Home /
Europe /
Great Britain /
Miscellaneous /
A 1909 C.Q.D SS. Republic Medal Named to A.Baird

Item: GB5376

A 1909 C.Q.D SS. Republic Medal Named to A.Baird

$500

Currency Converter

0% Buyer's Premium

eMedals proudly ships worldwide, see our shipping information

What's a max bid?

Your maximum bid should be the highest amount you're willing to pay for an item.

Your entered maximum bid will not be disclosed to the seller or other auction participants at any point.

Max bidding example:

If the current auction price is $100 dollars and you place a maximum bid of $120 dollars, the system will bid $101 dollars on your behalf.

If no other participant places a bid, you win that auction lot for $101 dollars.

If another auction participant places a bid of $110 dollars, the system will subsequently place a bid of $111 dollars on your behalf. The system will continue to bid in $1.00 dollar increments until your maximum bid of $120 dollars is exceeded.

If another auction participant places a bid for $125 dollars, the auction lot price will display $121 dollars having exceeded your previously submitted maximum bid by $1.00 dollar.

Buyer's Premium

All bids are subject to a Buyer's Premium which is in addition to the placed successful bid. The following rate of Buyer's Premium will be added to the Hammer Price of each Lot that you purchase:

Twenty-Two Percent (22%) of the Hammer Price

A 1909 C.Q.D SS. Republic Medal Named to A.Baird

A 1909 C.Q.D SS. Republic Medal Named to A.Baird - Silver, obverse illustrating the crippled S.S. Republic with a large gash on her port side, seven lightning bolts above the ship representing the Marconi distress signal sent by the ship, inscribed "C.Q.D." (All Stations Distress) above, "THE S.S. REPUBLIC" below and engraver marked "AB", reverse inscribed in the centre "TO THE OFFICERS AND CREW OF THE S.S. REPUBLIC, BALTIC & FLORIDA FOR GALLANTRY / COMMEMORATING THE RESCUE OF OVER 1700 SOULS JAN. 24th 1909", with the surrounding inscription "FROM THE SALOON PASSENGERS OF THE R.M.S. BALTIC AND R.M.S. REPUBLIC" scratched out, name engraved "A. BAIRD" below the central inscription, 44.8 mm, bruised, light contact, fine. In a hardshelled presentation case, King's crown and maker marked "ELKINGTON & C. Ltd. ss. REGENT St. S.W." on the inside lid, recessed medal bed, case near extremely fine. Footnote: This medal takes its curious name from the CQD signal (All Stations Distress) sent out by the stricken White Star steamship Republic after it collided with the Italian steamer Florida on January 21, 1909. The liner Baltic responded to the call. The Republic was the more seriously damaged vessel, but all of her passengers and crew were transferred, first to the Florida and then to the Baltic before she sank. The saloon passengers of the Baltic and the Republic subscribed to a fund to provide medals to the crews of all three ships in saving more than 1,700 lives. Four silver-gilt examples were presented to the Captains of the three ships involved and to Jack Binns, the Marconi operator aboard the Republic who sent the CQD radio signal. Silver medals with ring suspenders were presented to the officers and crews. Binns became a hero when the survivors reached New York and was given a welcome parade. This was the first time that radio was used to effect a rescue at sea and indirectly sealed the fate of the Titanic three years later, as the White Star wrongly assumed that any larger liner would take several hours to sink and radio would obtain help quickly within well used shipping lanes and life boats would only be required to effect the transfer of passengers and crew. As a result the number of lifeboats on the Titanic was severely reduced. Coincidentally, Jack Binns was offered the post of wireless officer on board the new Titanic but declined.