Fire Mark Circle Auction Catalogue: July 2024 Bidding in this auction has now ended. Thank you to all vendors and bidders. Final prices and winning bidder numbers are as below. 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. Sun Fire Office. Lead. W3D. Policy No.770608. A very good example of this mark issued in 1805 to a Wm. Walker of Easton Maudit, Northants for his dwelling, barn, goods, chattels and stock not exceeding £400 as detailed. No original colour or surface damage. (See also Lot 8.) £70-90 Bid: £70 Bidder No. 15 2. Sun Fire Office. Copper. W3H. A good example of this first copper variant issued in 1839 onwards, no original colour or flattening to the Sun’s face, details of policy holder a Mr Sharman from the village in Cogenhoe. Northants, as detailed. £30-35 Bid: £30 Bidder No. 5 3. Sun Fire Office. Lead W3B. Policy No.264469. A poor example of the second variant issued in 1768 to an Elizabeth Backhouse, Victualler of the Plough in Towcester, for stock not exceeding £200 as detailed, the mark is completely flattened with the Sun’s face compressed, some damage to the edges at the nail holes. £30-50 Bid: £60 Bidder No. 5 4. Phoenix Assurance Co. Copper. W23G. A fair example of this first copper variant with the painted number panel issued in the 1800s, no colour, spear tip present. PLUS. Royal Exchange. Lead. W10K. A good example of this last lead mark issued by the company in 1830, no surface damage or widening of the nail holes. (2) £45-50 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 11 5. Protector Fire Insurance. Copper. W80A. A very good example of this mark, issued in 1825, one of only two to show a fireman in action, designed by R Smirke R.A. some original colour on the flames, no flattening to the figure. £50-60 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 11 6. Norwich Union Fire Insurance Soc. Copper. W29K, issued in 1820. A very good example of this rarer of the Norwich marks, mounted on a mahogany board, with details of the mark’s history by the Norwich Union Museum curator taken from a row of cottages belonging to Grendon Hall, no colour or surface damage. £70-80 Bid: £110 Bidder No. 16 7. Norwich General Assurance Co. Copper. W28D. Policy No.14629 as shown, issued in 1810 and mounted on a mahogany board, with details of the mark’s history from the Norwich Union Museum curator in the 1940s. £70-80 Bid: £110 Bidder No. 16 8. County Fire Office. Copper. W45B. A good example of the second of six variants issued in 1837, no original colour or surface damage to Britannia, mounted on a mahogany board, the mark comes from the barn at the same farm as Lot 1, the Sun. PLUS. Royal Insurance Co. W95B. A fair example of this mark with no original colour, some fraying at the edges and some damage at the nail holes, this mark was removed from a building on fire, by Fire Officer Daniels of the Northampton Fire Brigade in 1952. (2) £40-50 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 17 9. Three French tin marks. La Paternelle B1291 & L’Abeille B1299 & La Salamandre, not listed in Bulau, all in very good condition with their original paint. (3) £50-60 Bid: £170 Bidder No. 7 10. Two French large tin marks. L’Union B1268 & Aces Gles. not listed in Bulau, both in good condition, one with original colours and the other showing some pellet marks. (2) £30-40 Bid: £45 Bidder No. 17 11. Two French enamel marks. La Participation (PARIS) & La Prevoyance (Strasbourg), both in very good condition with original undamaged colours. (2) £40-50 Bid: £80 Bidder No. 7 12. Salamander Fire Insurance Coy. Tin B1465. A very good example of this rare Dutch mark still in its original colours, some light surface rust on the edges. PLUS. Hamburgh Bremen Tin B1385. A good example of this German mark for overseas business showing its Chinese Mandarin script, some retouched original colour and slight surface rust on the edges. (2) £40-50 Bid: £130 Bidder No. 7 13. Globe Insurance Co. Tin. B38D. A good example of this early 19th century tin mark, no original colour, some brown house paint, the company had brigades in various towns in the country and was later amalgamated with the Liverpool and London in 1864. £40-50 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 11 14. National Insurance Company of Ireland. Tin. W59A. A fair example of this Irish mark from a Dublin company, no original colour some minor surface rusting and some stress holes on the Shamrock, unusually the business was later operated by the Yorkshire Insurance Co. in Dublin in 1904. £40-50 Bid: £60 Bidder No. 17 15. Bath Sun Fire Office. Copper. W16B. A very good example of this heavy gauge copper mark still showing its gilding to the sun and panel, no surface damage or flattening to the Sun’s face. £50-60 Bid: £65 Bidder No. 5 16. Sun Fire Office. Copper. W3H. A good example of this first copper variant issued in 1839 and repainted in original colours, no flattening to the sun or damage to nailing lugs. PLUS. Sun Fire Office. Tin. W3F. A good example of this early circular tin variant issued in 1816, no original colour, stress fracture to side of nose. (2) £50-60 Bid: £50 Bidder No. 5 17. West of England Fire Insurance Co. Copper. W48F. A very good example of the second last variant of seven issued by this Exeter company, no original colour or flattening to Alfred. £50-70 Bid: £55 Bidder No. 11 18. Guardian Fire & Life Assurance Co. Copper. W57B. A good example of this second variant having similarities to the first, no surface damage or flattening to Athene, overpainted in brown house paint. PLUS. Guardian. Tin. B797. A promotional mark similar to Wright 57A&B, used for overseas business and issued in the early 20th century. (2) £30-40 Unsold. 