What’s the Worth, Value and Price of Military Medals, Orders and Awards? (2024)

FAQs

How do you find the value of war medals? ›

When it comes to deciding a medals' value, there are a number of factors which always have a significant influence. Age, condition and rarity are always important when grading military medals, but the campaign for which it was awarded is also of importance.

Collector Value

Nowadays, World War II medals can fetch as little as $5 to $10. The main reason is that these medals are usually unnamed and can't be easily linked to a recipient. Others, however, have been issued in small quantities and have a higher collector's value.

The Medal of Honor is priceless. Trying to sell or buy one is a federal offense.

In most cases, the best place to start is the London Gazette, available on The Gazette website, though for many medals a citation was not published (see the table below for medal-by-medal details). You can search the Gazette by name, service number, publication date and type of award.

Certain Medals are prohibited, so you will need to be aware and take the time to familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions of sale. You could consider selling directly to dealers who will provide you with a swift sale. We would advise contacting several dealers to ensure you are getting the best deal.

Your old War Medals can be surprisingly valuable. Simply pack up and send them to us for free and we'll make you a cash offer. If you like it (and we think you will!), we'll send you the money that day. If not, we'll return everything for free.

-Whoever knowingly wears, manufactures, or sells any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States, or any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces, or the ribbon, button, or rosette of any such badge, decoration or medal, or any colorable imitation ...

Prices vary massively for campaign medals, but a British War medal, issued to any British Empire combatant, can be acquired for as little as £10. Nowadays, Second World War stars can fetch as little as £5 to £10 because these medals are not named and it is difficult to link them to the recipient.

Can someone receive more than one Medal of Honor? Yes. There have been 19 servicemen who have received two Medals of Honor.

Although not required by law or military regulation of all military services, members of the uniformed services are encouraged to render salutes to recipients of the Medal of Honor as a matter of respect and courtesy regardless of rank or status, whether or not they are in uniform.

What is the rarest medal to receive in the military? ›

The "Tiffany Cross" was not a popular award and is the rarest of all Medals of Honor in existence.

The National Archives (TNA) guides on Campaign and Service Medals and Gallantry Medals provide more detailed information. The full collection of Naval Medal and Award Rolls covering campaign, service and gallantry medals for naval personnel 1793–1972, held by TNA (ADM 171) is available to search on Ancestry (£).

The practice of serially numbering medals appears to have begun in the years immediately following the Civil War. Prior to that war there were very few medals and to the author's knowledge none with serial numbers. One of the first numbered medals was the Grand Army of the Republic Badge.

Whoever knowingly purchases, attempts to purchase, solicits for purchase, mails, ships, imports, exports, produces blank certificates of receipt for, manufactures, sells, attempts to sell, advertises for sale, trades, barters, or exchanges for anything of value any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the ...

PGS Militaria Buyers & Appraisers buy all military-related items from all US and Foreign services, all wars, battles, and occupations, including the Civil War, Vietnam, World War I WWI, World War II WWII.

At Antique Militaria Buyers, you will be able to get an effortless and smooth sale. If you want your service online or through the local store, we are available both digitally and in-person. We truly understand “what our clients need” and operate our personalized service with complete safety.

The Stolen Valor Act amended Title 18 to increase the penalty for violations that involve valor medals such as the Purple Heart as well as the Medal of Honor (often called the Congressional Medal of Honor), which have always been protected and illegal to sell.