Brian Wolfe

A very interesting and rare medal. Thanks for posting it. I look forward to seeing more of your collection. Regards Brian

A great group to a very brave man. Thanks for posting it and the background surrounding its award. Regards Brian

2011 Wound Down and So Did I It seemed that as the year wound down I did as well and I am more than a little happy that a brand new year will start in less than a week. One might ask why the turning of a page on a calendar would make any difference. Good question and the answer is that most of the things that ate up my time are on a cycle concerning my “day job”. The other reasons varied from health to having more ambition than energy. My duties at the Conservation Authority are concentrated around looking after the rental properties which range from farm land to rental dwellings and cottage lots surrounding two lakes. This sets the number of tenants at around the 1,000 mark. Looking after the problems of the tenants and issues connected with these tenancies takes up a great deal of time and I am the only one out “in the field” to carry out what must be done. The Director of our section, a young fellow and all around great guy, was blindsided just after he accepted his position. In typical government fashion they have decided to cut back on costs by not replacing those who leave and he inherited two extra divisions. Of course this downloaded more work on the little people (of which I am a member). The stress on him was too great and now he has accepted a position with another government body. The new “victim” will be hired in the early months of 2012. In preparation for retirement, in two to three years, I decided to start running my cabinet shop as I did years ago with profitable intentions. A rare thing happened. Usually my good intentions end up producing little. This time the workload kept me going steady until the week before Christmas. Needless to say I am going to cut back on the work I take in. I like the extra cash and my collection likes it even more. To be completely honest, with a full-time position and a sideline business, that took on a life of its own, I managed to add a good deal of material to the collection but most items were unpacked when they arrived, and after an inspection, were simply filed away in drawers. Also, in preparation for retirement, I decided that I wanted a larger room for my collection that was something more than simply a warehouse so I started the renovation of three rooms. This involved renovating one for a study, one a storage room and the other a work room. The study is for my collection and a place to go and read what the family refers to as my boring manuscripts. I wanted all of the furniture to match so I built all new cabinets to store the collection. I’ll feature the new study on the main section of the forum early in 2012. The storage room, as well as serving as a pantry, holds my geological collection which is in several steel cabinets comprising of rows of drawers. The work room is to carry on with such activities as stained glass, finishing small cabinets and a photographic area with proper lighting. I am still putting the finishing touches on the storage and work rooms. One of the events of 2011 that didn’t take as much time as energy was my victory in the second battle with cancer. I hold no unrealistic expectations of actually winning the war against my old foe as it has stalked the members of my family for generations. It certainly gives me more respect for a massive heart attack in a few years. I would consider that to be golden bullet compared with the loss of the war to the big “C”. One must always look to the bright side and hope for the best. He he. So that was my 2011 in a “nut shell”. I doubt that 2012 will bring any more spare time but with cutting back in the shop it should leave me with time to spend on the GMIC, which is my home away from home. One should always remember that, like money, time is something that you will seldom find, if you need more you have to make it. Thanks to all who have suffered through this and other blogs I’ve penned, I will do my best to bore you throughout next year. I apologize if now I’ve made you hesitant to turn that next page on the calendar. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Regards Brian

Hello Steve, Thank you for the offer to assist members with their research, this is someting many of us find difficult especially if we live in outside of the UK. This is the spirt we ned here on the GMIC and in keeping with the spirt of the season, a very Merry Christmas to you and yours. Regards Brian Sorry for the background in the photos below. I'm reconstructing my small photo area with the hopes of being able to post better quality photos in 2012.

Hello Jonathan, Thanks for the alert. I do hope the serial numbers lead to an arrest and return of the collection. There's a word for these low-lifers but I wouldn't use it in polite company. Regards Brian

Hello Steve, Welcome to the forum and thank you for posting an interesting photo. I hope we hear much more from you in the future. Hello Dave, Thanks for providing this information, I hope other police collectors will see it as well. Regards Brian

Hello Mervyn, I think it will indeed fit in the collection nicely as well. I don't usually bother with promotional items like the mounted police service crests, lapel buttons or commemorative plates except for Staffordshire. I am not even sure why the attachment to Staffordshire but as usual when I comes to the collection I don't question my choices I just enjoy collecting. Regards Brian

Hi Tony, I think you have a nice example though I'm not sure that it is of great age. It looks nicer than the more modern blades however I do agree that the scabbard is more modern, perhaps a replacement. These were carried by more than just the military and many, even the military ones, lack markings. I would not clean the horn handle but, as always, this is a matter of collector's choice. Personally I like this one, nice addition to your collection, thanks for sharing it with us. Regards Brian

