Military Medals

Military medals have been awarded to members of the armed forces to commemorate officers and private soldiers for service during battles and campaigns. The most popular medals that we offer at auction are those which were awarded to members of the British armed services, however, we do also offer orders and decorations from all nations.

The most popular medals relate to the some of the most renowned actions in history; the Battle of Waterloo, Charge of the Light and Heavy Brigades during the Crimean War, Indian Mutiny, the battles of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift during the Zulu Wars in South Africa, and medals awarded for the Boxer Rebellion in China.

Medals relating to service during WW1 are also very popular at auction, with many collectors looking to buy medals of various regiments or men who were involved in famous battles such as Gallipoli, Battle of the Somme, Passchendaele, Cambrai, etc.

During WW2 it was decided that campaign medals were not to be named, making the medals much harder to research and attribute. Medals with original paperwork of service make this much easier. Medals for some of the most famous events of WW2, such as The Battle of Britain, D-Day, Battle of Arnhem, The Dambusters, Battle of El Alamein, etc, always prove to be very popular when they go under the hammer.

Medals and decorations awarded for gallantry are some of the most interesting medals we deal with. These medals often have a recommendation which details what the individual did to receive such an award, this is often an unbelievable feat which is deserving of much more than just a medal. Most people would of heard of the Victoria Cross, but there were many other awards made for gallantry, including the Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Flying Medal, Distinguished Conduct Medal, Distinguished Service Medal as issued to the Royal Navy, Military Medal, Air Force Cross, Air Force Medal, plus others.

We do not only handle medals for Military Service, we have sold medals for civil service, Police gallantry and service medals, Fire Brigade medals and awards for the saving of lives, etc.

In 2017 we were consigned a large collection of British campaign medals which had been bought over the last 30 years from private families in the North East of the UK; these medals were all un-researched and none had been offered on the market before. As a result, we researched almost every medal, finding interesting history on the recipients which resulted in a higher hammer price for our client.

We are always eager to hear from private families or collectors who are looking to sell either single medals or entire collections.