J. R. Gaunt & Son Advertisements

[Keith Blakeman]

Good stuff again Martin. I'll have to check where Burlington Place is exactly, I'll take a photo of what's there now.

Having a quick internet search on Jennens buttons last night came up with something I wasn't aware of and that is that Gaunt and Jennens amalgamated in 1922. I'd previously thought it was a buy out.

['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.

[Artynut]

A couple of answers to questions in this thread. I have a 1907 Gaunt catalogue which shows the picture of the Denmark St. and works in Birmingham. It includes a picture of the Leicestershire Regt. cap badge (No.217) for the Gent who was enquiring. Now a question. I have two R.A. Hunt club or mess waiter buttons (Not sure which), that are marked on reverse J.R.Gaunt & Sons Ltd late Jennens. I thought that was rather sporting of JR to acknowledge the other, but when? Regards, David J.

[KLR]

Gaunt took over Jennens in 1925 - along with other small firms around that date. Jennens were particularly renowned for the quality of their items, they dealt exclusively in officers badges etc. Gaunt was trying to emphasise the continuity of tht quality. There are plenty of badges with that formula that have been noted on these pages.

[Keith Blakeman]

I made an error in my earlier posting - according to the website it was 1924. However 1925 seems to be the accepted date of the takover/merger.

http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/buttonsgtom.html

[Keith Blakeman]

I came acoss this piece of information earlier, taken from an auction last year by Dix, Noonan and Webb of the Gaunt button archives being sold off by the National Army Museum (who kept the military and sold off livery and civilain ones).

Not much we don't know about but a couple of previously unmentioned addresses.

The firm of J. R. Gaunt & Son was established in 1884 when John Richard Gaunt and his eldest son, Charles Frederick, left their employment with the long established London military buttonmakers Firmin & Sons to set up on their own. The firm, originally based at the intersection of Clifford Street and Furnace Lane in the Birmingham district of Lozells, prospered and began to supply badges and buttons to uniformed organisations all over the world. By 1895 the business had moved to the city’s Warstone Parade; four years later it was incorporated as a limited company and by 1905 had opened a London office in Conduit Street. After the First World War they purchased a number of other insignia manafacturers, including in 1925 Jennens & Co Ltd, the prestigious family firm of royal button and military ornament makers founded in London in the early years of the 19th century and whose buttons were made at the Jennens-owned Deritend Button Works. With the acquisition of the Jennens business Gaunts moved their London base to Warwick Street.

During the 1950’s J. R. Gaunt & Sons Ltd donated to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Museum (from 1960 the National Army Museum) a large quantity of buttons and badges from its Birmingham works. It should be stressed that these items are distinct from the militaria collection formed by Alderman C. F. Gaunt, which remains the property of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. The collection included approximately fifty ledgers containing examples of buttons made by companies which J. R. Gaunt absorbed during the 1920’s, including the aforementioned Jennens & Co Ltd, Bent & Parker Ltd and Twigg & Co Ltd, the last-named originating with the button-making business started by Charles Twigg near St Paul’s Square, Birmingham, in 1790

[Keith Blakeman]

There's a catalogue up for sale.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VERY-RARE-Badg...item53e38f71f6

Some rare book this guy got

peter

[catnron0418]

Hello,I am new to this site, and trying to find my way around So if I posted this in the wrong place I am so sorry Looking thur my Parents old box of stuff, I found some what looks like British Milatary buttons. Some are large and some small, all are gold on color. If anyone has info on this please let me know. I have no idea how to add pictures or if I can.
Thank You

[Warstone]

Originally Posted by Keith Blakeman

Good stuff again Martin. I'll have to check where Burlington Place is exactly, I'll take a photo of what's there now.

Having a quick internet search on Jennens buttons last night came up with something I wasn't aware of and that is that Gaunt and Jennens amalgamated in 1922. I'd previously thought it was a buy out.

2 New Burlington Place

[Warstone]

Originally Posted by btns

The factory in the advertisement burned down in 1912. Everything was lost, including 20,000 dies.
I assume they subcontracted other workshops until the factory was rebuilt.

As rebuilt, viewed from the Alfred (Pemberton) Street side.

[KLR]

There are articles in the Times and Board of Trade papers at Kew that confirm that it was July 1925 that G took over J.

[kingsley]

Hi all, I am not quite sure if this is relevant, but I have a couple of interesting Gaunt advertising items. The main one is a huge 1908 fully illustrated catalogue which I believe was used by salesmen to show the different types of badges, buttons, bullion and edged weapons the company could make. It shows the varying quality and prices and it also has pages of "old and curious" badges and buttons. They really ARE old and curious! If anyone is interested I can make a few scans, unless the book is a well known resource (it's the only one I have ever seen).
The second item is illustrated, a "quality and type" sample card, again from pre-WW1. I took the two missing badges off and put them in my collection years ago and still have them. The missing top one is a high quality King's crown enamelled officer cap badge of the 1901-03 Qiueensland Infantry, and the bottom one is the first ACMF Australian rising sun hat badge in bright gilt, superb quality.
You should be able to see the other samples.

[sketchley kid]

Also not relevant but does any one have a picture of reverse of Bays badge by Gaunt with the small tablet as on broken badge below?

[rexb]

Kingsley,

I bought this card on eBay a year ago, from an Australian seller. By that time, the button No.125 was missing as well. Can you remember what button it is, please, and any chance of a photo of the badges?
Thanks,

Rex