Monday 25 June 2018

Handicraft Medal

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me something about this ...


I bought it a few years ago from an antique stall in Burford. The person I bought it from had got it from a dealer who found it in a collection of military medals. It had been kept with the husband's medals but the dealer didn't want it. I thought that was rather sad.

Anyway, as you can see, it's a medal for Handicrafts awarded by Woman's Own magazine. The front shows a scantily dressed woman proudly displaying what looks like fabric, made up of strips of different designs. Personally, I think she'd be better off making it into something warm to wear but there you go. The back has a garland border with space to have a name engraved.


There's no name on this medal but luckily it came in its original box which has a name pencilled on the back.


Without any more information I've been unable to find anything out about Mrs F M Webb or indeed  about these medals and when they were awarded. I wonder what she did to win hers.

If anyone knows anything about the Woman's Own Handicraft medals (or indeed Mrs Webb who may or may not have lived in the Cotswolds) then do let me know by leaving a comment below.





6 comments:

  1. I could not find anything about them either but have found cookery versions as well as your medal for sale in various places.......sorry not more help

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  2. Well, that's a bit more than I knew anyway so thank-you for that. I may try contacting the magazine in the hope that they have an archive.

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  3. Pleasure please post if you find out anything as you have peeked my curiosity.......

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  4. Women’s Own is a British magazine that began in 1937. ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman%27s_Own) I would gues these were a promotion or contest award at one time. A few I saw in a google search indicated they were from 1950-1960. Maybe contact the magazine and see if anyone there remembers anything about these?

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    1. Yes, I think the woman on the medal looks right for the 50s and 60s. I'll try contacting the magazine.

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  5. Several weeks on, I've had a less than helpful response to my enquiry to 'Woman's Own' about the history of medals like these. They said they were awarded to women who'd made things in the magazine (I'd just about worked that out for myself) and that they weren't rare (didn't ask that).

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