RARE BOER WAR MEDALS RETURNED TO FAMILY OWNERSHIP

Kinghams Auctioneers are delighted to announce the remarkable sale of a rare Boer War medal group, awarded to Private J. R. Venning for service in the Second Boer War (1899–1902), offered as Lot 462 in their regular Cotswold Interiors and Collectables auction

The medal group sold for more than 50 times its pre-sale estimate of £100-200, realising a hammer price of £4,600, over £6,000 including buyer's premium. Even more significantly, the medals have been purchased by descendants of Private Venning, returning the group to family ownership for the first time in over one hundred years.

Lot 462: Obverse, Boer War medal group: The Queen's South Africa Medal awarded to 1281 Pte (Private) J. R. Venning, CIV with clasps/bars for Diamond Hill, Johannesburg, Orange Free State and Cape Colony, silver, 45g, together with the corresponding dress medal, also silver with ribbon, manufactured by Spink & Son, 10g, and the Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, Edward VII, also awarded to then 223 SJT (Serjeant) J. R. Venning, 32g

The group comprises the Queen's South Africa Medal, awarded to Private J. R. Venning, City Imperial Volunteers, with four campaign clasps for Diamond Hill, Johannesburg, Orange Free State and Cape Colony.  Offered alongside the corresponding miniature dress medal, manufactured by Spink & Son, together with the Edward VI Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, awarded to Venning following his later service as 223 Sergeant J. R. Venning. The survival of the full-sized medals alongside their original dress miniature made the group particularly unusual and highly desirable to collectors.

Private Venning served with the City Imperial Volunteers (CIV) during the Second Boer War (1899-1902). Raised in response to the outbreak of war in South Africa, the CIV was an elite volunteer force drawn principally from London, consisting of carefully selected men from civilian professions and existing Volunteer battalions. Numbering around 1,800 officers and men, the contingent quickly earned an enviable reputation for discipline and effectiveness during active service.

Venning's Queen's South Africa Medal bears clasps representing some of the campaign's key operations. The Johannesburg clasp commemorates the capture of the city in May 1900, while Diamond Hill recognises the decisive action fought east of Pretoria in June 1900, where British forces secured their newly captured capital. The Orange Free State and Cape Colony clasps denote extensive service across two of the principal theatres of the conflict, together illustrating a soldier who participated in some of the campaign's most significant operations.

Tarragon Kelham, Head of Interiors at Kinghams Auctioneers, commented:

"This was one of those wonderful moments where history, provenance and family came together. The medal group attracted tremendous pre-sale interest, but everyone in the room was delighted to learn that the group had ultimately been secured by Private Venning's descendants. Returning a family's military heritage after more than a century makes this result particularly special and demonstrates the enduring appeal of historically important medal groups with outstanding provenance."

For further information please contact:

Tarragon Kelham
Kinghams Auctioneers & Valuers
10–12 Cotswold Business Village
London Road
Moreton-in-Marsh
GL56 0JQ

Telephone: 01608 695695

About Kinghams Auctioneers & Valuers

Situated in Moreton-in-Marsh, on the edge of the Cotswolds, Kinghams Auctioneers is an established regional fine art auction house. Founded by George Kingham, one of the country's leading experts in twentieth-century decorative arts, Kinghams has built a reputation for achieving exceptional results across fine art, antiques and collectables, combining specialist expertise with outstanding customer service.