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ID #SA1245103
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£1,500
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Art Deco 24 Heures Du Mans 1935 Medal by Maurice Delannoy, Named Roy Eccles
For sale by Gillers Antiques Ltd
for sale €1,755     $1,905
£1,500
Gillers Antiques Ltd

Gillers Antiques Ltd

Sellingantiques Verified Since Mar 2023
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Art Deco 24 Heures Du Mans 1935 Medal by Maurice Delannoy, Named Roy Eccles

1920 - 1940
Description

FRANCE, Automobile-Club de l'Ouest, 24 Heures du Mans 1935. An Art Deco award medal by Maurice Delannoy, named "M. ROY ECCLES".

Obverse: a robed female figure raises a torch whose rays illuminate a map of the départements of north-west France; at her side, a triangular pennant inscribed AUTOMOBILE-CLUB DE L'OUEST with the ACO monogram. Signed M. Delannoy.

Reverse: a stylised steering wheel inscribed AUTOMOBILE-CLUB DE L'OUEST, within a border of civic arms and town names; in the centre: 24 HEURES DU MANS / M. / ROY ECCLES / — / 1935.

Diameter 79.1 mm; thickness 6 mm; weight 202.6 g. Silver-toned surface with natural golden toning; light wear to the high points, consistent with age. No holes, solder or restoration.

Provenance: The Koji Nakauchi Collection (1949–2026); Hannam's Auctioneers, Fine Antiques & Oriental Works of Art, 2 October 2026, lot 465.

Compare: a named 1937 example (Captain G.E.T. Eyston), Bonhams, London Olympia, 5 December 2005, lot 474, estimate £1,250–1,500.

Footnote: The 1935 race was a landmark for British motor sport: a record 58 starters, 37 of them British, and the first British victory (Lagonda) since 1930. None of the Aston Martin works cars had qualified for the 1935 Biennial Cup, so the team's lead car was entered under the name of a driver who had. Roy Eccles had earned that place in 1934, finishing fourth overall and winning his class with Charles Martin in an MG K3. In 1935 he stood aside, and car No. 29 — the works Ulster LM20, driven by Charles Martin and Charles Brackenbury — finished third overall, won the 1.5-litre class with a new distance record, and took both the Index of Performance and the Biennial Cup. It was Aston Martin's finest pre-war result at Le Mans.

Roy Hector Eccles (1900–1938), son of Herbert Eccles, founder of the Briton Ferry Steel Company, raced from 1932 to 1937 at Brooklands, Donington, Shelsley Walsh, the Isle of Man and Le Mans, latterly with his wife Marjorie in the supercharged Eccles Special. He announced his retirement at the end of 1937 and died on 17 January 1938, aged 37.

Koji Nakauchi, a noted collector of pre-war Aston Martins, founded the Middlebridge Group at Newport Pagnell in 1986, revived the Scimitar marque and owned the Brabham Formula One team.

Further information available on request.

Date of Manufacture

Gillers Antiques Ltd has dated this Art Deco Le Mans Medal to the 1930s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1245103
Dealers Internal Reference
B1897
Description
FRANCE, Automobile-Club de l'Ouest, 24 Heures du Mans 1935. An Art Deco award medal by Maurice Delannoy, named "M. ROY ECCLES".

Obverse: a robed female figure raises a torch whose rays illuminate a map of the départements of north-west France; at her side, a triangular pennant inscribed AUTOMOBILE-CLUB DE L'OUEST with the ACO monogram. Signed M. Delannoy.

“
Reverse: a stylised steering wheel inscribed AUTOMOBILE-CLUB DE L'OUEST, within a border of civic arms and town names; in the centre: 24 HEURES DU MANS / M.
Gillers Antiques Ltd

/ ROY ECCLES / — / 1935.

fig 1. A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case.
fig 1. Art Deco 24 Heures Du Mans 1935 Medal by Maurice Delannoy, Named Roy Eccles

Diameter 79.1 mm; thickness 6 mm; weight 202.6 g. Silver-toned surface with natural golden toning; light wear to the high points, consistent with age. No holes, solder or restoration.

Provenance: The Koji Nakauchi Collection (1949–2026); Hannam's Auctioneers, Fine Antiques & Oriental Works of Art, 2 October 2026, lot 465.

fig 2. A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case.
fig 2. Art Deco 24 Heures Du Mans 1935 Medal by Maurice Delannoy, Named Roy Eccles

Compare: a named 1937 example (Captain G.E.T. Eyston), Bonhams, London Olympia, 5 December 2005, lot 474, estimate £1,250–1,500.

