A GEORGE III SILVER SUN FIRE OFFICE FIREMAN'S ARM BADGE, ROBERT & DAVID HENNELL, LONDON, 1798 |

numbered 19, 18.5cm. high, 7 1/4 in.; with a George IV silver Royal Exchange fireman's badge, Emes & Barnard, London, 1826, number 7, cast in relief with the façade of the Royal Exchange from Cornhill, inscribed ROYAL EXCHANGE ASSURANCE 1720, surmounted by a crown

Sir John Smith writes 'Two silver plaques given to one of my family by the Royal Exchange Assurance and the Sun Insurance Company' 28 November 1968 (Private Family Archive). Sir John was also a deputy governor of the Royal Exchange Assurance.

Both with clear marks, minimal wear, good gauge and good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In the late 17th century, insurance companies began to form fire brigades which could be called on to fight fires and to protect and salvage items from any building that they insured. The need to identify these firemen as employees of the company was quickly identified, as well as the potential these men offered as walking advertisements for their employers. To meet this need the firemen were soon clothed in colourful costumes and given badges of silver or silver-gilt to be worn on the sleeve, like those of the Thames watermen, from whom many of the early firemen were recruited. So important was the job of these men that they were exempted, after an act of parliament in 1707, from the press gangs who would have been roaming the streets looking for men to conscript into the Navy. Unlike fire marks, which would have been placed onto every building that was insured by a given company, these fireman's badges were never made in large numbers as each fire brigade would have consisted of no more than 30 men. This, along with the abuse that the badges would have suffered during daily wear, explains why so few have survived, indeed Brian Henham and Brian Sharp located only 140 of them for their book on the topic Badges of Extinction, The 18th and 19th century Badges of Insurance Office Firemen, Quiller Press, London, 1989.