HolmeWork Assignment: The Sherlock Holmes Memorabilia Company Medal

“I have a small pawnbroker’s business …”

– The Adventure of the Red-Headed League (REDH)

This month’s HolmeWork assignment might turn out to be a wild goose chase. In the two years since our group was formed, I have heard whispers from other Sherlockians about a possible medal that was issued by the Sherlock Holmes Memorabilia Company, based out of London.

The Sherlock Holmes Memorabilia Company was created in 1991 and for many years operated a storefront on Baker Street, across from the Sherlock Holmes Museum. The Memorabilia Company closed in 2006. On the website of the Sherlock Holmes Museum, there is the following statement regarding the store’s closing:

“We are sorry to see the demise of yet another local shop in the area that helped to make Baker Street such a lively and interesting place for visitors. The local fishmonger also had to vacate his shop recently due to the ever-increasing rents being demanded by landlords, so it is not surprising that with a poor summer in regard to the number of tourists visiting London, many businesses in the tourism sector were bound to suffer.

If you go online today, you can find a website selling products with the logo of the Sherlock Holmes Memorabilia Company. The company is still registered in England, but has filed returns since 2009 as a dormant account.

So the question is – Did the Sherlock Holmes Memorabilia Company produce a medal, or other numismatic item for sale during their 14 years of selling items? Does anyone have one?

Since the heyday of their selling period was before the Internet really took off, are there paper catalogs that some of you may have filed somewhere that would have proof of these items?

I hope to hear from you!

UPDATE November 15, 2016: See our Update on the Sherlock Holmes Memorabilia Company Medal post.