414. JOSEPH LEE (1901-1975) HAND DRAWN CARTOON: 'SMILING THROUGH: BY PASS TO BERLIN'.

Coins, Medals & Militaria - Spring 2026

Welcome to the Spring Coins Medals and Militaria auction. I hope there is something in the sale that you will like. The collection of items is as diverse as ever, with a number of stand-out lots.

There are some wonderful medals in the auction, covering the breadth of the 19th and 20th centuries there are examples from nearly every conflict. Amongst the Waterloo Medals there are examples from some of the units that saw heavy casualties and to men who spent that fateful day standing in their squares resisting as many as eleven cavalry charges by the French. To be wounded under such circumstances as a young Robert Smalley with the 73rd Regiment of Foot was must have been horrifying.

Elsewhere in the medals there are chargers with the Heavy Brigade at Crimea, a charger with 21st Lancers in A Squadron alongside a young Winston Churchill, a scarce medal to a fatality at Chilianwala as well as the second part of the collection of medals to the Army Medical Corps including some very fine gallantry groups. A fine set of Second World War flying medals and logbooks with flights at D-Day, Arnhem and with the SAS/SOE. And so many others.

Amongst the coins there is some lovely early gold, rare proof silver coins from the latter part of Queen Victoria’s reign, a George III ½ Ackey trade coin which is certainly a coin I have not had the pleasure of offering for sale before. For those of you who like more recent products the Harry Potter ‘coins’ from Samoa are quite extraordinary and no less rare.

The swords and guns are as varied as ever, the pair of pistols on the front cover of the catalogue and the collection of items relating to the Burma campaign represent a well chosen and fascinating approach to collecting the Second World War.

I look forward to seeing you in Crewkerne. Do get in touch if I can help in any way

• Matthew Denney, Coins, Medals Militaria Specialist