Mini medals collection out of the woodwork

[stengaard]

Hi guys.

I came across this collection of mini medals, but it is not my field.

I could use some help with IDing them and their value

Please have a look.

Kind regards
Stengaard

[stengaard]

and 1 more

[Tony T-S]

What a collection.

[byterock]

Some nice stuff there. No real idea on value but would be fun just to research them. Got a bit of everything, CW, French, German Stats and I think even some US and far east.

Some tinnies and commeratives as well


The neat ones are the CW first war one as 'original' ribbons for these are getting harder to fine.

[Jimmy]

The helmet

The helmet pin is 1940 Swiss value $10+
The blue ribbon US Presidential Unit Award $10-15 or so.

[Mathomhaus]

One thing that negatively impacts the value of miniatures is the fact that the majority of nations never officially issued them. As a result, it has been up to recipients to buy what they can afford on the open market. Because of this, the quality level varies radically and many collectors disdain even well made examples because they weren't struck at a government mint or by made by jewelers working under an official warrant. (A situation similar to all the 1957 versions of the WW2 German awards...)

I fell heir to a large collection of miniatures back in the eighties and when I went to sell them I found that while mounted examples/sets eventually went to serious collectors (particularly those who enjoyed doing research), loose examples tended to be bought not so much by collectors as by people who simply appreciated the craftsmanship that went into making them. Sometimes singles would also sell if they were made as copies of particularly rare and valuable awards that were hard to find (like high raking orders or for very obscure 19C British campaigns); even then, they would not sell for very much...

For examples from countries where miniatures are regularly worn on ribbons, to have much value, it is crucial that they still have the correct ribbons. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to find correct miniature ribbon, particularly for medals that are no longer issued or from countries/regimes that no longer exist.

Regards