What are military medals made out of?
6 min read
Asked by: Marques Goebel
Most medals are made of gold, silver, bronze, or lead, the precious metals being used for the finer productions.
What material is used to make medal?
The gold and silver medals are both made of silver. The gold medals are then coated with gold. Each Olympic gold medal is made up of 210g of silver and is coated with 6g of 24 carat gold. The bronze medals are made of copper, zinc, tin, and a very small amount of silver.
What is a military medal worth?
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.
What metals are given in the Army?
The Army version is made of red brass, other metal, and gold plating, while the Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard versions are made of solid red brass. The Air Force version is made of bronze, other metal, and gold plating.
Should you clean war medals?
Cleaning medals. You may need to clean or even polish your medal before storing it. However, we don’t recommend polishing unless absolutely necessary because the repeated abrasion of polishing will damage the sharpness of the medal’s design.
Are the medals real gold?
According to the International Olympic Committee, gold medals are required to be at least 92.5 percent silver, and are plated with about 6 grams of pure gold.
How are military medals made?
The process
The medals begin as a strip of brass alloy that is fed into a machine that punches circular blanks. Different alloys are used for different medals depending on the degree of reddishness needed. For example, the composition of the brass used for the Bronze Star is 85 percent copper and 15 percent zinc.
What is the rarest Military Medal?
The Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the ‘holy grail’ for medal collectors because there are only 1,357 in existence. Bearing the inscription ‘For valour’ and known as a VC, this medal was first awarded for ‘conspicuous bravery’ in 1856 and later backdated to the Crimean war of 1854.
Can I sell my military medals?
It is illegal to buy, sell, barter, or manufacture any decorations or medals authorized by Congress for the United States armed forces.
Which is higher silver or bronze star?
To receive the Medal of Honor, for example, a recipient must have demonstrated “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.” The Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest decoration that can be bestowed on an American soldier, requires “extraordinary heroism.” The …
How can I shine my military medals?
Use silver cleaner on each medal’s surface. (Silver cleaner should be used on all types of medal, whether silver, gold or brass.) Use a soft cloth and rub gently to remove grime. Remove very tough stains on brass medals with brass polish.
What to use to polish military medals?
Use a soft cloth to apply silver cleaner. Rub gently. Clean crevices with a cotton swab and buff the surface with a soft cloth polish or cleaner is removed.
What is the best thing to clean medals with?
Cleaning Medals
Lightly tarnished silver and brass medals can be cleaned using a coin dip cleaner (provided the medals are properly rinsed).
Can you use Brasso on military medals?
The best is Brasso- its polish impregnated fibre and a soft cloth to get the shine on them. Polishing lay them on a flat surface hold them still with the hanger-do them one at a time and make sure your hands stay clean-ish.
How do you get scratches out of medals?
Using a soft child’s toothbrush moistened with water, work the brush gently in small circles to remove surface dirt. Work carefully, rinse frequently, and stop if the brush causes any scratching on the medal’ssurface.
How do you store medals in a box?
Use a shadow box to keep all your medals in one place. I used a top loading shadow box because it’s easier to add a new medal to the collection. Medal storage/display idea! Use a shadow box to keep all your medals in one place.
What to do with old medals?
Donate Them. At the end of the day, if you really can’t hold onto your old trophies any longer, you can donate them to a good cause. And while they’re made from recyclable materials, they actually hold more value as a trophy. There are many charities and non-profit organizations who refurbish trophies.
What order do you display military medals?
According to the general protocol for displaying medals, the highest honors should be placed to the top left in order of precedence. It’s also advised to assemble medals of the same category together. For example, all the stars, with the highest-ranking to the top left, and then patches, pins, and ribbons.
What can I hang medals on?
Here’re seven great ideas on how to display medals.
- Use a Display Shelf With Hanging Hooks. …
- Create a Wall Hanging Using a Sports Item. …
- Display the Medals Inside a Glass Jar. …
- Use a Military Coin Case Display. …
- Use a Large Frame with a Fabric Backing. …
- Display the Medals in a Shadow Box. …
- Create a DIY Medal Hanger.
How do you make homemade medals?
All you'll need to get started is some air dry clay. Red white and blue ribbon scoring utensils and some gold spray paint. First. We're going to roll out our clay I'm using my trusty rolling pin.
How do you secure a medal to a frame?
Now there's all sorts of different ones. There are little ones that sit up like this there are ones that are little clips that are useful for holding.
How do you expose medals?
Things You Should Know
- Use a display shelf with hanging hooks. Hang medals with ribbons on the hooks and place other medals on the display shelf.
- Arrange ribbon medals in a shadow box and pin the medals to the shadow box backing.
- Display ribbon medals in a military coin case. …
- Remove any ribbons or pins.
How do I see 5k medals?
4 Cool Ways to Display Your Race Medals
DIY medal display: paint a long simple baseboard and nail as many long nails as needed. Paint some loonie store letters and glue them on. Take your hard earned medals out of the box or drawer and hang them up. Keep at it!
How do you display military medals in a shadow box?
Lay the medals against the hook and loop backing material in an arrangement that is aesthetically pleasing. If you are hanging military medals, you must place them in order of the highest honor. Place military medals highest in the shadow box, followed by ribbons and then badges.
How do you fold a medal ribbon?
And they don't you have to do spins. Over loop it over like that and then feed the two ends of that ribbon. Through the hole. And line it up lined up so pretty well the two ends the ribbon.
Can I wear my fathers war medals?
When is OK to wear my relatives medals ? War medals and service decorations of any sort may be worn only by the person upon whom they were conferred, and in no case does the right to wear war or service medals, or their ribbons, pass to any relative when the recipient is dead.
Can veterans wear their medals?
It is permissible for veterans and retirees to wear military awards on civilian clothes for gatherings of a military theme. On significant holidays, veterans and retirees are encouraged to wear their awards and medals. The choice of either full-size medal or miniature is an individual one.
