OldNick

16 hours ago, Foster88 said:

I have a big interest in WW1 history.

It’s a long story that I’ll share and post here but as concise as I can. But my family history in WW1 would make a great film. A sad one but a good film.

It will be good to discuss the medals and the stories behind the WW1 medals that we’ve bought here on the forum.

To keep a long story concise, ish, I knew about my grandads uncle’s from a young age. They were known, to me at least as the O’nions brothers. Their medals were sold in the 1980’s.

So anyway, on a random Sunday night in Sept 2012 I researched them online.

It was almost an itch I had to scratch, the seed was sown from a young age. My grandad had talked a lot about his uncles and I had to know more about this branch of my family. My grandad died age 91 in early 2009 but perhaps he felt a duty to ‘keep them alive’ which in a way I suppose he has done. I’ve told my niece about them and she talked about them in school on the anniversary of the centenary of the end of WW1 in 2018.

I always wondered who were the O’nions brothers (pronounced oh’ nions, possibly onions 🤔) that my grandad kept talking about? So that Sunday night, post roast dinner I sat down and thought, I’ve never googled them, so I did and lo and behold I found their medals for sale, not just a single medal but all three brothers and their fathers medals.

I contacted the dealer and I met him at a military fair in Stockport. He told me he only listed them to his website that Sunday evening and thought he’d struggle to sell such a large family group. Now I’m not one to believe in spooky, maybe fate but something told me that evening to look online and I found them all.

The medals of John O’nions (my g-g grand father) his sons Jack O’nions, Arthur O’nions and Edward O’nions.

Once lockdown is over and we get back to some normality as a world I’m going to visit France and Jonchery-sur-Vesle cemetery. So I can pay my respects to my g-g uncle CSM Arthur Onions DCM 9880 South Lancs Regiment who enlisted on 14th August 1914 at the outbreak of war. He almost made it until he was killed on 31 May 1918. I’ll also go to see Edward O’nions grave who died in 1922 and is now buried in Douglas I.O.M. he died from his wounds sustained in WW1. 

As for Jack, who served in the Army Veterinary Corps and who was the only one of the brothers to survive WW1, he later became a horse stunt rider in 1920’s silent films in USA. He moved back to Kentucky and rode under the name of Albert Steadman and Jacky English. He first emigrated in 1909 aged just 20, he sailed from Liverpool and arrived into New York harbour just three years before the Titanic never did. After WW1 he’s a total mystery. He disappears after the war and I can find very little about him.

I could tell you much more about these brothers but, I tried and I didn’t keep it very concise did I. 😬

Anyway, it would be great to see and follow and research the medals bought from @ilovesilverireallydo

A great story and amazing coincidence

I remember my Grandad telling me loads of people sold these for melt in the fifties and sixties when silver was worth something and times were hard

I still have his medals in a box where they will stay until they get handed down to my kids hopefully never to be sold

Just ordered 2 x 1 oz Una bars from Royal Mint

Dont usually do silver however the designs and format of these really grabbed me so thought I’d Chuck a few quid at them

lets see how they do with quality and delivery🤨 

Been watching the Dollar cost go down and the GBP cost go up😗

Every silver lining has a cloud I guess..

Wrong thread!

12 minutes ago, dicker said:

Thanks Nick - Interesting to look around at the moment.  I had a look at HGM yesterday and they are maintaining high premiums....

Quite a few eBay sellers I follow (to look at prices not buy) have taken their stock off the market - not surprising!

Best

Dicker

I used to enjoy popping into HGM on my lunch break in the past, the characters I used to see there were fantastic from the guy with a huge bag full of flat silver to the little old lady with about 30 full tubes of sovereigns carried in her hand bag!

Sadly their prices have gone off the scale for me now so don’t use them any longer....

I have a selection of dealers I like to use and keep an eye on prices and availability (Atkinsons, Sharps Pixley, and Chards)

8 hours ago, Booky586 said:

Last year premiums where at 3.5 to 4.5% from memory, but we are reaching 7.45% at the moment.

Hopefully it's only short term, I'll hold off buying until things settle down a little.

Bullion by post aren't usually the cheapest too, I wonder if the more competitive dealers (chards etc) are having supply issues?

 

 

They are some of the pricier dealers! Sharps Pixley have QE2 sovereigns for £320.70 each (including postage) with spot at £1,289.73 - premium 5.6% which includes the postage cost

56 minutes ago, Martin1983 said:

If we listen to Harry sent gold could go down to $900 before a massive upturn, who knows but I will continue to buy as long as it’s going down 

Totally agree with that keep dripping in little and often as funds allow

And its fun trying to guess the dips😀

50 minutes ago, Booky586 said:

And I would too, but I'm very hesitant because premiums are rising, counteracting any possible advantages gained.

The premiums on bullion Sovereigns are pretty static at 5 to 6% regardless of spot, if they fit into your strategy I’d give them a close look 

Looks like you may get a second bite of the cherry, back down to £1,296😉

Got down to £1,292 now back to £1,304!

Phrases about Ladies of easy virtue and their underpants spring to mind😀

Pleased I got in on the way down and not on the way up😃

Just bought forward part of the month end spend to take advantage of the dip🙂

Another Sov on the way and £16 cheaper each than just 3 weeks ago!! Just over a 5% movement...

I think you are right just dropped below £1,300 !!!

Looks like news of possible easing of lockdown in UK is encouraging pound buying and increasing strength of GBP to USD has driven down the gold price recently

Is now the time to buy or are bigger factors at play to further reduce the cost of gold in GBP in the short term?

Roller coaster afternoon ! Should just have enough time to climb back up for my month end purchase😀

feels more comfortable at this price and below...... 

Wow what happened this afternoon down to 1,342 then shoots up to 1,369!

Thought things would stabilise now !!!

I’ll be buying gold the week after next - so I’ll guarantee it jumping back up to £1,400🤨

5 hours ago, Kman said:

I don't think it's anything to do with crypto

I've posted this before but my guess is that banks or other big financial institutions have a program running tracking 10 year inflation securities

When they go lower it triggers gold buys, when it goes higher it triggers sells

gold can get a little bit away due to speculation or for short term fear but this chart is just undeniable 

Yields have been rising lately (modestly in the big scheme of things) on senate seats and what that means for fiscal bills being passed

 

 

 

Very interesting thanks for posting that, now to find a way to forecast 10 year inflation securities 😀

Seeing Gold gradually falling (£1,354 at time of writing) this week while USD/GBP pretty stable, any one any views on what’s happening? Stability in the USA?