Photographs and Press Releases

An account of some work I have done with some very rare and valuable medals.

INTRODUCTION

Although work has barely started as yet on the James and Sons January auction, there has been one huge development, in the form of some very high value medals. 

ABOUT THE MEDALS

There are two groups of medals in this story, a very rare group awarded to Chief Gunner A E Seymour for the Battle of Jutland, which include a Russian Order of St Anne Gold Medal awarded to foreigners (exceedingly rare) and a group of World War Two medals awarded to his son. 

MY WORK ON THE MEDALS

On the 12th of December I was asked to photograph the medals, making sure that we had top quality pictures available for use in advertising and promotional materials. These are the pictures that I took, starting with the Jutland group:

Jutland 1 - reduced
The first seven shots you will see are of the front side of the Jutland group

Jutland 2 - reducedJutland 3 - reducedJutland 4 -reducedJutland 5Jutland 6Jutland 7

Jutland back
The next three shots are of the back of the Jutland group

Jutland back 2Jutland back 3

russian medal - close up
The exceedingly rare Russian medal.
naming
The naming on the back of the bronze medal.
group
The World War Two set
medals front
The front of the WWII medals
medals back
The back of the WWII medals

Until yesterday, barring a print out of some of the better pictures that I had produced for my employer’s use that was all that had been done…

PRESS RELEASES AND BULK EMAILS

As well as the document that I used as the email/ press release I had to create two mailing lists. One, a list of everyone who had bought medals from James and Sons in the past and had an email address was easily extracted from the client database (designed, created and maintained by me). The second, a combination of contact details for military publications and for everyone who advertises in the Medal Yearbook had to be assembled manually. In addition to these I had of course the regular press to contact, but those details are already available at a click in my work email account. 

The bulk email recipients merely got the document itself, plus the images actually used in it as attachments. Those who were being sent this as a press release got the full image gallery. At the end I also had send a jpeg of the press release to The Armourer, as we had missed the copy date for the printed magazine, but they were going to display it on their website.

PRSM
The Press Release/ Email in jpeg form.

RARE JUTLAND MEDAL GROUP TO FEATURE AT JAMES AND SONS JANUARY AUCTION – a link to the original word document.

Press Releases

Details of four significant press releases that I have put out recently.

INTRODUCTION

This post covers one particular qaspect of my work at James and Sons. Everything yousee has gone out between Thursday of last week and this morning.

PRESS RELEASES

I am sharing four of these with you:

MILITARY BADGE AUCTION ALERT

This one is about our upcoming auctions on Wednesday and Thursday, the first of which contains a few military badges, including both of those used in the image, and the second of which, taking place at our own premises, is a pure badge auction. I will provide the images, a jpg of the full document and a link to the original word document:

102103MILITARY BADGE AUCTION ALERTAAPR

THE GREAT CENTENARY CHARITY AUCTION

For various reasons instead of a dedicated auction devoted entirely to fund-raising we are incorporating the Great Centenary Charity Auction within our own programme, with lots in June and November being sold for fund-raising purposes. I have put out two press releases thus far about this:

WHERE MILITARIA AND SCOUTING COMBINE

The first press release focuses on a collection of medals and paperwork relating to Jack Cornwell, who at the battle of Jutland became the youngest person ever to win the VC. He was also a boy scout, giving an extra connection. I have a jpg of the press release, the press release itself and all the images I took of the various items:

Cornwell PRIJCKings Medal ReverseKings MedalMedals - FrontMedals Photo - reverseMedals PhotoMedals reverseMemorialNewspaper cuttingVC Paperwork 1VC Paperwork Hi-resGCCAPRGREAT CENTENARY CHARITY AUCTION

POPPIES AT THE TOWER

The second Great Centenary Charity Auction press release is about an oil painting of the Poppies at the Tower by one of the two artists who created the real thing…

Poppies At The Tower - croppedPOPPIES AT THE TOWERPATPR

COIN AUCTION ALERT

This was chronologically the first of the press releases to go out, focussing on this Wednesday’s auction:

460

462

COIN AUCTION ALERTPRICoin Auction PR