Antique Victorian India General Service Medal Burma 1889 - 92 - 604 Pte T. Ponting Devon Regiment

This is an original and excellent example of the 1854 India General Service medal with bar for campaigns in Burma 1889-92 - the medal is manufactured from sterling silver, as was correct for British soldiers. The medal is named as issued in the correct running script to 604 Pte Thomas Ponting 2nd Bn Devon Regt. There seems to have be some confusion over this soldiers first initial - as can be seen in pictures 7 and 8, the letter seems to look like a T. However, when Private Ponting later died aged 35 (in Maritzburg), on active service in South Africa during the Boer War in 1900, his headstone lists his initial as 'F' (see last picture in group). Interestingly, Pte Ponting is also entitled to the Queens South Africa medal with bars for Tugela Heights and Relief of Ladysmith - this medal was last sold through the auction house, Dix Noonan Webb on December 15th 2000 (lot number 288) selling for a hammer price of £85 on the day. This archived auction result can still be found on the Dnw website. The impressed naming on that medal was catalogued as '604 T. Ponting Devon Rgt'. Also, according to official medal rolls, he is additionally entitled to the India Medal of 1895, with the clasps for Punjab Frontier 1897-98 and Tirah 1897-98. As Pte Ponting died on active service in South Africa in 1900, he would not of been able to wear the trio of medals he was entitled to. The reasons the group were originally split up is unknown, though I suspect it may have been split up between family members, or perhaps one was lost? The medal offered here is a good example of its type - there is a good amount of detail to both sides and it doesn't appear to have been over polished. The silver has nicely toned and clearly hasn't be cleaned for some time. The swivel suspension is original and displays the usual 'slackness' that you often see on medals of this age (it is of course still securely fixed). The naming to the edge is original and there is no evidence of it having been renamed or altered in any way. The bar is securely fixed and displays the same toning consistent with the rest of the medal. The comes with a short length of what appears to be original and slightly faded ribbon. There are some very light contact marks, commensurate with it perhaps being worn, but there are no edge knocks to speak of. Other than the details provided above regarding Thomas' medal entitlement, I haven't researched this soldiers individual service and it could be an interesting project for someone. He certainly was a well decorated soldier and took part in some of Britain's best known campaigns of the late 19th century. The medal measures 3.6cm across and the total unpacked weight is 41g