A GEORGE III SILVER-GILT SUN FIRE OFFICE SUPERINTENDENT'S BADGE

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Fire Office Badges The need to identify the firemen, messengers and even directors, as employees of the various Fire Offices was quickly identified, not to mention the potential they offered as walking advertisments for their employers. To meet this need the firemen were soon clothed in colourful costumes and given badges of silver or silver-gilt to be worn on the sleeve, as in the picture of a Fireman wearing the uniform and badge of the Alliance Assurance, (lot 354), or in the case of directors medals of gold, silver or bronze. So important was the job of the firemen that they were exempted, after an Act of Parliament in 1707, from the press gangs who would have been roaming the streets looking for men to conscript into the Navy. Unlike fire marks, which would have been placed onto every building that was insured by a given company, these fireman's badges were never made in large numbers as each fire brigade would have consisted of no more than 30 men. This, along with the deterioration in condition that the badges would have suffered during daily use, explains why so few have survived, indeed Henham and Sharp located only 140 of them for their book on the topic, although unrecorded examples do appear from time to time. For further information about these badges, refer to Brian Henham and Brian Sharp; Badges of Extinction, The 18th and 19th century Badges of Insurance Office Firemen, Quiller Press, London, 1989.

A GEORGE III SILVER-GILT SUN FIRE OFFICE SUPERINTENDENT'S BADGE

MAKER'S MARK RUBBED, LONDON, 1809

Details

A GEORGE III SILVER-GILT SUN FIRE OFFICE SUPERINTENDENT'S BADGE
MAKER'S MARK RUBBED, LONDON, 1809
Of circular section decorated with a central sun motif, the rim engraved 'SUN FIRE OFFICE SUPERINTENDENT', marked on the back
2 7/8 in. (7.8 cm.) diameter
1.75 oz. (55 gr.)

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

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