The name on the rim
British campaign medals were issued named. From the Waterloo Medal of 1815, the first given to every soldier present, the recipient’s name, rank, number and unit were impressed or engraved on the rim. That naming is why a British medal is researchable, and research is where the value lives. An unnamed medal is a piece of silver; a named one is a person.
Two exceptions to know: Second World War campaign stars and medals were issued unnamed to British forces, and are worth little individually. And a medal whose naming has been erased or re-engraved has lost most of its value, since it can no longer be tied to anyone.
Campaign medals
A campaign medal was given for being there. Value follows the scarcity of the campaign, the unit, and what happened to the recipient.
| Medal | Typical range for a single, named example |
|---|---|
| British War Medal 1914 to 1920 | £20 to £40 |
| Victory Medal 1914 to 1919 | £15 to £30 |
| 1914 Star, with clasp | £60 to £150 |
| 1914 to 15 Star | £20 to £40 |
| Queen’s South Africa Medal, with clasps | £120 to £400 |
| Crimea Medal, with clasps | £200 to £600 |
| Waterloo Medal 1815 | £1,500 to £5,000 and more for cavalry and Guards |
These are illustrative ranges for common regiments. A medal to a casualty, to a man at a famous action, to a cavalry regiment or to an officer moves above them, and the price records show recent hammer prices.
First World War medals: the trio
The most common inheritance is the “trio”: 1914 or 1914 to 15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal to one man. A trio to an infantry private who survived sells for £80 to £150. The same trio to a man killed on the first day of the Somme, or at Gallipoli, or serving with a famous battalion, sells for several times that. A pair of the War and Victory medals without a star is the commonest group of all.
Keep the group together. Splitting a group destroys the value of every piece in it, and the trade will pay more for three medals to one man than for the same three medals to three men.
Second World War medals
The 1939 to 1945 Star, the Africa, Italy, France and Germany Stars, the Defence Medal and the War Medal were issued unnamed to British forces. A single star sells for £10 to £25 and a group of four or five for £40 to £80, illustrative figures that only rise when papers, a named box of issue or a service record tie the group to a man. Named awards to Commonwealth forces, gallantry awards and groups that include a Distinguished Flying Cross or a Military Medal are the exceptions, and the research guide explains how to prove the attribution.
Gallantry awards
Medals for a specific act are where prices climb. The Military Medal and Distinguished Conduct Medal for other ranks, the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order for officers, and the Victoria Cross above all. A Military Medal group sells for £600 to £2,000 depending on the citation and the action. A DCM group for more. Every gallantry award has a citation or a London Gazette entry, and the research guide explains how to find it.
What else comes in the box
The memorial plaque, a bronze disc with the name of a man who died, is worth £100 to £300 alone and far more with his medals. Cap badges, dog tags, photographs, letters and the original card boxes add value to a group because they add to the story. Miniature medals, the small versions worn with evening dress, are worth a fraction of the full size.
Copies and replacements
Replacement medals were issued to men who lost theirs and are marked as such. Modern copies exist for every medal and are sold openly as copies; on the secondary market they are sometimes not. Weight, detail and naming style are the tells, and a specialist auction house will confirm.
Selling
Medals sell best at specialist medal auctions, where the buyers are collectors of particular regiments and campaigns. A general saleroom lots them in mixed boxes. Ask a medal specialist for a free opinion with photographs of the medals and the rims, and read the auctions guide before consigning.
