Queen Victoria stick pins set to shine

Four stick pins that were gifted as mementoes to celebrate the 80th birthday of Queen Victoria, the UK’s second longest reigning monarch, will go under the hammer in the Cotswolds later this month.

The set of pins include a gold version with an enamelled ’80’ relating to the monarch’s 80th birthday and has split pearl highlights, while another is set with an old cut diamond cluster and two others.

They come from the estate of the late Sir Alfred Mordaunt Egerton (1843-1908) and the enamel pin is engraved on the reverse with the date 24th May 1899, the 80th birthday of the late Queen. Sir Alfred Mordaunt Egerton was a high-ranking English soldier and courtier who in 1878 married the Hon. Mary Georgina Ormsby-Gore who was Lady in Waiting to the Duchess of Connaught.

The auctioneers, Kinghams, believes there will be considerable interest from collectors of Queen Victorian memorabilia and the fact that the pins were a personal gift gives them solid provenance.

Estimated to fetch £400-600, they will appear in their Fine Jewellery, Watches & Designer Goods auction on February 24.