Fire Mark Circle Auction Catalogue: January 2022 Bidding in this auction is now closed. Click on any photo for a larger image and use the back button to return to this page. Back to Previous Page.

Lot. Photo. Description. Estimate. Winning Bid & Bidder No. 1. Salop Fire Office. Copper. W20B. A good example of this second variant, no original paint, no stress fractures or other repairs, a nice clean mark. £80-100 Bid: £70 Bidder No. 14 2. Phoenix Fire Office. Tin. B687. A very good example of this later lithographed mark showing all original colour, some slight scuffing to the Phoenix. £40-60 Bid: £65 Bidder No. 9 3. Suffolk Fire Office. Cast Iron. W37D. A good example of this rare iron mark, the fourth of five variants issued by this short lived company before being taken over by the Alliance, the mark was taken from a Barn in Suffolk, hence its weathered look. £150-180 Bid: £110 Bidder No. 15 4. Lion Fire Insurance Co. Copper. W114A. An excellent example of this rarely seen later company mark, all original colour, no surface damage, some slight scuffing to the raised parts. £150-180 Bid: £260 Bidder No. 15 5. County Fire Office. Copper W45B. A good example of this second variant, showing some original gilding, no flattening to Britannia. PLUS. County Fire Office. Copper. W45B. Another good example of this second mark, no original colour or damage to the raised parts. £40-50 Bid: £35 Bidder No. 10 6. Wiltshire and Western Assurance Soc. Copper. W26B. A very good example of this short lived early 18th cent. Company’s first copper mark, no original colour, no stress fractures, or repairs, the mark has “Glastonbury Fire Brigade” painted on the back, the town still having its one pump station. £110-130 Bid: £110 Bidder No. 15 7. West of England Fire Insurance Co. Copper. W48C. A very good example of a mark from this long established company which was in business in Exeter for all of the 19th century, the third of seven variants all showing Alfred in various guises, some original colour and gilding in the recesses. £50-60 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 21 8. London Assurance. Copper. W9H(i). A fair example of this later issue mark, some repairs to the head, with arm and spear tip missing. PLUS. London Assurance. Tin W9I. A near mint example of this last variant to be issued primarily for promotional and overseas use. £40-60 Bid: £35 Bidder No. 10 9. Hertfordshire & Cambridge Fire Office. Copper. W46A. A very good example of this very rare single issue mark from a company that seems not to have any business recorded, formed out of a director’s disagreement with a neighbouring company, but long enough to have issued a fire mark before being taken over by the Phoenix in 1831, no surface damage and partially repainted in original colours. £80-120 Bid: £160 Bidder No. 15 10. Bath Fire Office. Copper. W11C. An excellent example of this rare early copper mark from the 1790s still showing some of its original dulled colour, no surface damage or flattening to the sword. £140-160 Bid: £270 Bidder No. 12 11. Beacon Fire Insurance. Copper. W56A. An excellent example of this rarest of marks from this short lived (6 years) London company, the first of three very decorative marks, some original red background colour, no flattening to the very high profile figure of Fortune, small undamaged nail holes. £150-170 Bid: £280 Bidder No. 18 12. Britannia Fire Association. Copper. W108A. A very good example of this short lived company’s only mark, no original colour, overpainted in brown house paint, no surface damage to Britannia, clean nail holes, ironically after only eleven years the company passed to an Anglo French venture. £120-140 Bid: £100 Bidder No. 2 13. Commercial Union Assurance. Tin W100A. An excellent example of this single issue oval mark still in its original colours and gold lettering, some minor scuffing to the raised parts, the company later issued a small circular mark for promotional purposes and overseas business. £40-50 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 10 14. British Fire Office. Copper. W30C. A very good example of this third variant that was unusually issued in lead and copper, no original colour but some gilding in the recessed parts, no flattening or surface damage to the lion. £40-50 Bid: £55 Bidder No. 15 15. District Fire Office. Copper. W83E. A very good example of this small circular mark, of the last of the Birmingham District marks still showing the coat of arms of Birmingham, derived from the De Bermingham family, some original colour and gilding, no surface damage or flattening to the crest. £40-50 Bid: £35 Bidder No. 20 16. Liverpool & London Fire Insurance Co. Copper. W96A. An excellent example of this single issue company mark that was later to merge in 1864 with the more well-known Liverpool and London and Globe, no original colour, no flattening to the Liver bird (Cormorant) or Dragons wing, a small tag shows it was removed from a house in Chalk near Gravesend in 1933. £40-50 Bid: £55 Bidder No. 15 17. London Assurance. Tin. W9I. A