RARE medals belonging to a Malvern-born Antarctic explorer have fetched £2,300 more than their expected asking price.
Two medals belonging to 1930s explorer James Hamilton Martin went for £10,350 when they were sold at a London auction on Friday, smashing the predicted £8,000 price tag.
The bronze and silver George V and George VI Polar Medals were awarded to Mr Martin for his work on two expeditions to the Antarctic from 1929 to 1931.
"They are really very rare because you don't get all that many people wanting to go and spend five years in the Antarctic investigating penguins and the like," auctioneer James Morton said before the sale.
Mr Martin, who was born in 1899, was educated at Harrow and served in the Grenadier Guards before taking part in the adventures, when he sailed on Scott of the Antarctic's old ship Discovery.
During his last trip to Mr Martin risked his life to save the ship's mascot - a black and white cat. The animal went overboard into the icy cold waters only to be rescued by Mr Martin who dived in after it.
Having survived the dangers of the Antarctic, Mr Martin died during the Second World War when the ship on which he was serving, the Williamette Valley was torpedoed in June 1940.
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