Campaign groups, gallantry decorations, named medals, cap badges and military watches. Every medal assessed individually in writing — including named-medal research against published medal rolls and London Gazette citations.
Named medals are not commodity items. Their value depends on research most buyers never do. Free insured postage to £5,000. Written valuation per award. Paid in 72 hours.
Most postal buyers will accept medals. Very few will tell you why your grandfather's Military Medal is worth what it is — or that the condition of the naming on the rim, the presence of original ribbons and bars, the availability of his medal roll entry, and a London Gazette citation for the specific act of bravery all contribute to the final figure.
British military medal collecting is one of the most precisely valued disciplines in all of antiques. A Waterloo Medal naming a private in the 95th Rifles commands a meaningfully different price from a Waterloo Medal to an unidentified soldier in a line infantry regiment. A Military Medal with a confirmed London Gazette citation — "for conspicuous gallantry in the field" with a specific date and location — is categorically different from the same award without one.
These distinctions represent the difference between metal value and what the serious collector market will actually pay.
At Fair Vintage, our medals specialists cross-reference every named medal against the published medal rolls, service records, and London Gazette entries where available. Every assessment is written down, with the reasoning explained, before you decide whether to sell a single piece.
This is the question every seller deserves a genuine answer to — not a vague "condition and rarity."
A Victoria Cross occupies a completely different market from a campaign service medal. The hierarchy runs: VC > GC > DSO > MC / DCM > MM / DSM > MSM > campaign service medals. Within campaign medals, period and rarity of service both affect value.
Named medals — those with a serviceman's name, number, rank, and regiment on the rim — can be cross-referenced against medal rolls, searched in service records, and connected to a specific human story. This is where collector premium is created. An unnamed example of the same award is a different article entirely.
Every gallantry award was published in the London Gazette. The citation describes the specific act of bravery. A named MM with a Gazette citation describing a specific action at a known battle is worth measurably more than the same named MM without a traceable citation. We check the Gazette for every named gallantry award received. The result is included in your written valuation.
A complete group — all medals to one serviceman, still named, with original ribbons and bars — is worth considerably more than the same pieces sold individually. Do not separate a group before you know what you have.
Parchment commissions, discharge documents, next-of-kin notification letters, original photographs, and correspondence related to the award all add meaningful provenance value. Do not discard these documents before contacting us.
Our specialists use the following sources for every named medal assessment — at no additional charge to you:
The official records of which medals were issued to which men. Confirms that the naming on your medal matches the official record — ruling out renamed medals — and reveals whether additional medals were issued that may not be present in your group.
Every gallantry award was published in the Gazette. The full archive is digitised and freely searchable. We search for every named gallantry award we receive. A Gazette citation dramatically affects the assessment and is included in your written valuation.
WW1 service records are approximately 40% surviving (after the 1940 Blitz). WW2 records remain largely restricted. We use medal index cards, pension records, casualty records, and unit war diaries to fill gaps in documented service histories.
Current market value is assessed against published results from Dix Noonan Webb, Spink, and Timeline Auctions — the UK's specialist militaria sale rooms. Your written valuation includes relevant comparables where available.
"I've been told my medals aren't worth much."
That assessment is only as good as the knowledge behind it. If the person who assessed them did not check the medal rolls, did not look for a London Gazette citation, and did not check specialist auction results for named examples, their opinion has limited value. Before accepting any offer, get a specialist's written assessment.
"I don't want to separate the group."
You don't have to. We assess every group as a group. The decision to sell as a group or individually is entirely yours — with written valuations for both options.
"They belonged to my grandfather and I'm not sure I want to sell."
Send them for assessment. You are under no obligation to sell after receiving the valuation. Many families send inherited medals to understand their history and value — then choose to keep them. Items are returned free, fully insured, within 5 working days if you choose not to sell.
"I'm worried about sending medals in the post."
Your parcel is insured to £5,000 automatically, at no cost, on both the outward and return journey. For groups where total estimated value exceeds £5,000, contact us before sending and we will arrange enhanced cover. Your parcel is opened live on our YouTube channel — the contents at arrival are recorded on camera before anyone touches them.
Tell us what you have — "a box of WW1 and WW2 medals, plus some cap badges" is enough. We email you a free prepaid, tracked and insured label the same working day.
Wrap medals individually. Don't clean or polish anything. Include any associated paperwork or photographs. Pack into any sturdy box, attach the label, drop at any Royal Mail or DPD point.
We email you a unique parcel code and broadcast time. Your parcel is opened on camera, publicly — every medal visible before a specialist touches it.
Our specialists research every named medal and write up every piece individually — with reasoning explained. Accept any or all offers. Return anything free. Payment within 72 hours.
If your question isn't here, call us on 01234 815116 or email support@fairvintage.co.uk. We respond within one working day.
Get your free pack →Yes. With one exception: a Victoria Cross cannot be exported from the UK without a licence but may be freely sold within the UK. All other decorations and campaign medals may be freely bought and sold. The Trade in Military Decorations Act covers fraudulent misrepresentation — not legitimate private sales.
Yes. The naming on the medal rim — surname, service number, rank, regiment — is sufficient to begin research via the National Archives medal rolls and the London Gazette archive (freely available at thegazette.co.uk). Many significant groups have been fully researched from rim naming alone.
Keep them together. A complete medal group — all medals to one serviceman, named, with original ribbons — is worth considerably more than the same pieces sold separately. We assess groups as groups and will explain both options in writing.
No. The original unpolished patina of a medal is preferred by collectors. Brasso removes original patina and cannot be undone. Send medals as found — our specialists assess original condition.
Replacement medals were legitimately issued — servicemen who lost originals could apply for duplicates, marked "replacement" on the rim. Replacement medals have different collector values from originals and are noted clearly in our written valuation.
Within 72 hours of your parcel going live on YouTube — guaranteed. If we miss that window, we add 3% to your total.
Request your free pack today. We'll research every named medal, write up every piece individually, open it live on YouTube, and pay within 72 hours — or add 3%.