WHAT WAR MEDALS ARE WORTH.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 20474, 2 October 1915, Page 3

WHAT WAR MEDALS ARE WORTH.

■ —<*» : The immense local enthusiasm that is being evinced for the winners of the V.G. in their own districts proves how high this much-ftought-after reward ranks in the evtinjation of the public, and the layman may be pardoned loi envying the soldier or sailor.the opportunity of winning so magnificent a tok en, of the nation's goodwill and recognition of gallantry on the field., Curiously enough, it was not until the accession of Queen Victoria that the cusfcoin of giving -war-medals to all branches.'of the services came into existence, although there are, many cases of medals—public and private—being unofficially granted before that period. The Trafalgar medal, for instance, wastgiven to the men who fought in that, memorable sea-fight by Mr. Boulfcon, of Soho, the well-known engineer. The medal itself was made in gold, silver, and white metal/ and was suspended from a dark-blue ribbon. The obverse bears the bust of Lord Nelson, while the reverse contains a representation of the Battle of Trafalgar and the words, " England expects that every man will do h.s duty." It is quite a misapprehension for people to think .tnat such a medal as that given for good service in the Peninsular war was struck off at the time. The medal, in fact, wap not presented to officers and men taking part in the battles until 1848. As there were not many veterans, then left, the number of medals given away was not large, [ndeed, the medal is now exceedingly scarce, one with two bars having fetched as much as £60. The Waterloo medal generally bringG a good price; and Crimean medals are hard to obtain. Dealers have thousands and thousands of medals of ail kinds in stock; some are originals 3 vyhile many are copies. In fact, the extent ot" their trade in copies ana miniatures of medals and decorations would surprise most people. Persons who possess a medal are often afraid of losing it, and, in order to insure its safety, they wean- a copy instead of the original. Then for miniature's there is always a large demand, more especially from officer^, who, however, are much more sparing in the in- use of medals and decorations which they have won in the field. A medal of great rarity is that presented in connection with the early Afghan wars. The Victoria Cross is very highly valued in the market. A genuine one, obtained by a soldier or sailor for some especially gallant action, will fetch £50 or more under the hammer. But it is not often there is a chance of purchasing one, for the man who obtains the Victoria Cross needs to be in very low w&trir before he will dispose of such ti decoration. Besides, it was given to him by his Sovereign, and he would regard himseTf as unworthy were he to try and make money on it. But copies

are_ often sold to the possessors of Victoria drosses who are afraid of showing the original in public; and, curiously, even the people to whom the copies are sold, are unable to tell then, from the original. The correct weigh i of the Victoria Cross is .755; the weight of a copy comes to .759, ana nothing can make it heavier. The original is made from bronze cannon captured from the enemy. , , Old soldiers anvi others make queer requests of dealers. One man had lost his medal, and went in tears to a dealer to help. He was able to give h:m a, copy so like the real thing that for the moment he was quite deceived. About the time of, Baladava day, dealers are inundated with veterans anxious to renew their ribbons, and who borrow a medal to replace an original that has been lost. The commonest medal, from a coltectar'i3 point of view, is probably that issued for the South African campaign. So many were granted that hundreds have come on the market, and they may be purchased at pawnbrokers oir medal dealers for a few shillings.