Should you sell at all? The honest answer first
Most people who message us about medals are not sure they want to part with them, so it is worth saying plainly that selling is not always the right answer. If the medals are named, that naming is a record of one person and it can be traced. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the service records at the National Archives, and the relevant regimental museum or association will usually fill in the story for nothing, and some museums accept a group on loan or by donation so it stays with the unit it was earned in. Specialist auction is another legitimate route. If you would regret selling, do not sell.
What actually determines value
Medals are not priced by weight. Two questions decide almost every valuation: is it named, and what did the person it was awarded to do.
- Naming. First World War British campaign medals were impressed around the rim with service number, rank, surname, initials and unit. That naming is the medal’s identity and usually the bulk of its value. A rim ground flat, erased or re-engraved is worth a fraction of an honest one.
- The unit and the recipient. A trio to a private in a common regiment is one thing. The same trio to a man who died on service, an early 1914 arrival, a Royal Flying Corps man or a battalion tied to a well-known action is another entirely.
- Completeness of the group. Medals to one person are worth more together than split up, and more again with the original ribbons, box, forwarding slip or scroll. Never break a group up to sell it piecemeal.
- Condition and originality. Original ribbons and honest toning are wanted. Polishing, lacquer, replacement ribbons and alterations for wear all reduce what a collector pays.
- Metal content, last. Bullion value is the floor, not the ceiling, and for most British medals it is a very low floor.
How to tell what you are holding
The most useful distinction in a British family collection is which war the medals came from. First World War campaign medals were named around the rim. The 1914 Star and 1914-15 Star are bronze, the British War Medal 1914-20 is sterling silver at roughly 32 grams with its suspender, and the Victory Medal is bronze; the last three are the group collectors call Pip, Squeak and Wilfred. Second World War British stars and medals were issued unnamed, and none are silver: the stars are a copper-zinc alloy, the War Medal and Defence Medal cupro-nickel. That is the honest reason a full Second World War set is usually worth less than one named First World War pair. Australian, Indian and South African issues of the same medals were named, and those are a different proposition.
The bronze memorial plaque, often called the death plaque or the dead man’s penny, went to the next of kin of each service member who died, with the name cast into it and no rank shown. Around 1.35 million were issued, so they are not rare, and bronze has no bullion value. Precious metal appears elsewhere: the British War Medal, most long service and good conduct medals, the Silver War Badge of 1916, hallmarked officers’ badges, and sweetheart brooches, which are often 9ct gold or sterling silver and sometimes the only precious metal in the box. Where a piece is solid gold or silver we confirm the purity on our in-house XRF analyser and give you both figures, metal and collector assessment, so you can see which is higher.
What we buy, and what we refer elsewhere
- Campaign, service, long service and good conduct medals, single or as a full named group
- Memorial plaques and scrolls, Silver War Badges and other next-of-kin material
- Cap badges, buttons, sweetheart brooches and regimental jewellery, gold, silver or base metal
- Regimental silver and presentation pieces, cigarette cases, tankards, salvers and inscribed plate
- Mixed house-clearance and probate lots of medals and militaria, unsorted, exactly as found
There are things we will not buy, and we would rather set them out here than after you have posted. Victoria Crosses, George Crosses and significant gallantry awards attract collector, legal and ethical scrutiny beyond what a postal buyer should take on; they belong with a specialist medal auction house and we will point you towards one. Items bearing proscribed insignia, where resale is restricted, are outside what we handle. Firearms, edged weapons, ordnance and ammunition, inert or otherwise, cannot be sent through the post and we do not deal in them.
Provenance, identification and why we ask
Named medals are traceable, which is precisely why they are stolen and precisely why we check. GoldPaid asks how the medals came to you, requires photo identification, and asks you to confirm in writing that you own them and are entitled to sell them. We cannot buy anything without clear ownership; where provenance is unclear we decline and return the items. The same applies to church, memorial and mourning material.
How it works
- Ask first and send photos. Photograph the front, back and rim of each medal, plus any ribbons, boxes, scrolls or paperwork. Rim naming photographs best in daylight at a shallow angle.