19. Phoenix Assurance Co. Copper. W23G. A good example of this painted policy numbered mark, no original colour and lacking its spear tip. PLUS. Reproduction Alliance. Copper. W63B. A good example of this mark reproduced using an electrolysis method and distinguished from the original buy the thicker gauge of the copper. (2) £30-40 Bid: £20 Bidder No. 8 20. Farmers & General Fire & Life Ins. Copper. W92B. A good example of the second of two marks issued by the company in 1843, primarily for use in agriculture and insuring damage to crops, no original colour and slight fraying at the edges. £30-40 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 14 21. Northern Assurance Co. Copper. W88A. An excellent example of the Scottish mark from this Aberdeen company who ran several manual engines in the town and employed thirteen firemen, all original colour and no surface damage, it has been recorded that a similar mark sold on eBay several years ago for £166. £40-50 Bid: £35 Bidder No. 18 22. Liverpool & London & Globe Ins Co. Copper. W105B. A very good example of this mark still retaining its original colours, no surface damage, some minor flaking paint to the surrounding background. £40-50 Bid: £35 Bidder No. 11 23. Royal Insurance Co. Copper. W95D. A good example of this popular mark, some original red background colour showing through. Minor fraying at the edges. PLUS. Sun Fire Office. Tin. B556. A good example of this Sun Londres tin mark with all its original lithographed sun face, used for overseas and promotional purposes and are still to be found on buildings in Cyprus and Portugal. (2) £40-50 Unsold. 24. London Assurance. Tin. B9I. A good example of this later tin mark issued in 1824 and showing it has been on a property with original colour showing through black house paint. PLUS. British Dominions Insurance Co. Tin. B996. A good example of this rare late 19th century tin mark from a company in business for only 14 years (1897-1911) measuring 33x22 cms, and only previously seen once in auction, still retaining its original rectangular pressing and not trimmed to an oval, no original colour and some surface rusting on the back. (2) £40-50 Bid: £80 Bidder No. 14 25. Commercial Union Assurance. Enamelled Tin. B914. A good example of this rare enamelled circular variant, still showing its original colour, some chipping at the nail holes and on the raised flag, these were used primarily in the Dominions due to the temperate climate and the ability of the enamel to withstand the weather conditions. £50-60 Unsold. 26. Birmingham Fire Office Co. Brass. W42C. A good example of this third variant and rarely found in Brass, no original colour, some minor material stress fractures on the fireman’s legs. £40-50 Bid: £45 Bidder No. 18 27. City of London Insurance Co. Tin. B966. A good example of this tin mark from a later 19th century company that was in business for only 11 years (1881-92), later passing to the Palatine, still showing most of the original colour with some crazing to the black background. PLUS. Excess Insurance Co. Ltd. Tin. B985. A good example of this late 19th century mark (1894) primarily used for overseas business; the first of six variants described by Addis (149) for overseas use only. (2) £40-50 Bid: £80 Bidder No. 14 28. Glasgow Insurance Co. Lead. W34A. An excellent example of this rarest of marks, seen only once before at a recent auction selling for £1300, no surface damage or gilding to the whole mark, from another short-lived Scottish company lasting only 40 years before being taken over by the Sun in 1841. £500-600 Bid: £645 Bidder No. 8 29. Liverpool & London & Globe. Tin. W105B. A poor example of this later tin variant for overseas use, no original colour and surface rusting to the front. PLUS. Royal Insurance Co. Copper. W95D. A very good example of this mark with all original colour no surface damage but some loss of green paint at the edges. (2) £30-40 Bid: £40 Bidder No. 18 30. Manchester Fire Office. Lead. W14A. Policy No.1326. A very good example of this rarely seen mark from a short-lived company, lasting only 17 years (1771-1788), no original colour or surface damage to the lion, a similar one was last sold at auction several years ago for £800. £300-400 Bid: £775 Bidder No. 6 31. National of Dublin. Tin. B804. A good example of the smaller of two variants measuring 25x18 cms of this Irish mark, still showing its original dulled lithographed colours, some slight scuffing to the raised parts. £40-50 Bid: £100 Bidder No. 2 32. Phoenix Assurance Co. Lead. W23A. Policy No.7860. A very good example of this early lead mark issued in 1785, slight surface scarring and strengthening to the spear tip below the nail hole. £180-200 Bid: £120 Bidder No. 1 33. Royal Exchange Assurance. Lead. W10F. Policy No.121073. An excellent example of this very convex mark issued in 1790, some original gilding and no flattening to the Exchange. £100-120 Bid: £100 Bidder No. 11 34. Sun Fire Office. Lead. W3A(i). Policy No. 132699. A very good example of this early mark issued in 1751, no original colour or surface damage to the Sun with clean nail holes. £70-80 Bid: £80 Bidder No. 15 35. Union Fire Office. Tin. A4H-TI. A fair example of this not often seen later mark, not recorded in Wright and used primarily for overseas business, showing a clean lithograph but some dulled surface rust, some similar variants like B574 contained Chinese characters. £30-40 Bid: £55 Bidder No. 11 36. West of Scotland Insurance Co. Lead. W62B. An excellent example of another rarely seen mark, recently selling at auction for £800, no original colour or surface damage, a small round mark measuring 17cms in dia. from a Glasgow company in business for only 15 years. £400-500 Bid: £470 Bidder No. 12 37. Phoenix Assurance Co. Tin. W3I. A fair example of this small circular variant, 16cms, no original colour, some surface rusting, and issued only in the Midlands from 1820 to 1840. PLUS. Phoenix of London. Tin. A23G-TI, A mark only recorded in Addis primarily used for overseas business, all original lithographed image showing Chinese script on this small shield shaped mark, a must have for the overseas mark collector. (2) £50-60 Bid: £110 Bidder No. 2 Note: A number in brackets at the end of a description indicates the number of items in the lot. End of Sale