke may have? I’d like a copy, too!

Yes, the colour in the OP does look a little brassy and ‘off’ but that may well be due to photo-flash or just the lighting. It really is hard to tell.

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