Most military medals found in family drawers are worth approximately $10-50 each, because the common campaign and service medals of the World Wars were issued in the millions. A US World War II Victory Medal or American Campaign Medal sells for $10-25, and a British WWII campaign star for $15-40. Value rises sharply when a medal can be tied to a specific person and story. A British WWI medal named on the rim to a soldier whose service can be traced, a gallantry award such as the Military Medal, a Purple Heart with documents showing who received it and why, or a group kept together with papers and photographs can be worth hundreds to several thousand dollars. Iron Crosses, early American medals and anything rare sit in a market where reproductions are common and careful checking comes first.
The single most useful thing to look at is the edge or the back: whether the medal is named, and to whom.
Quick answer
- Common WWII campaign and service medals, unnamed: $10-50 each.
- Named British and Commonwealth medals, Purple Hearts with research, and groups with papers: $80-1,000+.
- Named gallantry awards and rare early medals: hundreds to many thousands, and fakes are common at that level.
How to check yours, step by step
- Identify the country. Look at the obverse (front) for a monarch's head, an eagle, a cross or a national emblem, and read any inscription around the edge. British medals usually show the reigning monarch; US medals show eagles, figures or the words "United States of America".
- Read the rim. Turn the medal on its side and look at the edge with a magnifier. British and many Commonwealth medals of WWI and earlier were officially named on the rim with a number, rank, name and unit, impressed or engraved. That naming is where most of the value lives.
- Check the back. US medals were generally issued unnamed. A name engraved on the back, especially on a Purple Heart, may be official or privately added, and needs documents to mean much. Look also for small serial numbers on some early US medals.
- Look at the suspension and pin. The way the medal hangs from its ribbon (a straight bar, a claw, a ring, a swiveling suspender) and the pin on the back help date it. Collectors use details such as US "slot brooch" and "wrap brooch" pins to place a medal in WWII or later.
- Look at the ribbon. Ribbons were often replaced, so a fresh ribbon does not mean a new medal, and an original faded ribbon is a small plus. The colors help identify the medal when the design is unfamiliar.
- Gather the paperwork. Look in the same box for citations, discharge papers, service records, letters, photographs, the original issue box and any ribbon bars. These turn an anonymous medal into a documented one.
- Check weight and finish on anything rare. On a claimed Iron Cross, gallantry award or early medal, compare weight, size, metal and maker marks with published references. Cheap castings often feel light, have soft detail and show a seam or rough edges.
Common medals and what they sell for
| Medal | Notes | Approximate value |
|---|---|---|
| US WWII Victory Medal | Issued unnamed, very common | $10-25 |
| US American Campaign, European-African-Middle Eastern or Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal | Unnamed | $10-30 |
| US Army or Navy Good Conduct Medal, WWII era | Navy and Marine examples sometimes named | $15-40 |
| US National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal | Very common | $5-15 |
| US Purple Heart, unnamed | Several eras, many later issues | $30-60 |
| US Bronze Star, unnamed | Common | $25-60 |
| British WWI British War Medal (silver) | Named on rim | $30-50 |
| British WWI Victory Medal (bronze) | Named on rim | $15-30 |
| British WWI trio (1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal) | All named to the same man | $80-150 |
| British WWII stars and medals (1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Defence Medal, War Medal) | Issued unnamed in the UK | $15-40 each |
| Fraternal, school, sports and commemorative medals | Not military awards | $5-25 unless gold or silver |
The British War Medal is silver and sometimes sells near its metal value when the naming has been erased; the guide to telling if silver is real explains how to read silver marks on similar items.
What is worth more
| Medal or group | Why it is worth more | Approximate value |
|---|---|---|
| WWI trio or pair with researched service, casualty or notable unit | A name that leads to a story | $150-500+ |
| British Military Medal (MM), WWI, named | Gallantry award for other ranks | $700-2,000+ |
| British Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), named | Higher gallantry award, fewer issued | $2,000-6,000+ |
| British Military Cross | Officer gallantry award, issued unnamed | $800-2,000 alone, more in an identified group |
| US Purple Heart, named, with documents | Traceable recipient, especially killed in action | $200-2,000+ |
| US Silver Star, unnamed | Higher award, more often faked | $100-250 |
| German 1914 Iron Cross 2nd Class, original | Very common original, heavily reproduced | $50-200 |
| German 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class, original | Many reproductions | $150-500 |
| German 1939 Iron Cross 1st Class, original | Very many reproductions | $400-1,500+ |
| Civil War era identified items, GAR membership badges | Badges are common, identified veteran items are not | $30-150 badges, much more for identified items |
| Victorian campaign medals with clasps, named | Older campaigns, rarer clasps | $200-3,000+ |
These are broad bands for original pieces in decent condition. Rare clasps, famous actions, documented casualties and well known recipients move a medal far above them.
