Ancient, Celtic, British and World Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals

Great Britain, A silver cigarette case, 115 x 85 x 10mm, hallmarked WN Ltd, Birmingham, 1938, inside of lid engraved (C.A. Weston, from Capt. Sir Malcolm Campbell, Scrambles 17 October 1939). A few minor marks consistent with moderate use, otherwise very fine and a very interesting association item (£300-500)

Capt. [later Major] Sir Malcolm Campbell (1885-1948), pioneer racing motorcyclist, motorist and several times holder of the world land speed record in the 1920s and 1930s, lived at Reigate, Surrey. Campbell first made his name in speed record terms at the wheel of a V12 Sunbeam at Pendine Sands, South Wales, in 1925; he described his experiences of driving at speeds in excess of 150mph, which then was still faster than an aeroplane could achieve, in a fascinating account in Motor Sport, December 1925. Against rivals in England and America, who included Sir Henry Segrave, the first man to achieve 200mph in 1927, he parlayed the land speed record ever upwards from three miles a minute in a succession of cars named Bluebird and was the first person to achieve over 300mph. His son, Sir Donald Campbell, who broke the land speed record in 1964, was killed while attempting to set a new world water speed record on Lake Coniston in 1967