Medal valuation [Archive]

Tankertrashnav

4th Apr 2018, 17:25

I have recently carried out a medal valuation for one of our members who wanted to get an idea of the value of his own and family members' medals for insurance purposes. I was happy to do this, and in return our member made a donation to a charity which I suggested. Before I retired I used to do insurance valuations for a fee, but I am now more than happy to do it for charity, particularly as other than my time (which I have plenty of) it costs me nothing. You can donate to the charity I suggest, or another of your choice, as you prefer.

If any member has medals which he would like valued, please do not give details on the open forum, but contact me by private message in the first instance and I will provide you with my email address so we can proceed.

Just to repeat, I will not be making any charge for this, so I hope that this thread will not breach PPRuNe's rules about using the forum for commercial purchases.

NutLoose

4th Apr 2018, 17:56

Well done that man.

Rosevidney1

4th Apr 2018, 20:00

I can vouch for the fact that TTN really knows his stuff. As civilians we were in the same line of business - and competitors!

Tankertrashnav

5th Apr 2018, 09:08

Rosevidney - how come an old time PPRuNer like you is on probation? Have you been a naughty boy?

jolihokistix

5th Apr 2018, 09:42

Off-topic warning.
My aunt's medals came to me, including the MBE, but do they have to be returned to the country?

Tankertrashnav

5th Apr 2018, 10:32

No you can keep the MBE. The insignia of the Order of the Garter and Order of the Thistle have to be returned on the holder's death, but other that there is no requirement to return most orders.

unclenelli

6th Apr 2018, 19:59

Only the VC cannot be rescinded by the State/Crown!
Jeremy Clarkson: "You can go the the Gallows wearing it!" (BBC DVD -The Victoria Cross: For Valour (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Victoria_Cross:_For_Valour) - YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpg6h16k8eU)

Flight_Idle

6th Apr 2018, 20:19

I have a 'Civilian' gulf war 1 medal, probably worth peanuts, but someone told me that it was a little different to the 'Military' one.

Is there any difference between the two?

unclenelli

6th Apr 2018, 20:37

"Raw" prices here at E C Snaiths (Cranwell)
https://www.ecsnaith.com/medals-ribbons.html

Medals engraved with Service Number, Rank & Name will be more valuable, as they will be attributable to an individual/act!
Multiple named medals will multiply value! as uniquity will increase!

A Tailor once queried my medal order as my Herrick was before my Iraq!
I was the first TGx into Bastian, then the last TGx in Basrah! But my medals were deemed to be in the wrong order as Iraq happened before Afghan!

Tankertrashnav

6th Apr 2018, 22:05

Flight Idle - Campaign medals awarded to civilians are obviously much scarcer than those to service recipients. This can translate into a higher market value, it depends on the civilian status of the individual. Starting with the Boer War, those awarded to war correspondents, for example, have always attracted a hefty premium.

unclenelli the prices on your link are of course for copy medals, and have little relevance to the value of original medals, as awarded. British campaign medals have been named with the recipients' details from Waterloo onwards with one or two exceptions, notably the medals and stars awarded for WW2 service. Officers' gallantry medals (DFC, MC etc) were never issued named, whereas those awarded to other ranks (DFM, MM) etc always were.

Some VCs were forfeited in the late Victorian period, but I believe it was King Edward VII who had the royal warrant altered so that it could no longer be forfeited for any reason.

rlsbutler

7th Apr 2018, 01:25

TTNav - you know your business much better than I.

However when Flight Idle talks of a civilian medal in the Gulf war, might he be referring to the Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal ? There was an equivalent civilian service medal for Afghanistan also.

Tankertrashnav

7th Apr 2018, 09:29

He might. but I have certainly seen the usual Gulf War medal issued and named to a civilian. As I recall he was an employee of BAe.

Flight_Idle

7th Apr 2018, 10:00

He might. but I have certainly seen the usual Gulf War medal issued and named to a civilian. As I recall he was an employee of BAe.

Yes, I was an employee of BAe at the time & was given the usual gulf war medal with my name stamped along the edge.

I'm not sure if it's identical to the military one though.