Reading British and Commonwealth naming
British medals from the Victorian era through WWI were named on the rim as standard. A typical WWI British War Medal reads something like "12345 PTE. J. SMITH. R. FUS." with the soldier's number, rank, name and regiment. With that information, service records, medal index cards and unit war diaries can often be traced, sometimes through online archives and family history sites, and the result is a story about a real person. Collectors pay for that story.
Check the naming carefully. Renamed medals, where the original naming was removed and new naming added, are worth much less, and the rim of a renamed medal often looks slightly thinner, polished or uneven. Erased naming is worth less again.
British WWII campaign stars and medals were issued unnamed to people serving in British forces, which is why they sell for modest prices. Some Commonwealth countries, including Australia and South Africa, named their WWII medals, and those sell for more because they can be researched.
US medals, Purple Hearts and research
US medals were generally issued unnamed, so a loose medal says little about who earned it. A Purple Heart with an engraved name on the back is worth more only if the name can be connected to a real recipient. Discharge papers, the citation, letters home, a casualty notice or a photograph kept with the medal do that. A researched Purple Heart group to a soldier killed in action can sell for many times the loose medal.
Many families also have medals the veteran never received officially, or replacement sets issued later. Those are worth the same as other unnamed medals.
Iron Crosses and the fake problem
The Iron Cross was instituted in 1813 and re-issued in 1870, 1914 and 1939, and the 1914 version was awarded in very large numbers. Originals of the common grades are not rare. The problem is that German WWI and WWII decorations are among the most reproduced items in collecting, and reproductions range from cheap castings to very convincing copies. Any Iron Cross, and especially the 1939 1st Class or higher grades, should be treated as unconfirmed until a specialist has handled it. West Germany also issued a 1957 version with the swastika replaced by oak leaves, which is a genuine postwar type worth less than wartime originals.
Note also that some countries, including Germany, restrict the display or sale of items carrying Nazi symbols.
Ethics and legality, briefly
In the United States, the Stolen Valor Act of 2013 makes it a crime to falsely claim to have earned certain medals in order to obtain money or another benefit. It addresses false claims, not ordinary collecting. Buying and selling most US medals is common and openly done. The Medal of Honor is different: federal law prohibits selling, buying or trading it, and dealers will not handle one. Other countries have their own rules, and some families prefer to keep a medal or donate it to a regimental museum rather than sell it. Both are reasonable choices.
Common mistakes
- Assuming any war medal is valuable. Most WWII campaign medals were issued in the millions.
- Splitting a group or separating medals from their papers, which removes the story buyers pay for.
- Polishing medals, which removes original toning and can blur naming.
- Ignoring the rim on British medals, where the name and most of the value sit.
- Treating an Iron Cross or other German decoration as original because it looks old.
- Confusing fraternal, sports or commemorative medals with military awards.
- Replacing an original faded ribbon with a new one before selling.
What to photograph
- The front and back of each medal, in daylight, without the ribbon blocking detail.
- The rim, rotating the medal so the full naming can be read.
- The suspension, pin and any maker marks.
- All medals in a group laid out together, with the ribbon bar if there is one.
- Paperwork, photos and the original box, with names readable.
- For any Iron Cross or high award, the weight on a kitchen scale and close-ups of the edges.
For mixed boxes with coins, badges and tokens, the guides to inherited coins and identifying unknown finds help sort the rest.
When to get it looked at in person
A named gallantry award, a researched group, a Purple Heart with papers, an Iron Cross or any early medal is worth showing to a specialist medal dealer or an auction house that runs dedicated medal sales. Most review photos at no charge to the seller and take a commission of roughly 15 to 25 percent when they sell. A written appraisal for insurance or an estate typically costs $100-300. Research on a named British medal can be done at modest cost through archives and family history sites, or by a professional researcher for roughly $50-200, and it is worth doing when the medal is named and the man can be traced. For unnamed common campaign medals, sold listings for the same medal are enough.