Mervyn Mitton

Nice thought Stuart - I tend to rather say more then I should. Brian is the right person - he strikes a nice balance of humour and fact - and as this present blog has shown , the membership does wish to join-in on serious matters of history. Well us present 5 do ! I must mention it on the Lounge and let others have a chance to comment. Mervyn

Brian - would it be possible to show some of the less valuable stones ? Mervyn

Do I detect an early VW minibus being used as a fire engine ? Nice to see a new addition to this particular forum subject. Mervyn

You will realise - to a certain extent - that I was 'stirring' a little. However, the facts remain that his weakness led us into war - where-as, a show of determination and force would possibly have stopped him. My comments on Churchill should probably be the subject of Brian's next blog ? Mervyn

As the only Englishman present - I stand by my comments. He was a hated, weak leader and by not taking a stand , led us into war. Churchill is also not a highly revered leader. He had the habit of dictating to his staff and ignoring advice - this led to the loss of many unnecessary lives. From the 1stWW and the Gallipoli Campaign when he was 1st Sea Lord - just mention his name in Australia - they used to just spit on the ground. Given a position, just so many leaders fail to listen to their electorate. Mervyn

I have been looking through Morton and Eden's on-line catalogue and have been happily surprised to see such wonderful British medal examples from this Napoleonic period . There are also a considerable number of Waterloo Medals. For members interested in this period , the illustrations are a rare treat - the catalogue would be worth buying for future research. To view the on-line catalogue look-up - www.mortonandeden.co - I think you will find it of interest. Mervyn

I am advised that possibly the most complete Danish medal collection will appear at Morton and Eden's auction on 26th November 2014. Sale 71. To view the beautiful photographs go to www.mortonandeden.com - for the collector this is a great opportunity. Mervyn

Gordon - nice to see you back. I'm sure your confirmation will clear any doubts. Mervyn

Good subject Windu. I hope other members will be able to show examples of both stones and mountings. These days they will be mainly from jewellery - and personally, I think it makes a stone more interesting to show-it being worn. Look forward to some good examples. By the way Windu - what's this with 'selfies' and your girl friend on the Comp. ? Results should be out soon. Mervyn

Stuka - your particular post - in Flemish - could only be dealt with by your authorities. Our Chairman has advised me that we will not attempt to prosecute because of the difficulties. Regional Admin. will delete when we see them. Personally, I would like to see more action, but this is now our policy. These particular spams are quite obviously aimed at all of the immigrants attempting an invasion of Europe and the UK. Best wishes Mervyn

They had grand ideas - I would have thought Armee Nationale (don't have that accent). The design is not really a Pike - which usually have an arm horizontally under the head. I would say more like a spear head - they probably had to produce a lot quickly. The real urgency was for the guillotines. I wonder if he got any aristos with this ? Mervyn

Markgraf - if you can get him to join - and any other collectors you may know of (providing they can write in English) then you will have done more then most of our members this year. You will have helped the Forum to find more members of interest and knowledge - which is how the Forum grows. Should every member make it his aim to find just ONE new member a year - then, we will see the membership climb quickly from the present 10,000. Mervyn

Great article Brian - but, you're fighting an up-hill battle. He was - and always will be a 'wet willy' ! Mervyn

Now - a different 'beast' from the cap. Dignified - traditional - and in an emegency you whip the helmet off and pin your adversary to a wooden fence. I have always liked this pattern of helmet since it kept the traditional chin chain in place. You were lucky to find this. Best wishes Mervyn

Hi Ross - with the link to a special service event I can understand your enthusiam - but, be honest - what an ugly cap. The peak is oversize and I'm afraid I hate baseball caps. Sorry ! Mervyn

Hi Timo. The British Army had many sporting associations and this was obviously one of the many boxing ones. Unless the hallmark is on the rim, then this is not silver. I expect the family had his grandson named as they were perhaps, very close - or, he may have died about the time of his birth. Having gone to this trouble it is a shame that it has gone from the family. How are your exams going ? Mervyn

Hi Dan - I see you have been a member since 2013 , but this is your first post - so, Welcome to GMIC. Perhaps your interest will bring new life to this old thread. We will hope to hear more from you. Mervyn

Marvellous what a little care and attention can do. Seal the Brass with a little matt varnish - it comes off easily and will keep the polished look. Well done. Mervyn

LOVELY IDEA - HOW ABOUT KING GEORGE 6 AND QUEEN ELIZABETH - WITH THE BOMBED PALACE AS BACKGROUND. AN ALTERNATIVE MIGHT BE THE THREE WARTIME LEADERS - BUT THEY WERE ALL SO UGLY AND NON-DESCRIPT. DID YOU EVER FOLLOW-UP ON THAT OTHER IDEA WE DISCUSSED ? BEST WISHES MERVYN ps. I was thinking of doing a difficult quiz as a one off in the New Year - perhaps a 100 questions and allow 2 weeks for answers. Not settled yet. This would make a wonderful prize and get the interest going. I could recompense with a some medals - let me know what you think ?

Thankyou Markgraf. Whilst he might be a Hungarian collector his collection seems to be from all over the World. Certainly excellent reference for anyone with an interest in Railways. The only one I didn't spot was a UK one. Why don't you write to him and invite him to join GMIC. Best wishes Mervyn

Jerry - great photos. Anything marked Empire was made in Hong Kong. Mervyn

Have just found out that on boxes of this type the closure and the thin bar that holds the two sides together are made of brass.

Looks like ' SVI' ? Crown is for William 4th - 1830-37.

Gentlemen - on behalf of GMIC may I thankyou for your notification emails. By the time I checked in , the offending spam had been deleted. The only person who can remove an offending member is our Chairman - and although I had emailed him yesterday morning, I believe he was away. I find this particular spam very strange - it has all contact details. Obviously under a false name, but they include phone, email etc. - I suppose he works on the basis that if 1000 people look and delete - the next one may reply and then he makes money. The decision to make a Police complaint lies with the Chairman - but, there are several offences being commited , fraud - deception etc. I am sure enquiries would show an address ? Mervyn

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_10_2014/post-6209-0-83187500-1414235651.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_10_2014/post-6209-0-51691100-1414235758.jpgclick http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_10_2014/post-6209-0-45478800-1414235852.jpgclick I am posting this for 'Big Jar of Wasps' - since we all know of his love for gold.......... Made in 1949 in Birmingham I think this is intended as a cigarette case - perhaps for a lady. I am told they used to have smaller cigarettes for the evening. Under the maker's initials of WHM whom I can't find any trace of - there are some small jeweller's marks - C3/62. This is for the repair that can be seen on the closure clasp. 62 could be the year or, his order number. The case is 9ct gold and weighs 152 grams - 4.9 ozs. Must have been quite heavy to carry in a small evening bag.