good example of this last mark to be issued to policy holders, no original colour or damage to Britannia some surface rusting underneath brown house paint. PLUS. A similar London Tin. W9I. A mark in excellent condition still showing all original colour, produced primarily for promotional and overseas use. £35-40 Bid: £20 Bidder No. 4 18. North Eastern Insurance. Tin. B1017. An excellent example of this difficult to find early 20th century (1907-1914) large 25cm circular mark, before it passed to the King Insurance, another very rare mark still showing all original red background colour, some age dulling to the lithograph, a definite choice for the serious collector. £150-170 Bid: £280 Bidder No. 12 19. Norwich Union. Copper. W29O. A good example of this later variant, one of sixteen produced by the company still in business today as AVIA after more than 200 years, no original colour, no surface damage or flattening to Justice. £30-40 Bid: £45 Bidder No. 10 20. Reading Insurance Co. Copper. W60A. A very good example of this single issue much sought after mark from a company that was only in business for 19 years, no surface or flattening to the crest, some minor stress fractures to the lettering, no background colour, some gilding remaining. The mark was the Illustration on the front cover of the Linaker collection catalogue of the 1969 Reading Exhibition. £150-180 Bid: £130 Bidder No. 16 21. Scottish Insurance Corporation. Tin. B959. The Company was formed in 1877 and then allied with Yorkshire in 1963. A very good example or this difficult to come by mark still with its original colours and gilding, some slight scuffing to the raised parts. £130-150 Bid: £120 Bidder No. 16 22. Star life & Fire Insurance Soc. Copper. W94A. A very good example of a rarely seen mark, the first of only two variants of this 22cms circular mark still retaining most of its original colour and gilding, no surface damage to the buckle and clean nail holes. £130-150 Bid: £140 Bidder No. 15 23. Union Fire Office. Copper. W4B. A fair example of this first copper mark with a painted policy number still showing several dulled numbers, no colour or gilding, cosmetic repairs to the missing left and right policy panel. PLUS. Commercial Union Assurance. Tin. W100A. A good example of this single issue oval mark, no original colour and some surface rust. £30-40 Bid: £30 Bidder No. 10 24. West of England Fire Insurance Co. Copper. W48F. A very good example of this later 6th oval variant, some original colour and gilding to Alfred in his red cloak, no flattening or surface damage. £50-60 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 20 25. Imperio Seguros. Tin. B1687. A very good example of this Spanish mark from a company based in Madrid, all original lithographed colours. £30-40 Bid: £20 Bidder No. 2 26. Sun Fire Office. Copper. W3H. A very good example of the first copper variant issued 1839, all original colour and gilding, some slight scuffing to the sun’s face. £30-40 Bid: £30 Bidder No. 6 27. Sun Fire Office. Tin. W3F. A very good example of this second tin variant issued 1816, all original colour and gilding, some slight scuffing to the sun’s face. £30-40 Bid: £35 Bidder No. 17 28. Caledonian Insurance Co. Enamel. W43A-C. A mint example of this later cast iron variant coated in brown enamel, primarily used for promotional and overseas business. £40-50 Bid: £30 Bidder No. 4 29. Phoenix Assurance Co. Copper. W23J(ii). A near mint example of this rare later variant still in its original colours issued in the 1840s, earlier similar marks had the familiar diagonally placed spear. £70-90 Bid: £130 Bidder No. 3 30. Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Co. Copper. W105B. A. good example of the second of two marks issued by this Liverpool Company Some original dulled colour remains, some flattening to the atlas, mounted on a wooden shaped board. £40-50 Bid: £35 Bidder No. 10 31. Shropshire and North Wales. Brass. W89A. A good example of this first thicker of two variants, some original green background and gilding remains under a coat of cracking house paint, some small stress cracks, no flattening to the feathers. £40-50 Bid: £25 Bidder No. 6 32. Four Various Lead Belgian marks to include. Primes Bruxelles. B1078. A fair condition with repair to missing bottom LHS. PLUS. Securitas Antverpia. B1076. A fair example of this oval mark some repair to bottom panel. PLUS. Vereenigina Union. B1083. A good example of this early 19th century mark some colour and gilding covered by flaking house paint. PLUS. L’escaut Assurance. Similar to B1080. A good example of this company mark showing a reclining Poseidon, repair to bottom panel, covered in flaking house paint. £40-50 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 2 33. Four Various Tin European marks to include. Compagnia Di Assicurazione Di Milano. Not listed. A fair example of this copper Italian mark. PLUS. Elveza San Gallo. B1712. A fair example of this Swiss Tin mark, no original colour or surface damage or rust. PLUS. Versichert