Stretchwell

7th Apr 2018, 10:26

unclenelli

7th Apr 2018, 10:52

unclenelli the prices on your link are of course for copy medals, and have little relevance to the value of original medals, as awarded. British campaign medals have been named with the recipients' details from Waterloo onwards with one or two exceptions, notably the medals and stars awarded for WW2 service. Officers' gallantry medals (DFC, MC etc) were never issued named, whereas those awarded to other ranks (DFM, MM) etc always were.

Some VCs were forfeited in the late Victorian period, but I believe it was King Edward VII who had the royal warrant altered so that it could no longer be forfeited for any reason.

That's why I quoted "Raw" prices!

ValMORNA

7th Apr 2018, 12:50

I have a 'Civilian' Gulf War medal, albeit the same as the Military, with initials and surname inscribed round the edge. I also have a Canal Zone Medal (Number, Rank, Name) from 1953-56.

Hardly precious metal!

Sideshow Bob

7th Apr 2018, 13:07

Tankertrashnav

7th Apr 2018, 17:09

Flight Idle - I am certain your medal will be the same as that issued to service personnel. The medal can be issued without a clasp (sometimes incorrectly called a bar) or with one or other of two dated clasps, the earlier of which is quite rare. I would be interested to know if yours was issued without a clasp - I suspect that will be the case.

The rule for campaign medals is that they should be worn in chronological order of award. Thus some medals for lengthy campaigns can appear in a different order in different individual's groups. Thus my son's Northern Ireland GSM appears after his UN Bosnia medal, as that is the order he was awarded them, even though NI medals were first awarded in 1969. A smart arse CSM tried to pick him up on this when he told TTN jnr his medals were mounted incorrectly, but he had the good grace to back down when the regs were explained to him

"Hardly Precious Metal" Current "book" price for the Gulf Medal to a civilian is around £200, The GSM with the "Canal Zone" Clasp (if that is what you are referring to) around £300. Maybe not "precious metal" (although the GSM is silver), but not junk either!

Stretchwell The magazine "Medal News" published by Token Publications has a section where people looking for lost or stolen medals can place an ad. Definitely worth a go.

WilliumMate

7th Apr 2018, 17:21

Again slightly off topic.......

My medals were stolen during a house burglary several years ago. All have my service number on. Is there a way of putting them on a list so people look out for them ?

Thanks.

You could have done this already but get an alert from fleaBay set up when a xxx group is listed. It may be that the medals have passed through a few hands by now and are not recognised as stolen. View relevant online auction house listings, especially militaria. Good luck.

Flight_Idle

7th Apr 2018, 18:13

TTN,

Mine was without a clasp. Some employees did get the clasp, it depended upon dates etc.

NutLoose

8th Apr 2018, 17:36

The rarity issue is the same for the NI GSM, less were awarded to RAF people so they are seen as a higher value compared to the Army ones, and the Navy ones are rarer than the RAF one.

Interesting to read about the LSGC medal just being awarded to officers, when in another thread one chap had one years ago engraved with his Officer rank, presumably qualified for as an NCO but not issued until his commission had come through.

Pontius Navigator

8th Apr 2018, 19:45

On order I have a written note from my grandfather and also the ribbon bars. A Midlands medal company swore they were in the wrong order. Thanks.

Stretchwell

8th Apr 2018, 20:48

You could have done this already but get an alert from fleaBay set up when a xxx group is listed. It may be that the medals have passed through a few hands by now and are not recognised as stolen. View relevant online auction house listings, especially militaria. Good luck.

Thanks. I did trawl various sites at the time but unsurprisingly no trace.

Tankertrashnav

10th Apr 2018, 23:29

As an update I have had some very interesting communications from a number of members. I have done a couple of valuations already, and should be able to get back to a couple more shortly. Just a reminder, if you have contacted me by PM but not followed up by email please do so, so that I can get fuller details from you. Having served through a period when medals were rarely awarded I have been reminded that the events of recent years have led to some quite outstanding groups of medals being awarded - certainly on a par with anything awarded in living memory. My solitary GSM is looking very lonely!