DNW Sale: Day One

I'm having serious medal-withdrawal symptoms at the moment, and am feeling accordingly grumpy.

Today was day one of one of DNW's quarterly sales (the big one before the OMRS Conference) and I was prepared to settle down in front of the laptop for seven hours of LiveBid.  I can't afford to buy anything, so I might as well watch, eh?

Unfortunately, The Wife (Who I Love Dearly) decided that it was necessary to do an on-line shop.  This also takes seven hours, but involves a lot more swearing than heard at DNW.  I suppose I accept her point that we need to eat - but if we didn't buy food, I might be able to afford medals...

Instead I walked the dog and made myself useful in the garden.   I don't feel  any sense of achievement though.  Under the new austerity measures, I couldn't even go to the Red Roaster and get a caffine fix.

HMS Malabar

There were a couple of lots I was interested in (in an academic way, what with having No Visible Means of Support):

Lot 115

Egypt and Sudan 1882-89, dated reverse, no clasp (A. Robb, Cooper, HMS Malabar) edge bruising, contact marks, nearly very fine

£70-90

Went for £160 hammer, which is what I would have paid (as I've said before auctioneer's estimates 'tend' towards the low side- £70-90 is what you might have expected to pay ten years ago).  I hadn't done any research on him, but Cooper is a nice rate. He might have been any one of several Alexander Robbs in the navy at the time.  HMS Malabar was a troopship - quite a nice looking one.  I have a soft spot for mid to late nineteenth century shipping.

 

Lot 560 - Books
Trendell, A. J. R., The Colonial Year Book 1892; Mercer, Harding & Gent, The Dominions Office and Colonial Office List 1931; [H.M.S.O.], The Colonial Office List 1960; Hertslet, G. E. P. (Editor) The Foreign Office List (4) 1938; 1944; 1947; 1950; Walford, E., The County Families of The United Kingdom 1873; Kelly’s Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes (3) 1904; 1964; 1969; Debrett’s Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage (2) 1893; 1906, Who’s Who 1946; some volumes damaged, badly worn, poor and better condition (14)
£30-40
It seemed an interesting mix.  Went for £75 hammer, which is the retail price of a decent second-hand copy of one of the Debrett's

I haven't had the heart to have a proper look at how anything else sold today.  Nobody's flagged anything particularly remarkable over on the British Medals Forum.

Tomorrow it's groups and gallantry, including the RC Witte collection, I've posted about previously.  Expect some Big Money to be spent.