Possibly this is something that goes back more years than most would think, I once embarrased a Antique/Junk shop owner who was attending to a old lady (80ish) who wished to raise a little money by selling her husbands medals, the tightwad offered her £5.00 for a set of 2nd WW medals, but I could clearly see the Burma Star was amongst the set on the bar, you didnt get that for doing nothing, so tight wad was succesful and parted with £5.00, I followed the lady outside and engaged her in conversation discovering she was very short of money she said she had to sell many things just to get by since her Albert had passed on, because she looked very much like my old dear departed maternal Granny, I possibly foolishly gave her a lump of cash and offered to drive her to her next destination, she refused the lift saying she had her bus pass, so off I went feeling a little better back into the tightwads shop, he was given the ultimatum give me those medals or you wont have any of my business ever again, one minute later I was slamming the door with the medal bar in my hand, when I showed this to my Old dad, he said it looked like some one had not been quite truthful with this bar of medals, he reasoned for a Lancshire Fusilier from the lower ranks to have served in Africa, Italy and Europe(covered by the relative Stars) he felt that the addition of the Burma Star, was possibly False, when I later offered the Burma Star Association in Blackpool the Star that I now had, I was told the named Fusilier was not known, So quite possible this sort of Medal fakery has been going on for a long time.
But I was still happy to help out the little Old Lady. I still have all the medals but am loath to sell them, for I feel it cheapens some bodys effort and possible injury to do that.
Peter R-B
Vfr