medals

Fuinseog

I was just looking at a few irish medals on ebay. war of independence medals for 21euro. they look fake and more tahn likely are. I heard they are being produced in Austrlia. what about medals from the Emergency. are there fakes going around as well?
regarding Russian and american medals can I assume that apart from the really rare ones that they are all genuine?

by the way what does 'not issued' mean?

citizen_p

i think not issued means it was never awarded to anyone...


it has been sitting in a store for years

Fuinseog

Mousey- wrote: »

i think not issued means it was never awarded to anyone...


it has been sitting in a store for years

I am suspicious when I only see one for sale. surely there would be an entire batch of 'non-issued' medals. is never issued another term for a copy?

Dr Strange

Fuinseog wrote: »

I am suspicious when I only see one for sale. surely there would be an entire batch of 'non-issued' medals. is never issued another term for a copy?

Not necessarily. Even though batches of non-issued decorations may have been found in a shop or former makers' house it doesn't mean that whoever has them wants to sell them all at once. Alos: another collector may have bought just the one from a dealer and is now selling it on. Many scenarios are possible. Fakes are just one of them.

arnhem44

I find in most cases unissued medals are surplus stock,Soviet,U.S. and East German medals are a prime example being made by government contractors and finding there way onto the open market which can be picked up quite easily.One thing to be aware of is harder to find medals or medals of a more desireable nature which command higher prices,in these cases the medals are often reproduction aged to look older and buying off the net can often result in a person being fooled out of hard earned cash,if someone is wishing to purchase medals or badges then its hard to beat going to a fair where you can handle the medal and talk to the seller directly and possibley get a discount at the same time.Also you should check a sellers feedback and view what he's been selling,if he's listed some hard to find award and sold one only the week before then you know he's a seller to avoid or someone who keeps there feedback private will always raise suspicion,lastly some older silver Victorian awards are now been reproduced in silver and are even carring soldiers names engraved on them so its best to ask sometimes for more detailed photos and ask plenty of questions in advance,if the sellers are genuine there should be no problem sending these.

Fuinseog

I bought a few French medals recently from a French uniform supplier
www.stockuniformes.com

I presume they would be offical issue i.e. genuine or would they be classed as restrikes?
what do you understand under the term restrike? if for example an iron cross were to be made using the original tools it would surely be more or less indistinguishable form one awarded during the war.

i was surfing the net for american medals and was not happy at what I saw. i presume the more recent ones would be genuine but a croix de guerre they had looked different from the original French ones I have.


I cannot belive how expensive British medals are from Britih dealers. I thought they would be in abundance in GB and therefore very affordable but any website I log onto seems to quite expensive.

arnhem44

If I was to define re strike it would be a medal re struck from an original and not the use of the the original mould,there are countless medals online that are fake nowadays and often sell for as much as the originals to the unbeknown buyers.German and Victorian medals seem to be the ones targeted by the repo con's.As for the British medals from British dealers,I would agree totally that they are expensive,British medals have become big business over the past couple of decades,no doubt the research potential adds to the overall price,it often pays to look further afield than Britain for medals.

Fuinseog

arnhem44 wrote: »

If I was to define re strike it would be a medal re struck from an original and not the use of the the original mould,there are countless medals online that are fake nowadays and often sell for as much as the originals to the unbeknown buyers.German and Victorian medals seem to be the ones targeted by the repo con's.As for the British medals from British dealers,I would agree totally that they are expensive,British medals have become big business over the past couple of decades,no doubt the research potential adds to the overall price,it often pays to look further afield than Britain for medals.

I am aware of good quality German reproductions, but what of the newer stuff( much more affordable when you are starting out). Can I take it that a French uniform supplier such as the one listed in the above post has genuine medals? is seems that they supply the army and police so they must be.
I can't go far wrong with the current issue medals, but say the one from Inodchina they offer, brand new,but for a campaign from the fifties. how are such medals regarded in collectors' circles?

then there is an interesting site for american medals. I take it they supply the american military, though info is scant. would however the decoration below be classified as a reproduction?

http://www.usamilitarymedals.com/french-croix-de-guerre-medal-wwii-p-310.html

R.Dub.Fusilier

Fuinseog wrote: »

but for a campaign from the fifties. how are such medals regarded in collectors' circles?

you shoudnt worry what collectors think. you should collect whatever you want realy. its down to a matter of taste in the end. and a medal is worth as much as you want to pay for it . i have probably paid too much for one or two medals. but it is good to find service / pension papers for a medal you buy. Irish regiments in the british army tend to be on the high side due to the regiments being disbanded , ex soldiers not applying for medals etc.

Hedgemeister

Apologies for resurrrecting such an old post but an old Irish Army buddy had his medals stolen in a break-in at his home recently. (They were the only items taken) Naturally, my friend is mone than a little upset with his loss.
On checking the Internet for him (for replacements) I was surprised to find how cheaply these medals can be purchased.

The UNIFIL medal...8 euro (roughly)
The UNFICYP medal...10 euro (roughly)
Long Service medal...18 euro (roughly)
The Congo Medal...12 euro (ish)
The Irish Gov Peace Medal...12 euro (ish)

I reckon the thieves got a shock when they discovered the 'value' of their haul !
Maybe the old joke is true after all : -
"You'd get a 'free' pint for every Medal , but only when you threw a fiver on the counter along with it!"

Dr Strange

Hedgemeister wrote: »

Apologies for resurrrecting such an old post but an old Irish Army buddy had his medals stolen in a break-in at his home recently. (They were the only items taken) Naturally, my friend is mone than a little upset with his loss.
On checking the Internet for him (for replacements) I was surprised to find how cheaply these medals can be purchased.

The UNIFIL medal...8 euro (roughly)
The UNFICYP medal...10 euro (roughly)
Long Service medal...18 euro (roughly)
The Congo Medal...12 euro (ish)
The Irish Gov Peace Medal...12 euro (ish)

I reckon the thieves got a shock when they discovered the 'value' of their haul !
Maybe the old joke is true after all : -
"You'd get a 'free' pint for every Medal , but only when you threw a fiver on the counter along with it!"

That's terrible, I'm sorry for your friend. It's not the monetary value but the emotional attachment that makes them priceless, particularly because he earned them. Is there any way that official replacements could be issued to him by the army or place that officially produces these medals?

Hedgemeister

Not sure about replacements from the Army as their wheels grind so slowly. There would be a long wait methinks!
I don't think he'll bother applying, or buying the replacements. They just wouldn't be the same I guess.
Still, I'm very surprised at how little they are valued in monetary terms.

Step23

Was the group mounted? Also is the long service medal named? If the LS medal is named there is some hope the medals could be recovered.

Stephen