Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Royal Victorian Chain, 1st type (1902-21) Gentleman’s Collar with pendant Badge, the silver-gilt Collar chain, overall length approximately 52cm, consisting of two Tudor roses, two thistles, two shamrocks and two lotus flowers, representing the heraldic flowers of England, Scotland, Ireland and India respectively, linked together with a double trace of oval link chain to the central royal cypher of Edward VII, enamelled in red, within a wreath, surmounted by the Imperial Crown, enamelled in its proper colours, the reverse officially numbered ‘12’, with integral pendant Badge, 56mm, silver-gilt and enamels, contained in a later fitted case by Spink & Son, Ltd, extremely fine and one of the very rarest pieces of British insignia £12000-15000

Note: The chain normally comprises of nine flowers, with three English roses instead of the two present in this example which has been reduced slightly in length, probably upon re-issue.

The Royal Victorian Chain, quite separate form the Royal Victorian Order which has its own very different collar chain, was introduced by King Edward VII in 1902 as a special mark of the Sovereign’s favour on Royalty and other especially distinguished personages, both British and foreign. In its entire history there have been fewer than 120 recipients of this rare honour, most recently bestowed in 2010 on Sultan Qaboos of Oman, and in 2012 on Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. King Edward VII conferred it on twenty-seven people in the eight years he lived after founding it; all but five were members of the British or other European royal families.

From 1921, in order to more easily distinguish the pendant badge from that of a C.V.O., the cypher and Crown in the centre of the badge have been picked out in rose diamonds. Being in most cases strictly returnable to the Central Chancery upon death, the insignia of the Royal Victorian Chain is excessively rare on the market, this being one of only two examples believed to be available to collectors.