Medals and other stuff on e-bay

Re medals on eBay

I don’t collect medals, but had also heard some of the tricks that sellers stoop to on eBay – However when I saw a group to a survivor from my Grandad’s ship – HMS Glowworm ( He was not a survivor sadly) – my interest was aroused. The group, if I recall correctly, included a POW letter, telegram saying he had survived, post card, the medals and a few bits of paperwork – some of which were described as copies “as the family had wished to keep the originals” – I talked to a couple of collectors to find their worth and after some advice emailed the seller with a few direct questions. It turned out that all the associated material bar the post card were in fact photocopies or scans and the medals were “representative” originals??? :confused: As the price began to climb I decided it was too great a risk and did not bid & the “group” went for £160 😮

Moggy , Auster Fan,

Try your research (both on medal reciepents and also on places to buy medals) at the following two forums.

www.britishmedalforum.com
www.medalcollectors.com

Both have SEVERAL hardcore collectors who have vast amount of research reference material. They will be glad to look up your names and numbers at no cost at all. Plus hell lot of tips to start one’s own research. who knows if luck holds out there might be someone who specialilses in your grandfathers regiment.

One word of caution – never ask them where you can get ‘copies’ of medals.. they hate that :D. its absolute sacrilage to buy copies to put up in between original medals or something.

Another aspect is never buy named medals with the intent of erasing names.. or dont buy from dealers selling ‘naming erased’ medals.

Just hang around there and you will get the drift.

Regards

Jagan

Been stuffed all week.

Anyway, it’s only Suffolk by default – I’m a Norfolk boy, but over here I know that I overshadow all my neighbours – they aspire to my genius. Lowestoft should be dragged into Norfolk anyhow – geographically it’s Norfolk. We could swap for Yarmouth if need be.

ROTFL 😀

Yes – for someone from Suffolk to have a sense of humour is indeed a rare thing. He should be mounted and stuffed………….. 😀

Note: There is no ‘Austerfan’ on the CWGC – so i assume maternal side?

ROTFL 😀

I’ve got a slightly different problem. My mother had just been given the same medals that were awarded to my great grandfather, although he didn’t live to see them as he was killed at some point during WW1 and no-one seems to know anything about him. I’m about to start investigations as at least I have his service number and regiment.

Ian old chap, come with me. What details do you have exactly? Post them up and I’ll see what I can get, then show you where to ask following that. Am 20k words into my Great Grandfathers service…
.
Note: There is no ‘Austerfan’ on the CWGC – so i assume maternal side?

Medal Story

Out here in Australia when I was a kid – 50 years ago – schools would have an ANZAC Day event where us kids would wear our parent’s medals.

Both my parents served in New Guinea during WW2 (My father was in the engineers while my mother was a nurse) and as a result received exactly the same set of medals (4 each).

So whenever I appeared at these school things I tended to rattle and clank more than the average kid, and spend time explaining to all and sundry why I was wearing two identical sets of gongs. 🙂

.. at least I have his service number and regiment.

So you start at www.cwgc.org 🙂

Moggy 🙂

I’m trying to assemble a collection of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory medal in memory of my Uncle who was entitled to these (And probably the family got them, but they are long since gone)

Note: This is slightly off-topic for an aviation forum, but on the grounds that there may be others trying to do the same thing for aircrew it could be of general interest

I’ve got a slightly different problem. My mother had just been given the same medals that were awarded to my great grandfather, although he didn’t live to see them as he was killed at some point during WW1 and no-one seems to know anything about him. I’m about to start investigations as at least I have his service number and regiment.

Thanks Mark, Peter 🙂

Moggy

Moggy Try award productions
Their prices are reasonable. I bought a couple of missing medals for my grandfaters medal group. We were missing a couple of the originals.

Yeah, buy individuals. Either ebay, or a dealer. I reccomend www.southernmedals.co.uk you can have the three for £39 upwards from him, as singles. Check the pro for his Medal index Card to check what he was entitled to. f he was wounded he’d be eligible for a silver war badge, killed would be the memorial plaque. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/browse-refine.asp?CatID=10&searchType=browserefine&pagenumber=1&query=*&queryType=1

Good tips, thanks for that.

I think this lot was supported by a logbook, though I’m only inferring that from something written in the ad, as the sale is over it no longer shows in his ‘other items’

I’m trying to assemble a collection of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory medal in memory of my Uncle who was entitled to these (And probably the family got them, but they are long since gone)

Any tips?

Moggy

Note: This is slightly off-topic for an aviation forum, but on the grounds that there may be others trying to do the same thing for aircrew it could be of general interest

Yes, very poignant..

As an aside, a note for those who might be considering investing in these lots on ebay. i have spent my time on considerable number of ‘medal collecting’ forums and the following gen may be of some interest.

For various reasons, lots like this on ebay attract skepticism and caution. the primary reason being that the WW2 UK issued medals unlike WW2 India medals were not named. And there are quite a number of unscrupulous dealers who went about collecting empty boxes and issue notes , then ‘assemble’ groups and sell them on ebay.

Normally the hardcore collectors dont touch lots unless they came with more documentation – like paybooks, logbooks, service documents, photographs etc – anything that give an established provenance from the family.

Indian Medal lots are the opposite. They are all named and can be confirmed as genuine – but they come with absolutely zero paperwork.

Pakistani WW2 medal lots are reportedly ‘assembled’ over one single named medal. And people who dont know much fall for the assembled lots.

all in all an interesting (and a thriving) field.

I know just what you mean, Moggy. Really makes you think. Some poor devil paid the ultimate price, and the powers-that-be couldn’t even run to a hand-written note.