Hi Dave, Thanks for letting me know that I'm one of those "born every minute". Seriously, I do thank you for this information and I am not surprised to hear this. If you look at the bottom point of the star and then take a line of sight to the cross on the top of the crown you can see that they do not line up. Not something you would find in an original and authorized helmet plate or martingale badge. I was also a little worried when I was the only bidder, however by that time it is too late to change ones mind about the purchase. Thanks again for you assistance. It will have a home in my Staffordshire collection along with some commemoritive plates. Regards Brian

These last two photos are of the plate itself front and back. Thanks for any assistance you can give me. Regards Brian

Here are some more views.

Hello Everyone, I just got this interesting item in that I thought was a Staffordshire Police helmet plate that had been plated for the 150th anniversary of the force. It was suggested by the seller that it was a presentation piece and and at no time was it offered as a special issue to be worn just for the 150th. I won the bid for this at £2.23 so I have little invested. When it arrived I found that it was cast bronze and quite heavy. A single screw bolt held it to the backing of the display mount. My first thought was that perhaps this was a martingale badge (for a horse) but I believe the mounted patrol has been gone for longer than this badge style has been used. It has been sand cast as may be seen in the photos. You can also see where they have cleaned up the back side as grinder marks are still evident. The frame actually fell apart in my hands so I repaired it with a little epoxy on the back. The front of the plate looks to have been worn through repeated polishing and that made me think of a martingale badge. I believe that use has been ruled out. The martingale badge I have from Staffordshire County Police has two threaded tubes soldered on the back to affix it to the leather holder with screw bolts. This one has no sign that any such devices existed. The single threaded hole is still bright and shinny inside so it would look as if it were drilled and tapped for the purpose of display. The Staff County badge is stamped from brass sheet stock not cast as is this one. The velvet under the plate has been crushed to the point that I believe it has been in this mount from the beginning. I suppose it is possible this was made as a presentation piece or as an item for sale to raise funds for the 150th Anniversary celebrations. What are yor opinions of this piece? Regards Brian

Hello Mervyn, An interesting and, in its day, useful artifact. There is a whole system of fighting with canes without the blade and I would imagine that proficiency with this particular item would lend it to being quite deadly, even without the need for a secondard weapon being employed. Thanks for posting this for everyone to enjoy. Regards Brian

Hello Craig, I think I will stop at just collecting the helmet as I lack the space to display uniforms. Oh, for a private museum of my own, which no doubt the aquisition of would be closely followed by a divorce. It would be great to find a dress pattern complete with spike and chin strap. Regards Brian

Hello Dave, Of course you are correct and the post itself supports what you are saying. The information I was imparting was a bit jumbled and I thank you for straightening this out. I was trying to say that the British military Wolseley production stopped in 1942. Sorry for the confusion I should have been clearer. It's little things like this that generates confusion. Thanks again. Regards Brian

Finally the photo of the post Independence uniform and helmet. Thanks for taking a look at my new addition. Regards Brian

For some reason the plate didn't load, I'll try again.

A closer view of the helmet plate.

A few more views.

Jamaica Constabulary Force – Wolseley Helmet A recent addition to the collection is this Wolseley helmet to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) made by Hobson & Sons, London (Limited). The King’s crown helmet plate dates to c. 1905 and under the coat of arms is written UTROQUE SERVE, which I still have to translate. The headband is of Vero’s patent of 1925. This and the fact that the production of Wolseleys stopped in 1942 helps to date the helmet itself. It should be remembered that the stocks of Wolseley helmets were “used up” until 1949 when the British Army discontinued their use. According to my sources the probable date for this helmet would be somewhere in the range of the late ‘30s to the early ‘40s. The helmet is in very good condition though it is missing the chin strap. Thanks to Mervyn Mitton and Stuart Bates for their kind assistance in researching this helmet. As a short history, Wikipedia offers the following information. The history of policing in Jamaica began in 1716 when night watchmen were appointed to serve the cities of Port Royal, Kingston, and the parishes of Saint Catherine and Saint Andrew. In 1832 the first attempt to establish a permanent police force began, and William Ramsay was appointed Inspector General of the police force in 1835. This force continued in service until 1865, the year of the Morant Bay Rebellion. This uprising demonstrated the vulnerability of peace and law in Jamaica and caused the establishment of an improved police force, the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The force began operation with 984 members, under the direction of an Inspector General appointed by the British Governor to the island, and continues to carry out police duties to the present day. The official JCF staff numbers 9,930 plus 55 auxiliary positions, making a total of 9,985; its current strength (as of 2011) is 8,441. The last photo of this post shows a police officer in uniform on a post card post marked 1967. So the use of the Wolseley style helmet did indeed continue well after the Jamaican National Independence in 1962. As may be seen in the photo the later helmet varied somewhat from the style worn when Jamaica as a British colony. Regards Brian

