Antique Albert chain (Birmingham 1907) with WWII medallion (London 1929)

Stunning antique Albert chain that can be wrapped around wrist to wear as a bracelet. All elements are sterling silver. The medallion has been added to the chain at a later date. See below for further information.

Weight: 31.2g

Measurements: from clasp to T-bar the chain measures 13.5”. The medallion is 1.5”

The chain and fastenings

The silver marks on the T-bar are the lion passant (for sterling silver) and the dating letter for Birmingham 1907. The maker’s mark is ‘H.A&S’, which stands for Henry Allday & Son, who were watch chain and T-bar manufacturers based in Warstone Lane, Birmingham (part of Birmingham’s jewellery quarter). They were very active in silver making around this time but stopped manufacture in 1913. Each link of the chain has a lion passant stamp and one also has the maker’s mark. The silver marks on the clasp are quite worn but you can still identify the lion passant and maker’s mark. 

Medallion 

This was added later, the hallmarks dating it to 1929.  The maker’s mark is ‘T&Co.’ for Toye & Co. The Toyé family were Huguenot refugees coming coming to London in the 17th Century and over time established themselves as prominent designers and makers in precious metals and textiles. In 1908, they officially traded under Toye & Co. They operated out of London factories and workshops for many years but the metal items were manufactured in Birmingham (in Warstone Lane). The hallmark on this medallion is for London, though. Although the medallion was likely made in Birmingham, it was assayed in London as this is where Toye & Co. did most of their business at the time. Toye & Co. acquired other businesses in the 20th Century and now trades under the name Toye, Kenning & Spencer. Amongst jewellery they also make the FA cup medals and Masonic regalia. 

Inscribed on this face of the medallion is ‘W.M.D.C. C.LYNCH’. W.M.D.C. likely stands for Waddington Military District Command  C. Lynch would have been the person this medallion was presented to. 

On the other side of the medallion it is inscribed ‘WINGS FOR VICTORY WEEK’ and ‘1943’. Wings for Victory was a British national savings campaign during the Second World War, with the aim of Royal Air Force aircraft being sponsored by the civil community. A large military event was held in Trafalgar Square in London in 1943 to raise money for the campaign.

This is an antique item with some signs of wear but in excellent condition for its age. Please refer to photos as these form part of the description.