How to identify and value military medals from an estate
Most of the medals I see did not come from a collector. They came from a family clearing out a parent’s house, and nobody left a note about what any of it means.
If that is you, slow down. A medal is a small record of one person’s service. Once you learn to read it, you can usually find out a great deal about where it came from and what it is worth. The work is not hard. It just takes patience and a good light.
Start with the type of award
Sort what you have into groups before you do anything else. Campaign medals were handed out to everyone who served in a place or a time, so they are common and usually modest in value. Decorations for bravery or merit are a different matter. Those were given to one person for one act, and they can carry real worth.
Look at the shape, the ribbon colors, and any words stamped on the front. A reference book on the awards of the country in question will get you most of the way. The Smithsonian’s collections are a good place to compare shapes and ribbons if you are not sure what you have. You can browse them through the National Museum of American History.
Read the rim and the back
Here is where the money hides. Many medals, British ones in particular, were named around the rim with the recipient’s name, rank, and unit. A named medal you can trace to a real soldier is worth far more than a blank one. Turn the piece under a lamp and read slowly. The engraving is often worn.
Write down every letter you can make out, even the parts you are unsure about. A name and a service number can open up old records. From there you can sometimes build the whole story of a man’s war, and that story is a large part of what a buyer pays for.
Judge the condition honestly
Collectors care about the ribbon as much as the medal. An original ribbon, even a faded one, beats a bright replacement. Check whether the ribbon has been changed and whether the medal still hangs the way it should.
Look for these things:
- Wear on the high points of the design, which tells you how much it was worn or handled
- Scratches, dents, or signs that someone tried to clean it
- Whether engraving looks original or freshly cut, which can point to a fake
- Mounting pins and brooch bars, which should match the period
Do not clean anything yet. I cover that in its own piece, but the short version is that polishing almost always lowers the value.
Where the value really comes from
Three things move the price. The first is the award itself, since a rare decoration starts high no matter what. The second is the man behind it, because a medal tied to a known action or a famous unit pulls more interest. The third is condition and originality, which can swing the number up or down by half.
A common campaign medal with no name might bring the price of a nice dinner. The same medal, named to a soldier who landed on a known beach on a known day, can bring many times that. The metal is the same. The history is what people buy.
The metal is rarely the point. People pay for the person the medal belonged to.
Get a second opinion before you sell
If you think a piece is good, do not guess. The Orders and Medals Society of America keeps a network of people who study this for the love of it, and many will help you identify a piece. You can find them at omsa.org. A reputable dealer or a specialist auction house will also give you a read, often for free, in the hope of handling the sale.
Take clear photos of the front, the back, the rim, and the ribbon. Note anything you found stamped on it. That small file does most of the work when you ask someone what you have.
Common questions
Does cleaning a medal increase its value?
No. Cleaning or polishing a medal almost always lowers its value. Collectors want the original surface and patina. Leave the piece as you found it and let a buyer decide.
How do I find out who a named medal belonged to?
Write down the name, rank, and service number from the rim, then search military service records and unit histories. A specialist society or dealer can often match a name to a documented action.