Footnote: The 1935 race was a landmark for British motor sport: a record 58 starters, 37 of them British, and the first British victory (Lagonda) since 1930. None of the Aston Martin works cars had qualified for the 1935 Biennial Cup, so the team's lead car was entered under the name of a driver who had. Roy Eccles had earned that place in 1934, finishing fourth overall and winning his class with Charles Martin in an MG K3. In 1935 he stood aside, and car No. 29 — the works Ulster LM20, driven by Charles Martin and Charles Brackenbury — finished third overall, won the 1.5-litre class with a new distance record, and took both the Index of Performance and the Biennial Cup. It was Aston Martin's finest pre-war result at Le Mans.

fig 3. A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case.
fig 3. Art Deco 24 Heures Du Mans 1935 Medal by Maurice Delannoy, Named Roy Eccles

Roy Hector Eccles (1900–1938), son of Herbert Eccles, founder of the Briton Ferry Steel Company, raced from 1932 to 1937 at Brooklands, Donington, Shelsley Walsh, the Isle of Man and Le Mans, latterly with his wife Marjorie in the supercharged Eccles Special. He announced his retirement at the end of 1937 and died on 17 January 1938, aged 37.

fig 4. A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case.
fig 4. Art Deco 24 Heures Du Mans 1935 Medal by Maurice Delannoy, Named Roy Eccles

Koji Nakauchi, a noted collector of pre-war Aston Martins, founded the Middlebridge Group at Newport Pagnell in 1986, revived the Scimitar marque and owned the Brabham Formula One team.

Further information available on request.

Date of Manufacture

Gillers Antiques Ltd has dated this Art Deco Le Mans Medal to the 1930s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1245103
Dealers Internal Ref
B1897
Gillers Antiques Ltd
Gillers Antiques Ltd
Sellingantiques verified Since Mar 2023
Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Gillers Antiques Ltd Profile Page

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A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case.
1 / 8
Archive I A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case.

Art Deco 24 Heures Du Mans 1935 Medal by Maurice Delannoy, Named Roy Eccles

Archive II A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case. View II
Archive III A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case. View III
Archive IV A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case. View IV
Archive V A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case. View V
Archive VI A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case. View VI
Archive VII A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case. View VII
Archive VIII A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case. View VIII
Enlarged Archival View
Gillers Antiques Ltd

Gillers Antiques Ltd
Telephone 07738 009924
Location
Buckland House
Buntingford
Hertfordshire
SG9 0PY
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/gillersantiques
Verified Since Mar 2023
Items For Sale 399
Items Sold 581
Gillers Antiques Ltd
Gillers Antiques Ltd
Verified Since Mar 2023
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Location: Buckland House, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, SG9 0PY, United Kingdom
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A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case.
Art Deco 24 Heures du Mans 1935 Medal by Maurice Delannoy, Named Roy Eccles
Ref: SA1245103
A circular Art Deco gilt bronze commemorative medal depicting a female figure holding a torch over a map of France, presented inside a black velvet case.
Detail View 1
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Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectMedals & Medallions
  • Period1920 - 1940
  • StyleArt Deco
  • MaterialGilt Bronze, Metal
  • ColourGold
  • MotifsBas-relief sculpture, Classical figure, Topographical map motif, Art Deco typography

This circular 1930 Art Deco medal is composed of gilt bronze with a silver-toned surface and natural golden toning. The obverse depicts a robed classical female figure raising a torch to illuminate a topographical map motif of north-west France, holding a triangular pennant inscribed with the Automobile-Club de l'Ouest monogram, alongside light wear to the high points consistent with age. The piece rests securely inside a hinged storage box lined with dark black velvet upholstery, featuring an open white interior lid and thin recessed structural supports. It measures 79.1 mm in diameter with a thickness of 6 mm and weighs 202.6 g. Collectors place this piece on an office desk or within a gentleman's library display case for daily viewing. The medal functions well alongside other motorsport memorabilia, historical books, and archival documents. The velvet lining protects the metallic surface from scratching during handling while showcasing the bas-relief sculpture and Art Deco typography. Placing the object flat on a surface or upright in a specialised stand allows visitors to examine the named inscription dedicated to Roy Eccles and the intricate topographical details of the 1935 race.

FAQs

During the 1920s and 1930s, Art Deco commemorative medals were widely commissioned in France and across Europe to celebrate major sporting achievements, industrial expositions, and civic milestones. Designed by notable sculptors, these medallions combined classical allegorical imagery with modern geometric layouts and stylized typography.

Medals from this period were predominantly struck or cast in bronze, brass, or silver, frequently finished with gilding, patination, or silvering to enhance surface detail. Bas-relief details were rendered using precision steel dies to achieve crisp contours and high depth.

Authentic pieces generally feature clear sculptor signatures or foundry marks near the rim, crisp relief definition, correct era-appropriate weight, and natural surface patination or subtle oxidisation in lower relief areas rather than artificially applied dark stains.

Small table medals and medallions display well housed within custom shadow-box frames or laid open in original presentation boxes on an office desk, library shelf, or console table alongside framed art and books.

Dust the item gently with a soft microfibre cloth or horsehair brush, avoiding chemical cleaners or abrasive polishes that strip original gilding or patina. Store the piece in a dry environment inside a felt or velvet lined case to prevent surface scratching and unwanted tarnish.
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