Hi Frank, Try this fellow. http://www.worldmedals.co.uk/Rib/germrib.htm I get all my German ribbons from him. My British I used to get from Peter Ireland but I fear he may have passed away as I can not seem to contact him, so I'll be ordering my British from the link provided here. Regards Brian

Is nothing sacred? Regards Brian

Ghost of Collecting Past – A Christmas Carol? In case you were expecting a story based on a Dickensian Novel I fear that I must disappoint you straight away. This becomes self-evident within the first sentence, yet somehow I was not dissuaded. The alarm clock/radio went off well before dawn as usual but today my ears were assaulted by a Christmas carol butchered by one of the new generation of so-called talented artists. Silent Night was never meant to be converted and offered up in Rap format. Silent Night, as someone should point out to this Neanderthal, is about the birth of the Messiah and has nothing to do with the crucifixion, by the way the song was presented this morning could only lead one to surmise this was the intent. There are few today capable of offering up the great Christmas songs of the past in the manner of Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and numerous others. The only group to successfully make it in the Christmas song market since the King was also the only group to best the British Invasion group known as the Beatles leaving them as a distant second best. This group (I know you have guessed it) was the Chipmunks. Like so many super stars their “candle burned out long before the legend ever did”, I’ll bet you never knew that Sir Elton John actually wrote the song about the passing of the Chipmunks. My research into this point may be a sketchy, my kingdom for a citation! As a short history, Theodore was the first to pass away due to heart failure brought on, it is speculated, by morbid obesity. Theodore was next and it is rumoured he took his own life after a long battle with mental illness and neurosis. Alvin lived to the ripe old age of four then went to join his fellow performers in whatever place is reserved for musicians. Lucky for the public that chipmunks are easy to train, much like the actors portraying James Bond over the years, (where, oh where have ye gone Sean, we need you so badly), and several new crops of rodents have been raised to star in movies and television specials over the past number of years. So now that the Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) is firmly planted in your subconscious I’ll get to the point of this submission. While pondering Christmas past I thought about something that comes up from time to time on the forum and often when fellow collectors congregate. Was it better to collect in the past than it is today? Not having all of the data at my fingertips I decided to take an example from two different categories, one, a collectable and the other, a week’s grocery bill. In 1962 you could purchase a Japanese NCO sword (WWII) for $34.00. A week’s groceries during the same time period, for a family of four, would set you back around $18.00. Considering the shipping cost of the sword we’ll say the sword cost the equivalent of two weeks groceries. Today it would run you about $120.00 for a week’s groceries and the sword would take a slice out of your bank account to the tune of $450.00 to $500.00. If the same today held true as it did in 1962 the sword should be priced at $240.00. In my opinion a WWII Japanese NCO sword is only worth $240.00, however, you can bet your great aunt’s moustache that if and when I sell my Japanese sword collection it will be at or near market value and who could blame me. Collecting needs to be financed out of one’s disposable cash and not, of course, from the household account. This being the case and if you figure in all that we “just have to have” in today’s world and all that our children just “can’t live without” then true disposable cash becomes as rare as a duck that can walk backwards (no they really can’t). Before I started writing I had already made up my mind that this little exercise would produce results that would encourage today’s young collectors. Instead it has resulted in me wondering why I continue to collect. True it is a supply and demand equation as the demand for collectables is growing and the supply is finite. Please, let’s not bring the Chinese counterfeiting of the Japanese NCO sword into this as I am speaking now of any and all real collectables. It is also easier for the older collectors who have their homes paid for and their families grown up and (booted) out on their own. We now have that disposable income but who wants to spend a great deal more than an item is worth just to possess it? Oh, wait, I think I’ve just stumbled onto the definition of “collector.” Parenting tip: When your kids leave home fill their room with anything, a new office, television/entertainment room, a study, anything...just fill it! I even considered concrete for a while, but I decided on a new study instead, but that’s for another blog offering. Now I really must find that bottle of brandy and drink until I can no longer hear,...Alvin wants a hula hoop... ALVIN!!!! Get out of my head! Regards Brian

