OLIVER CROMWELL’S WATCH
Towards the end of 1647 and the first English civil war, Oliver Cromwell moved his family to King Street in Westminster o ‘an old wooden house lying between the Blue Boar’s Head Yard and Ram’s Mews’.
Lifestyle
TIME FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF COLLECTORS
Since the creation of the first wristwatch in 1868 for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, Swiss watch manufacturers like Patek Philippe, Omega and Vacheron Constantin have been creating unique watches to meet demand from the ever-growing market.
JOHN HUMPHREYS OBE DL – THE GREAT ESCAPIST
Insider readers may remember that we promised to let you know more about the incredible Second World War escape stories of John Humphreys OBE DL, who featured in our Chelsea Pensioners article in Issue 37.
WATERLOO UNCOVERED
Waterloo Uncovered founders Mark Evans and Charlie Foinette have a shared history, as well as a deep friendship. They studied archaeology together at University College London before joining the army. Both chose the Coldstream Guards, the British regiment that played a vital role in the allied victory at Waterloo and continues to see
active service across the world today.
VOICE OF A NEW GENERATION : CROSS-CATEGORY COLLECTING
Every collector has a moment that first connected them with their chosen area of interest. My passion for stamp collecting and philately is connected to a 20-minute geography lesson at school using worldwide postage stamps in the autumn of 1993. Holding so many different tiny, seemingly weightless pieces
of other countries in the palm of my hand captivated me completely.
GIOVANNI DA CAVINO OF PADUA: MASTER OF THE HONOURABLE FORGERY JOHN-MELVILLE-JONES
In the 16th Century, imitations of Roman coins were created by the artist Giovanni da Cavino of Padua, after whom some imitations are called ‘Paduans’. At the time da Cavino was living in Padua, working as a sculptor and jeweller, and making medallions of various kinds.
Ninfa, Caetani and Coins
The romantic garden of Ninfa, just 65 miles south of Rome, was created by the Caetani family almost one hundred years ago, and lies among the eloquent ruins of a small but affluent medieval town, which in turn grew out of Roman and papal settlements, and passed to the Caetani in the early fourteenth century.
DEFYING THE ODDS: PEN HADOW’S SOLO NORTH POLE EXPEDITION
“If I do nothing else with my life I will make it solo, with no re-supplies, to the North Pole.” These are the last words my father heard as he died in my arms. The words had just welled up unexpectedly from a place deep inside, but my father and I both knew this is was the sort of thing he had been working towards. I needed him to know he had successfully handed me the baton, and that I was not going to stop until it was done, whatever the cost. If ever there was an unbreakable commitment, a vow even, it seemed to me that this was one.
THE ROYAL GOES TO STAMPEX – VIRTUALLY!!
On 5th March 2020, Bob Galland gave an excellent talk on The Evolution of the British Franking System at the Royal Philatelic Society London, 15 Abchurch Lane, with a full display of hundreds of sheets and the usual presentation to the assembled audience of 86 members and guests. The Auditors were hap-pily ensconced in the office on the third floor trying no doubt to find a flaw in our accounts to justify their fee.
The Story Behind the Medals – THE CHELSEA PENSIONERS
At Spink we are used to hearing incredible stories of bravery and heroism, often in battle, which lie behind many of the medals sold at auction here, but what of the living men and women who have served their country selflessly during both war and peacetime – the unsung heroes, if you like?