- Request a prepaid Royal Mail label. We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label, tracked and signed for, usually within 30 minutes during working hours. No printer? We send a QR code for the Post Office counter.
- Post the group whole. Wrap each medal so they cannot rub together and send the group as it stands, with any documents. There is no deadline.
- We research and assess by hand. Naming is read and checked, groups are looked up, and any solid gold or silver is XRF-tested for purity. You receive a written, no-obligation valuation separating collector value from metal value.
- Accept or decline. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer using Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance. Decline and everything is returned free of charge by tracked, insured post.
Cover in transit
Your parcel is covered by Royal Mail Special Delivery, with cover available up to £2,500 depending on the cover level used. The prepaid label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: full tracking, a signature on delivery, arranged with that cover per parcel. Higher-value items are no problem, but please message us first so the cover and the packing approach match the value. Postage and insurance explains it fully.
If the offer is not for you
Then nothing happens except a free return. We send your items back by tracked, insured post at our cost, with no fee for declining and no follow-up. A valuation is only worth having if you can turn it down freely, so you can. See what happens if I decline the offer.
Who this helps
Families who have inherited a relative’s medals and want a straight answer before deciding anything, executors handling an estate that includes militaria, and people clearing a house who have found a tin of badges at the back of a wardrobe. If the box also holds medallions, coins or a watch, see sell medals and medallions and the watches, coins, medals and stamps hub.
Payment, once you accept
When you say yes to the written offer, GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments bank transfer to your nominated account. You give those details only at the point you accept, never as a condition of getting an offer.
Common questions
Are my grandfather’s medals worth anything?
Often yes, but rarely for the reason people expect. If they are named First World War medals, the naming, the unit and what happened to the man carry most of the value, and a researched group can be worth considerably more than its metal. If they are unnamed Second World War British medals, they are base metal and common, so the figure is modest and we will say so. Send photographs of both sides and the rim on WhatsApp and you get an honest indication before anything is posted.
How much are WW1 medals worth?
It depends almost entirely on the naming. A British War Medal and Victory Medal pair to an ordinary infantryman sits at the modest end. The same pair to a casualty, an early 1914 arrival, a Royal Flying Corps man or a scarce unit sits well above it, and a complete group with the original box, ribbons and paperwork higher again. The British War Medal is sterling silver, so there is a small metal floor, but for a named medal the collector value is normally the higher of the two. Final offers depend on inspection, naming, condition, completeness and current collector demand.
Why are my grandad’s WW2 medals worth so little?
Because British Second World War campaign stars and medals were issued unnamed and in very large numbers, and they are not made of precious metal. The stars are a copper-zinc alloy and the War Medal and Defence Medal are cupro-nickel. There is no silver content to fall back on and no naming to research, so the collector market values them accordingly. Australian, Indian and South African issues of the same medals were named and are treated differently. We would rather tell you this plainly than talk around it.
What is a death plaque and should I sell it?
The bronze memorial plaque, sometimes called the dead man’s penny, was sent to the next of kin of each service member who died, with the name cast into it. About 1.35 million were issued. There is no bullion value in the bronze, so the worth lies in the name, the surviving scroll and any medals that belong with it. Many families choose to keep or donate them instead, and a regimental museum or the relevant association is worth contacting before you decide. If you do want to sell, send a photograph and we will value it properly rather than by weight.
Will you melt down my medals?
Not if they are named or gallantry awards. We research the naming first and tell you what we find, and if we cannot place a named medal as a collectable it is returned to you rather than scrapped. Unnamed base-metal commemoratives and damaged plated oddments are a different case, and we will tell you clearly which category each item falls into before you accept anything.
Do I need to prove the medals are mine?
Yes. Named medals are traceable, so we ask how they came to you, require photo identification, and ask you to confirm in writing that you own them and are entitled to sell them. If ownership is not clear we decline and return everything. It is a short step and it is what keeps the market for named medals honest.