Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals

The important group of awards and medals to Stanley Bacon, from Camberwell, London, the British wrestler who competed in the Olympic Games of 1908, 1912 and 1920, winning the Gold Medal in 1908. Bacon was 15 times British National Wrestling Champion and he, with his fellow 1908 Gold Medallist George de Relwyskow, who Bacon defeated in the final, devised a programme of close-quarters combat fighting for troops which forms the basis of armed forces training today.

Northampton Institute Gymnastic Club, a bronze award medal, unsigned [by Wright & Son, Edgware], named (Open Competition, Feb. 15th 1906, 2nd Prize, Wrestling, Middle Weight (11 1/2 St.), Won by S.V. Bacon), 51mm;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (10 St. 7 Lbs., Cumb. & West. Championship, Winner, S.V. Bacon, 1906), hallmarked Birmingham 1905, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 8.80g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (C. & W. Championship, 10 1/2 St., 26.11.07, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1906, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 9.91g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (11 1/2 Stn., C. & W. Championships, 1907, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1906, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 9.81g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a silver and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (C. & W. Champp., 11 1/2 St, 2.5.08, 2nd, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1907, 35 x 29mm;

Olympic Games, London, 1908, a gold award medal by B. Mackennal for Vaughton, named (Winner Middle Wrestling (C. as. C.), S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1907, 33mm, 15ct, 27.95g (Gadoury/Vescovi 1908/1);

Olympic Games, London, 1908, a white metal Participants medal by B. Mackennal for Vaughton, 51mm (GV 1908/2);

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (Græco-Roman, 13 St., 1910, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1909, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 9.95g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (Heavy Weight, C. as C. Can., 1910, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1909, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 10.19g;

Festival of Empire, Inter-Empire Sports, 1911, a gold award medal, unsigned [by Elkington], named (Awarded to S.V. Bacon, United Kingdom Team, Winner of Middle Weight Wrestling), no hallmarks, 38mm, 31.52g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (11 Stn., Græco-Roman, 1911, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1910, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 9.97g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (S.V. Bacon, 10 1/2 Stone, C. as C. Can., Champion, 1911), hallmarked Birmingham 1910, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 9.72g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (11 1/2 Stn., Cas. Can. Champ., 1911, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1910, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 9.78g;

Olympic Games, Stockholm, 1912, a white metal Participants medal by E. Lindberg and B. Mackennal for Sporrong, 50mm (GV 1912/2);

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (11 1/2 Stn., C. as. C. Can., 1912, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1911, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 9.94g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (Championship, 1913, 11 1/2 St. C. as C. Can., Winner, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1912, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 9.89g;

Civil Service Amateur Swimming Association, a silver award medal, unsigned [by J.A. Wylie], named (Diving Championship 1912, First, S.D.S.C., S.V. Bacon), no hallmarks, 32mm;

Civil Service Amateur Swimming Association, a bronze award medal, unsigned [by J.A. Wylie], named (Diving Championship 1913, 2nd, S.V. Bacon, S.D.S.C.), 32mm;

Olympic Games, Antwerp, 1920, a bronze Participants medal by P. Theunis for Fonson, 60mm (GV 1920/2);

Scouting Medal of Merit, [1922+], a gold badge, lis impressed on a swastika, unsigned [stamped Rd. No. 568809], no hallmarks, 9ct, 2.52g [presented to Bacon by Lord Baden-Powell on 10 October 1923];

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (Middleweight C. as Can. Championship, 1924, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1924, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 10.14g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (Middle Weight C. & W. Championship, 1924, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1924, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 10.18g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (C. as Can. Championship, 1924, Welter Weight, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1924, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 10.59g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge, unsigned [by J. Dafferin], named (Heavyweight C. & W. Championship, 1924, S.V. Bacon), no hallmarks, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 11.57g;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a silver and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (191 Lbs, C. as C. Can. Championship, Runner-Up, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1924, 35 x 29mm;

Civil Service Amateur Swimming Association, a bronze award medal, unsigned [by J.A. Wylie], named (Diving Champ. 1924, 2nd, S.V. Bacon), 32mm;

National Amateur Wrestling Association, a gold and enamel badge by J. Dafferin, named (Middle Weight C. as C. Can. Championship, 1925, Winner, S.V. Bacon), hallmarked Birmingham 1925, 35 x 29mm, 9ct, 10.73g;

Civil Service Amateur Swimming Association, a bronze award medal, unsigned [by J.A. Wylie], named (Diving Champ. 1925, 2nd, S.V. Bacon), 32mm [28]. The 1920 Olympic medal very fine, others all extremely fine or better; except the 1908 Participation medal, the 1920 Olympic medal and the Scouting badge, all in cases of issue
£8,000-£10,000

Sold with an extremely extensive archive, including personal documentation, photographs (including glass plate negatives) of the recipient, his family and other competitors from the world of athletics and catch-as-catch-can wrestling, programmes, newspaper cuttings, correspondence, Army service papers and other ephemera, including a copy certificate for the Scouting Medal of Merit, signed by Baden-Powell.

The Olympic Games contest for Wrestling catch-as-catch can, 1908, saw Bacon defeat H.R. Chenery in the first round in 4m 48s, then he claimed victory over A. Coleman in the second round in 5m 17s and F. Beck in the third round in 3m 20s to reach the final, in which his opponent was an old antagonist, George de Relwyskow (1887-1942). In both bouts, which lasted for up to 15 minutes, the referee gave Bacon victory on points.

Bacon’s other principal award medal, that for the Festival of Empire at Crystal Palace on 12 August 1911, was won against the backdrop of a strike by city of London police, in which all leave, including to compete in the City Police Sports competitions which were an integral part of the Festival, was cancelled. To add insult to injury, the majority of competitors entered in the lightweight division of the wrestling competition withdrew as a protest against Bacon being allowed to take part, as he had not recently competed at that level and, prior to the weigh-in, had to don a thick sweater and tweeds and run for a considerable time, in air temperatures of over 32 deg. C, in order to lose 3lbs and make the necessary weight. All of Bacon’s competition, except for two athletes, withdrew in protest at what they saw as a pot-hunting exercise by Bacon and they accused the weighing-in judge, Percy Longhurst, of favouritism. Reporters for the Sporting Life and other newspapers of the day pulled no punches in describing what they thought was unsportsmanlike behaviour on behalf of Bacon’s competition.


Stanley Vivian Bacon (1885-1952), b. Camberwell, was the eldest of five brothers who were all top-flight British wrestlers. Adept at the differing wrestling styles, including Cumberland and Westmoreland, Cornish and Devon and catch-as-catch-can, between them they accumulated 30 British championship titles, half of which were won by Stanley, who competed regularly from 1904 to 1925. He competed in the Olympic Games of 1908, 1912 and 1920 and was a judge at the Games in 1928. By profession he was a civil servant; among other sports he excelled at swimming and diving, boxing and rugby. At the outbreak of the Great War he enlisted with the Civil Service Rifles and became a sergeant-instructor to the Royal Fusiliers at Aldershot, and later Watford. At the conclusion of hostilities he joined the Air Ministry. A regular contributor to the monthly journal Health & Efficiency in the second and third decades of the 20th century, Bacon also authored the reference Standing Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling (Link House, London, 1937), a photocopy of which is included. In later life he lived in Christchurch road, Tulse Hill