Yes he was quite the f3llow. I guess in the end he figured if he couldn't beat them he'd join them. Regards Brian

Because I Say So. We hear a lot about provenance here on the forum and more so on television in conjunction with antiques shows. Provenance, being the history of an object proving its authenticity, its pedigree so-to speak. So often we see photos alongside medals that we are told belonged to the subject in the photo but is “because I say so” really provenance? It would, of course, be impolite to suggest that a fellow member who was claiming, in this case the photo and medals belonged together, was taking a good deal of liberty in assuming that we should simply take his or her word as gospel. Of course when a photo and a group of medals have been in that person’s family and handed down from generation to generation it would seem to imply authenticity. However, I have in my collection a couple of very clear photographs of military men to which I have added the corresponding group. If these were to be passed down for a couple of generations the authenticity of the photos and the medals would not change. That is to say, the passage of time is not necessarily an indication of provenance just because they had always remained within one family. Most certainly if the soldier in the photo were wearing those very medals and especially if there were some corresponding damage to the medals reflected in the photo we would assuredly be “sold”. Speaking of being “sold”, the whole issue of provenance becomes rather critical if one were about to slap down a good deal of gold doubloons on the barrel head in order to procure a highly desirable group of medals. This makes “because I say so” provenance worth about half of what a share of Nortel presently brings. So, keep this in mind as I finally get around to the real story of this episode of News from the Home Office. My wife and I were returning from a trip to Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada and a visit to the Billy Bishop Museum which is situated there in his home town. We had taken one of the many secondary roads south which winds through scenic farm lands and stunning vistas. We came upon a sign advertising a flea market ahead. The market was in what at first looked to be a farmer’s field and comprised of fifty of sixty vendors. When we pull into the grassed parking area we could see that this was in fact a rural municipality’s sports field with a picnic pavilion and refreshment stand which was open. In case you are not familiar with what a picnic pavilion is, think of a barn with no sides, just a roof and a concrete pad as a floor. The refreshment stand is self explanatory and I am sure we have all seen them and even purchased their questionable food that makes one both wonder where the health inspector was when they opened for business and if we do eat the food will be discover whether the old saying “that which does not kill us makes us stronger” with be proven true later in the day. After inhaling a couple of hot dogs, speaking of tempting the fates of intestinal disorder, and a half warm Pepsi we toured the vendors’ tables. There is not usually much to be had at these sorts of fairs, sometimes a few small badges or military buttons. Most of the dealers had no interest in such matters and probably wondered if the buttons marked “US” had a corresponding button worn by the enemy stamped “THEM”. Sorry, bad joke, consider it punishment for having read this far. One of the dealers was an elderly lady with an array of the usual two dozen salt and pepper shakers, most of which had suffered the loss of their soul mates and were now facing the world alone, as well as old glass ware that had seen better days and were probably salvaged from someone’s trash. However among the coffee cups sporting semi-humorous pictures and captions and chipped tea cups I spotted a framed document. The glass was grungy from years of neglect but the document was in good shape. It was for the 1937 Coronation of George VI and had been presented to The Reverend Canon W.M.H. Quartermaine and would have been awarded along with the Coronation Medal. What a great little find, and the only one of the day. The lady didn’t want a lot for it as she had no interest in it and informed me that she had purchased it along with several other framed pictures and dishware at an estate sale she had attended earlier that summer. She then said that she had something else that she wanted me to have to go with the document. Upon producing a battered sugar bowl with lid I was sure this gray haired old sweetheart was about to con me into purchasing the very sugar bowl used to store disembodied spirits by Prime Minister Mackenzie King (look it up). She removed the lid and tipped the bowl and out slid the medal itself. It was still in very good condition along with the ribbon and a pin which was used to affix it to the good Reverend’s jacket. Apparently the medal had been packed in the sugar bowl in some news paper and she had discovered it when she had remover the paper. There was no sales pitch she simply wanted me to have the medal and to show me where it had been stored. Now in my collection reside the document and the very medal worn by The Reverend Canon W.M.H. Quartermaine. As to the provenance, of course it is genuine. Upon what do I base this opinion concerning the provenance? Well...it’s...”because I say so”. Regards Brian