Caring for inherited service medals and insignia
The fastest way to cut the value of a medal in half is to polish it. People mean well. They want to make grandpa’s medals shine again for the frame on the wall. Please put the cloth down first.
Inherited medals and insignia carry both family meaning and, sometimes, real worth. You can protect both with very little effort. Most of the job is knowing what not to do.
Leave the surface alone
Old medals carry a patina, the soft tone that metal takes on over the years. Collectors prize it. A bright polish scrubs away that surface, leaves fine scratches, and tells any buyer that the piece has been worked over. Silver dips and metal polish are the worst offenders.
If a medal is simply dusty, a soft dry brush is all it needs. If it is filthy, stop and ask a conservator before you touch it with anything wet. The cost of asking is nothing. The cost of a ruined surface can be a lot.
Handle them the right way
Skin leaves salts and oils that corrode metal over time. Hold medals by the edge, and wear clean cotton gloves if you have them. Work over a soft towel on a table so a dropped piece lands gently. A medal that hits a hard floor can bend a suspension or chip an enamel.
Insignia and badges need the same care. Enamel chips easily, and a cracked enamel face is hard to fix and obvious to a buyer. Pins and clasps grow brittle with age, so do not force them.
Ribbons need their own attention
The ribbon is part of the award and part of the value. Keep it away from strong light, which fades the colors fast. Moths and other pests eat the silk and wool, so check stored ribbons now and then. If a ribbon is original to the medal, do not replace it, even faded. Originality counts for more than fresh color.
Store them so they last
The enemies are moisture, light, and contact with the wrong materials. A few simple choices keep medals safe for decades.
- Keep them in a stable, dry room. Not the attic, not the basement.
- Use acid-free tissue and acid-free boxes, not ordinary cardboard, which gives off acids as it ages.
- Keep each piece separate so they do not rub. Soft pouches or padded trays work well.
- Add a small packet of silica gel to a closed box to hold down moisture, and change it now and then.
- Avoid plastic that smells strong or feels sticky. Look for archival, inert sleeves instead.
Originality counts for more than fresh color. A faded original ribbon beats a bright new one.
Displaying without doing harm
It is fine to show medals. Just protect them. Hang a frame on an inside wall away from direct sun, and look for glass that blocks ultraviolet light. Keep the frame out of bathrooms and kitchens where moisture runs high. Mount pieces so nothing presses on an enamel or bends a pin.
If the medals matter to you as family history, take good photographs and write down what you know about the person before memories fade. That record travels with the medals and makes them worth more to anyone who holds them later.
When you are ready to learn how to mount and store a larger group for the long term, I wrote a separate piece on storing and displaying a collection so it lasts. Start there once the basics here are second nature.
Common questions
Should I polish inherited medals before framing them?
No. Polishing removes the patina collectors value and leaves scratches that lower the worth. Dust with a soft dry brush only, and ask a conservator before using anything wet.
Can I replace a faded medal ribbon?
If the ribbon is original to the medal, keep it even when faded. Originality matters more than bright color, and a replacement ribbon can reduce value.