Auction Catalogue

19 March 2003

Starting at 10:00 AM

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Ancient, British and World Coins, Tokens, Tickets and Passes, Historical and Art Medals, Numismatic Books and Banknotes. Includes the Ellen Judson Collection of British Tokens (Part II)

Grand Connaught Rooms  61 - 65 Great Queen St  London  WC2B 5DA

Lot

№ 1474

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19 March 2003

Hammer Price:
£100

Great Britain, Skating: The medals and awards won by Michael Carrington, British Figure Skating Champion, 1949-50: An engraved silver medal, named (S.S.B. Dance Cup, Runner Up, M. Carrington, May 1945), hallmarked vjp Chester 1926, 25mm; National Skating Association of Great Britain, a silver-gilt medal, engraved (Junior Ice Figure Skating Competition for Men, International Style, 1948, Winner), hallmarked Birmingham 1947, 32mm; Richmond Sports-Drome, a silver medal, unsigned [by Fattorini], engraved (Amateur Junior Open Free Skating Competition, Men, Second, 7.3.49), 38mm; National Skating Association of Great Britain, silver-gilt medals (2), skater, revs. engraved (The Figure Skating Championship of Great Britain in the International Style, 1950, Winner…1951, Winner), and openwork badges (5, one silver-gilt, two silver, others bronze); Italy, F.I.P.G. Campionati Mondiali, Milan, 1951, an enamelled silver medal, engraved (Signori, 8o Premio), 33mm; Austria, Europameisterschaft im Kunstlaufen für Herren, Vienna, 1952, a uniface bronze medal, tablet, engraved (III), 45mm [12]. Very fine and better; many in cases or boxes as issued (£80-120)

Provenance:
From the stock-in-trade of the late Barry Greenaway.

Michael A. Carrington (1934-92) was the British junior ice skating champion, 1948, and took the British men’s ice skating title in 1949 and 1950; he placed 6th in the world championships in 1950 and 8th in 1951, and was 4th in the European championships in 1951 and 3rd in 1952. He was short-listed for the British ice skating team at the 1952 Olympics, but was not selected; subsequently he turned professional and moved to the USA, joining the Icecapades skating team. In 1961 and 1963 he was British professional ice skating champion.

The Times, 6 February 1952, reported on the European Figure Skating Championships as follows: “Late last night the European figure skating championships for men and pairs were concluded on the rink of the Wiener Eislauf Verein. A strong wind from the east made conditions very trying for the hot-house skaters trained in the covered rinks. H. Seibt (Austria) retained his title as champion of Europe. He is a big, powerful man whose free programme, although lacking imagination and skated slowly, proved adequate in spite of the fact that he was caught in a gust in the middle of an axel jump and blown over. Fassi, of Italy, was second by virtue of a good lead in the school figures over the British champion M. Carrington, whose free programme was not only far more difficult than his rivals, but skated at a terrific speed. His lack of weight, his pace, and the high wind played havoc with the performance, but his footwork was superb and he thereby gained the third place. With a more serious outlook on training there is nothing this young man cannot accomplish…”