Shropshire fine art auctioneers seek items of all kinds for militaria auction
A Shropshire fine art auction house is seeking consignments for its next militaria sale in February.
Halls Fine Art in Shrewsbury is looking for militaria collections and individual items including photograph albums, medals groups, uniforms, edged weapons, military badges and silver, antique firearms and trench art.
The timed, online militaria auction will run from February 2-20, 2024 and the closing date for entries is January 12.
In the company’s most recent militaria sale, in August, a Military General Service 1793-1814 Medal from the Peninsular War, with 11 clasps awarded to Quartermaster Joshua Stubbs, 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot, sold for £5,600.
Born in Keele, Staffordshire in 1777, Quartermaster Stubbs was the officer awarded the most clasps for this period for his regiment. He enlisted as a private with the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment in 1796 and was made Quartermaster by 1800. He spent 33 years in Army service, with 23 years of those spent abroad.
However, it was his activities after 1814 that garnered the greatest interest and produced such a strong sale result, with the medal selling to a buyer in Australia, having attracted huge interest from buyers across the globe.
Quartermaster Stubbs was an escort guard for the convict ship ‘Dick’ which departed Cork, transporting British prisoners deported to Australia and arriving in September, 1817. His regiment was posted at the New South Wales Colonial Garrison, where he continued acting as quartermaster.
He was assigned and responsible for several prisoners, including giving character recommendations for free pardons, offering court testimonies and recommendations for allowing the prisoners to be given land and settle permanently in Australia after serving their term.
As quartermaster, he was responsible for daily provisioning and maintaining the military garrison and its prisoner occupants. He remained in Australia until 1825 when he departed for Madras in India.
For more information about the militaria auction and to consign items, contact Caroline Dennard, Halls Fine Art’s militaria specialist, on 01743 450700.
