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DNW are advertising this QSA for sale in their next auction:


Picture courtesy of DNW

The description says:

Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Wepener, Transvaal (3259 Gnr. T. Austin, 14th Coy. W.D., R.G.A.) nearly extremely fine, rare £500-600
Ex D.N.W. 1 December 2010.
Gunner Thomas Austin was attached to the Cape Mounted Rifles at Wepener. This clasp is believed to be unique to the Royal Artillery. Sold with copy medal roll entry.

I think there is one Wepener to the RFA and 3 Wepener clasps to the RGA including the group to Carwithen that DNW sold last year.

Hello David,
I'm actually quite surprised to see that QSA's with Wepener clasps, in general, have increased in value the way they have, over what appears to me at least, to be a very short space of time, they are certainly much harder to find these days.
Regards Frank

I make it 2 to the RGA and 2 to the RFA.

Carwithen doesn't count as he served at Wepener with the CMR and was commissioned into the RGA after.

The bogus Wepener to Laws Cape Infantry sold at Spinks yesterday for £320, £10 more than when it was last sold at DNW in 2013. This I don't understand.

Me neither, I think some people just have rather more money than common sense.

Meurig,

With Carwithen, that's a valid distinction. Many recipients of clasps will have earned them during service with prior units and the rarity/uniqueness of their medal is judged against the naming of the unit on the rim, not on the number of issues to the unit with which he served when he earned the clasp. I cannot tell which viewpoint DNW have taken in saying the QSA is unique but either way they are incorrect.

Quite agree - the unit on the rim needs to correspond to the unit served in to earn a clasp. There are many such "unique/rare" Wepener clasps on medals named to units that didn't serve there.

This is my favourite:



Pte Swales 10th Hussars servant to Lord Brabazon - one the relief force who mistakenly got Wepener clasps. From the rivets it appears this clasp was never recovered.

djb wrote: Meurig,

With Carwithen, that's a valid distinction. Many recipients of clasps will have earned them during service with prior units and the rarity/uniqueness of their medal is judged against the naming of the unit on the rim, not on the number of issues to the unit with which he served when he earned the clasp. I cannot tell which viewpoint DNW have taken in saying the QSA is unique but either way they are incorrect.