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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Antiques and Collectibles Articles   Follow the arrows to other stories Medal Collecting - Part 2: WW1 British Campaign Medals   By Roy Bassett Millions of medals were awarded to allied troops in World War 1, but as Remembrance Day 2006 approaches, only a few original recipients are still alive to wear them.   Henry Allingham, Britain's oldest surviving WW1 veteran wore his medals - British War Medal, Victory Medal and Legion D'Honneur - France's highest military honor - during a celebration of his 110th birthday in June in England.   Allingham represents two WW1 lasts: he is the last Royal Air Force founding member and the last survivor of the 16-hour Battle of Jutland in 1916.   It is quite remarkable to be writing about medal recipients from a war that was endured almost a hundred years ago. They will be in our thoughts as we remember this Remembrance Day.   When the last of the WW1 vets are gone, all of the medals awarded in WW1 will be in the possession of (A) family (b) museums (c) private collections (d) on the market (e) buried with the veterans.   For collectors, here is a summary of four primary British medals awarded during WW1 - the 1914 Star, a bronze medal; the 1914-1915 Star; The British War Medal (1914-1920) and Victory Medal (1914-1919).   The 1914 Star This bronze medal was awarded to those who served in France or Belgium between the August 5 and November 22, 1914. Soldiers actually under fire from the enemy in those two countries and between those two dates were awarded a bar to the medal noting the dates. The bar was known as the "Mons" bar and the medal was given the nickname of the "Mons Star."   On the reverse of the medal, the recipient's name, rank, number and Unit are stamped in block capitals. (Research will have to be done to determine the validity of any Mons bar you find.)   As the 1914 Star name implies, the medal is a four-pointed star with crossed swords and topped with a crown. In the centre is the date "1914" with the letters "Aug" above it and the letters "Nov" below it.   Approximately 400,000 of these medals were awarded, with a much lower number of bars. It was awarded to 160 Canadians without the bar.   The recipient of this medal also received the War Medal and the Victory Medal, making a three-medal group and affectionately known as 'pip, squeak and wilfred.'   As with most medals, the number of medals awarded to a particular Unit determines the value with the Mons bar being more expensive than the one without it.   The 1914-1915 Star This medal is identical to the first one, except for the date in the centre of the star. On this medal, the date is "1914-15" and it does not have letters above or below it. The 1914-1915 medal was awarded to those who served in any theatre of war between August 5, 1914, and December 31, 1915, and is often confused with the Mons Star. This medal was the most common British campaign medal up to that time as at least 2.35 million were issued - 71,500 to Canadians -.and is valued at about one fifth of the value of the Mons Star without bar. The recipient of this medal also received the British War and Victory medals.   The British War Medal The silver British War Medal (1914-1920) is circular in shape in the form of a coin. The obverse bears the uncrowned profile of King George V, while the reverse shows St George on horseback trampling the shield of the Central Powers and the skull and crossbones. This medal commemorates some of the most terrible battles the world has ever known. The casualties in the Ypres Salient, and on the Somme from 1915 to 1918, were more than our total for the Second World War. Approximately 6.5 million in silver were issued to British and Imperial Forces, plus about 110,000 in bronze were issued to Chinese, Indian and Maltese personnel in labour battalions. It should be noted that these bronze versions are valued at six times those in silver. The name, number and Unit of the recipient is indented in block capitals around the rim.   The Victory Medal This distinct yellow bronze medal depicts the standing figure of Victory holding a palm branch in her right hand. The reverse is a laurel leaf containing the words, "THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION 1914 - 1919."   Approximately six million Victory medals were issued to all those who received the Mons Star, the 1914-15 Star and, with certain exceptions, to those who received the War Medal.   The naming is the same as for the War Medal. The Victory Medal was never awarded alone. It was also known as the Allied War Medal because the basic design was adopted by 13 other allied nations.   Group values a difficult task You will find groups of three, including the Mons Star or the 1914-15 Star, and groups of two, with the War Medal and the Victory Medal.   You will also discover the War Medal missing, this is because several years ago, the value of silver surpassed the value of the medal and thousands were melted down for their silver value.   It is virtually impossible to give a value for these medal groups because so many variants can cause the price to rise or fall. All things being equal, a group with the 1914 Star with the Mons bar will realize the higher price of any of the groups mentioned.   Beyond that, you will find that rank, regiment, unit or even a well-known recipient will affect the price realized. I have seen groups sold for $50 and one for over $200,000 and, of course, everything in between.   As I have mentioned, British medals awarded during WW1 are all named to the recipient, together with military number, rank and branch of service. This makes WW1 medals easier to do complete research and to determine if these particular medals are genuine.   Unfortunately, WW2 campaign medals were not engraved with the name etc if awarded to a British or Canadian recipient. Many WW11 groups of medals are found on the market without anything to assist you in establishing just who received the medals etc.   You might find a WW2 group with one of the following medals, which are all named: General Service Medal, Long Service Medal, a Gallantry Medal and a Korean War Medal. This will assist you greatly in establishing the group as genuine and identifying the recipient.   The only other way to establish a group as being genuine is if the group comes with documentation, such as a Service Record or personal military paybook.   Next: My third medals column - How I got started   Roy Bassett is a veteran of the British army (1950's) and a retired Toronto policeman. He can be reached at ninelancer@sympatico.ca   Other articles by Roy Bassett   Collecting militaria   Collecting police badges and patches   Collecting medals, a three-part series (Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3)   Remembering Dr. John McCrae       Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2007 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster