TOPIC:

I like the KSA with the top "ears" removed from it's 1902 clasp!

Hi everybody
Seeing this thread active again prodded me to share with my fellow-forumites my most prized Wepener group: the one to Lt Col Dalgety.




I bought the group some 31 years ago: First Part of the Matthew Taylor Collection; Christie’s 19 July 1983.






I was determined to add Dalgety’s awards to my sub-collection of Boer War C/O’s and with a substantial bid over the top estimate Donald Hall secured it for me. Fortunately the Rand was at 1.65/£ and I had to transfer all of R6740- to Donald: this included his bidding commission!

When I received the group it came with photographs and old-style wet process copies of his commission documents in not so good condition.





I wrote to Matthew Taylor, asking him about the source of the copies. I got my reply on a scrap of paper torn from the last page of my letter, perfectly in line (as I found out later from fellow-collectors) with his stinginess and brusqueness, which apparently often bordered on rudeness.



His passion to get the maximum monetary benefit from a transaction was also evident in the Foreword to the Catalogue (negatives of photos: £1 plus SAE!!)

I wrote back contritely apologetic for my oversight and received a mellow and friendly reply, with a Dalgety Cigarette card as a gift. His letter ended with a Latin quotation and when I replied I appended one as well. That really turned the tide and we regularly exchanged letters (with Latin quotations) up to his death a few years later.

Charles Lusted could not help me. He said a lady had brought in the group with paperwork in the mid 1970’s. She sold the medals but did not accept his offer for the documents and he made copies. He also had no record anymore of contact details for the lady and I made modern copies of the documents to prevent further fading.

I am truly sorry I never met Matthew Taylor in person. However, Dalgety and the other excellent items that I got on the sale will always remind me of him.

Henk

Hello Henk,
Just superb, I don't think you could get a better Wepener group, for me that is the best possible, if it were mine, I doubt if I'd bother looking for any others!
Regards Frank

Henk

I second Frank's comments. Thank you for sharing another of your treasures with us.

Regards
Brett

Hello Brett,
I fail to see how any collector could have a better group than the one to the gentleman in charge of the whole show!
Regards Frank

Henk,

Just fabulous!

David