nightingales? unnamed?

[Sarah Rogers]

Hi, I noticed a pair of nightingales , which are unamed on ebay is this usual?, I have seen loyalty etc before, but thought that they were always named, and not silver after 1969, any thoughts ? Lizzie

[myk1066]

Hi Lizzie & fellow SoN people.
I contacted the seller of the 2 Nightingale badges & asked about the badges, specifically how they came into her possession, who they were from & if they were genuine, the reply was as follows:

Hi,Dont know much about them, my fayher recently died and these were found in his belongings, so I am selling them. Sorry dont know where they came from or who if anyone the nurses were, there arnt any names on them. As far as I'm aware I believe them to be original, as an antique dealer looked at them and told me that the silver ones were made upto 1964/65. Hope this is of use to you Thank you for your interest.
- dawn7846
ps, do we know who won the SEN set?
Regards
Mike

[Pugwash]

I would be careful......

I took this extact from the Fellowship book....All nightingale badges were engraved with a name even if you had a duplicate awarded if the original was damaged or lost.

"Until 1965 the badges were made of silver but since that date, a silver coloured metal has been used. The badge is enamelled in blue, the colour of the ribbon of the Order of Merit awarded to Florence Nightingale. Each badge is engraved on the reverse with the name of its owner and the year in which it was awarded. There is a unique display of over 300 of these beautiful old badges, bequeathed to the Fellowship, in the Central Hall of St Thomas' Hospital in London. The display, in two glass-fronted cabinets, was made possible by a donation from Philip and Fiona Geiger."

[Sarah Rogers]

Hi Pugwash/ Mike and all.... they sound iffy!.... were they out if the factory?    they look as if they have rougher  edges than the usual high standard of finish..... were they unused seconds? Lizzie

[Pugwash]

can someone send me a link of them  I can't find them on ebay

[Sarah Rogers]

Hi Pugwash , try this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330754281078?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2648#ht_500wt_1169

should take you there, although i didnt find them easily this is from my watch list, Lizzie

[Pugwash]

I dont think they are genuine and if they are, they were never awarded. They are too perfect for their age.

I see the seller comes from Birmingham which is were the manufactuer came from so these may be straight off the production line - hence no presentation boxes. I still would be wary.....

[wilfb]

They don't look 'right' to me. The colours seem wrong but I can't put my finger on it - I will have a look at one of my own later to see if the penny will drop, but I am still on holiday and a little handicapped re accessing the actual badges. A couple of edges do look a little rough when viewing the reverse sides. I would need a much closer examination to be convinced of the provenance - exact measurements/weights/colour comparison etc, but yes, they could just be from the factory - even rejects. But I would never buy such a badge personally unless it had been issued and could be verified as genuine.

But, you pays your money, you take your chance. Like stamps these two could be worth a lot of money - or not...

Will.

[Sarah Rogers]

Hi Will, my own thoughts also, also st thomas's are so careful about their nightingale badges, wanting them to go back after death etc, would they have allowed old ones to have been sold on...theyd either have been issued or scrapped...but because of that they could be so very rare! Lizzie

[myk1066]

Hi all
I have again contacted the seller re badges.  This time I asked if she knew how these badges came int her fathers possession, if he knew any nurses or links to badge makers & if anything is inscribed on the presentation case.  Here is her answer:

Hi my father was not related to any nurses or as far as i'm aware did he know one. there are no marks on the box, no names engraved, they are so I was told old nurses badges and are silver as this is written on the reverse of the badges. My father did not know any badge makers. My late father was a huge fan of Boot sale and antique fares, this was his hobby of sorts travelling around and buying things that interested him, so I can only assume that he bought them from a boot sale. My sisters and I are selling other things on ebay that my father had over the years collected. Sorry I am not able to give you anymore Info, there is not much more I can say about them only what I have told you. Please feel free to e-mail again but I dont know what else I can tell you.

Regards
Myk1066

[Sarah Rogers]

Hi All, i have asked the seller for dimensions and weight..might help us all! Lizzie

[Pugwash]

As a Memeber of the Nightingale Fellowship I thought I would pull a few strings and rung a couple of high ranking officers and fellow nurses. They have all said the same thing - BE AWARE. According to them - Never  - has any badge been returned to STH that is remotely "dodgy". All have been traced back to their original owners

They have no records any "theft" from the Factory. Each badge was ordered from source with an application form ( I remember finding mine in). The Hospital never kept a "spare " store of unnamed bades. They all came from Birmingham with the names inscribed in their red boxes ready for presentation.

I am happy to weigh and measure mine if required but mine is not silver :)

[Sarah Rogers]

Hi All, to add to that, this is what the seller said to my question about weight and size last night
"Hi the badges are measureing 1.5 inches each from point to point, and weigh around 16 grams each this will have to be a guide only as my scales are old. Hope this is of use to you."
Lizzie

[Sarah Rogers]

what has happened to them? , off ebay today? has someone made  a offer of have they been withdrawn? Lizzie

[nursesue]

the seller has withdrawn the badges but the bid history doesn't say why but saying that I was tempted and did in fact place a bid Are they genuine - who's to know Hallmarks would give an indication as there age and place of manufacture and maybe they were factory rejects but I would still have loved one