J. R. Gaunt & Son Advertisements

[Leonard D]

Hi Chaps, very interesting thread. I noted in post #37 a blackened button described as "black bronzed" I would surmise this is the process used to blacken badges which has been the subject of various threads in recent months.
Cheers.
Len.

[Tony]

It's probably not interesting to many reading this, but this company was my second employer, from October 1963 to late March 1964. I worked in their Warstones factory as a junior clerk/dogsbody. :-)

I remember my brief time there very well. The boss was called "Mr John" and was, of course, one of the sons/grandsons/great grandsons of the founders of the business. My search for information about the company on google brought me to this forum.

As it happens, after a brief period of working for another old famous Birmingham business (William Canning Ltd on Constitution Hill, Birmingham) I joined the Royal Navy.

About Gaunt's: they had an excellent reputation for quality and made a whole variety of badges, buttons etc. for not only the military but industry too. A lot of their clients/customers were Midland based manufacturers like Austin, Rover, Jaguar as well as other businesses making cookers, tractors (David Brown), and a wide range of industrial products that required a 'badge'.

I was told that JR Gaunt & Son was either 'sold' or absorbed into the Birmingham Mint business sometime in the 70's/80's, though I'm not too sure if this is actually true.

If anyone knows more of Gaunt's and their history I would love to know more because I'm documenting my life now for my children and grandchildren, so they know something of my own roots in Birmingham.

I'm pleased to have found some information about this old company and I can now add this to my 'biography'.

[Paul Spellman]

Hi All,
I added the attached badge to my collection at the weekend marked JR Gaunt London Late Jennens and it makes me wander if Gaunt started taking over areas of Jennens production as early as pre 1921. The Loyal North Regiment title changed to Loyal Regiment in 1921.
Jennens last posted a dividend in 1917 of 20% and during the period 1919-21 had losses of over £18000. It could of been possible they sold off parts of their business to keep the company afloat before their liquidation in 1925. I would be interested to know people's thoughts on this and if they have a similar badge with the same markings to a Regt that went through a title change around this period.
Paul

Originally Posted by 'Ticker' Riley

Hi Keith

I haven’t been looking at Jennens myself, but fellow Forum member and researcher btns recently kindly pointed me to an interesting note that appeared in the December 2008 edition of Button Lines about this very subject. The short piece is by Peter B. Boyden, and he quotes from a Board of Trade file at the United Kingdom’s National Archives (ref. BT 31/20678/122097). The basics are that Jennens & Co. Ltd came to an end in 1925 with the compulsory liquidation of the Firm, upon a petition made by Firmin & Sons, one of their creditors. According to Mr Boyden’s research Jennens was purchased by J. R. Gaunt & Son for £4,500, with the final balance of this sum being paid to the Receiver on 8 July 1925. No mentioned here of any kind of amalgamation three years earlier, so it would appear pretty conclusive Gaunts did buy Jennens, and that it was in 1925 that they ceased to be an independent company – all interesting stuff!

Best regards

Martin

P.S. Just checked the entry for Jennens in The Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, Jewellers & Allied Traders 1838-1914: From the London Assay Office Registers, Volume I, and it says that it was Jennens who by 1917 had moved “to 2 New Burlington Place, W1”; so Gaunt must have taken over this premises with the buyout in 1925. I’d be interested to see what’s there now, if you do take happen to take a photo sometime.

[Paul Spellman]

Front of badge

[dognose]

A 1921 advertisement from J.R. Gaunt & Son, Inc. (N.Y.):



It appeared in the 'Army and Navy Register' of 21st May 1921.

Trev.

[dognose]

Some detail regarding J.R. Gaunt & Son, Inc. (N.Y.), issuers of the above advertisement:

NEW YORK

J. R. Gaunt & Son have filed a charter of incorporation at Albany, N. Y., authorizing them to engage in the jewelry business in this city. The capital is $49,000 and the incorporators are H. G. Bordman, 120 Liberty St., George M. Perry, and Reginald M. Chandor, 100 William St., all of this city.

Source: The Jewelers' Circular - 19th November 1919

Trev.