Bei Zurich Kosmos. A plastic Austrian advertising mark. PLUS. Kindlustatud Eesti Lloyd, A very good example of this small oval modern Lloyds mark mounted on a wooden plaque. £20-30 Bid: £20 Bidder No. 2 34. Osigurava Croatia. Enamel. Similar to B1770. A very good example of this Yugoslavian mark from Zagreb, no surface damage. £20-30 Bid: £5 Bidder No. 1 35. La Badense. (Not listed). A very good example of this large Spanish Maritime mark (34x26cms) from a company formed in 1840, PLUS. Another Belgian Zinc mark Les Belges Reunes. £20-30 Bid: £20 Bidder No. 2 36. Six Various European Tin Marks to include. Adriatische Versicherung 1838. (Not listed). A good example of this Austrian mark, said to have been taken off a house in Podersdorf. Burgenland. PLUS. Kamtnorische Landes Brandschaden Klagenfurt. (Not listed). A good example of this Austrian mark removed from a house in South Karnten. PLUS. Wechselseitige Brandschaden Versicherungs Graz. 1829. A fair example of this early Austrian mark missing some parts of the crest and mounted on a card backing. PLUS. Mobiliare Berna Assicurato. Similar to B1702. A good example of this Swiss mark, no colour and some nail hole damage. PLUS. Steaua Romaniei Asicurare. Similar to B1648. A good example of this Romanian mark, no colour, some nail hole damage. PLUS. Versichert Brandschaden Und Janus. An unknown Austrian mark in good condition, some surface rusting. £20-30 Bid: £25 Bidder No. 2 37. Two Royal Insurance Co. Copper W95B. Two fair examples of the second of five variants, some original colour and gilding on one as shown, some fraying at the edges on both. £20-30 Bid: £25 Bidder No. 6 38. Royal Exchange Assurance. Lead. W10K. A good example of this last lead variant issued in 1810, no original colour, some damage at nail holes and strengthening at crown. PLUS. Royal Exchange Assurance. Lead. W10J. Policy No. 179332, issued in March 1800. A very good example of this last numbered variant, no original colour, remnants of house paint, clean nail holes. £50-60 Bid: £50 Bidder No. 6 39. Atlas Assurance Co. Copper. W50A. A very good example of this single issue company mark, although tin oval variants were issued for overseas business, no original background colour but most of the gilding to Atlas remains, no flattening to Atlas or globe. £40-50 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 10 40. Northern Assurance Co. Copper. W48A. An excellent example of this early 19th century Scottish mark established in Aberdeen in 1836, all original dulled colour, no flattening or surface damage. £40-50 Bid: £55 Bidder No. 10 41. Imperial Fire Assurance Co. Copper. W40G. A very good example of this second last variant from a company that was a founder member of the London Fire Engine Establishment, all original colour and gilding, some loss of black background, no flattening to the crown. £40-50 Bid: £50 Bidder No. 2 42. Philadelphia Contributionship 1752-1820. Lead. B12. A very good example of this early American mark issued about 1819 from the first company to issue insurance on property, mounted on a shield shaped board showing sign of age and woodworm. (See provenance below.) £70-90 Bid: £85 Bidder No. 14 43. Fire Association of Philadelphia. Cast Iron. B84. Another very good example of an early cast iron mark, no original colour, some gilding to the lettering, painted policy number 497, on the bottom, possibly issued in the mid-1820s. (Both this and the previous lot were formerly owned by a past President of the FMCA.) £50-60 Bid: £50 Bidder No. 3 End of Fire Marks 44. Fire Marks and Insurance Office Fire Brigades by Bertram Williams A fair copy of this the first detailed account of fire marks and brigades of the 18th and 19th centuries in over 85 pages, published in 1927. Some wear to top and bottom of spine. £20-25 Bid: £25 Bidder No. 15 45. An original illustrated one $10 share certificate of the Home Insurance Company of New York dated 1932, mounted in a card frame 25x35cms. £2-3 Bid: £2 Bidder No. 4 46. Footprints of Assurance by Alwin Bulau. A comprehensive history of worldwide Insurance Companies and their Fire Marks. Published in the USA in 1952, a large book containing some 320 pages, a must for the serious collector (click the photo so see sample pages.) £10-20 Bid: £25 Bidder No. 15 47. The British Fire Mark 1680-1879 by Brian Wright. Published in 1982. A comprehensive list of all British Fire Insurance Companies from the first Friendly Society Fire Mark 1693 to those in the early 20th century that were used mainly for promotional activity and business purposes. (Click the photo to see sample pages). £10-20 Bid: £20 Bidder No. 15 48. Selection of Fire Insurance and Fire related books, to include. British Fire Marks & Plates CII publication. PLUS. Fire Insurance Co. buttons. PLUS. London’s burning. PLUS. Chance & the Fire Horses. PLUS. The Great Fire of London. PLUS. Dublin Fire Brigade. PLUS. Thanet’s Victorian Fire Brigade. PLUS. Capitol Brigade LFB Organisation. No photo. (Sent post free). £30-40 Bid: £35 Bidder No. 15 End of Sale