Trying For an Unusual But Profitable Investmenr Vehicle The Market in War Medals Might Be a Fit

Medals are an interesting alternative investment. There is always a strong market of collectors and it can be an interesting way to make money if you are keen on military history. If economics is based on supply and demand then the economics of medal collecting should appeal because the more important medals only have a limited supply. The Victoria Cross for example has only been issued 1300 times since it was started.

It should go without saying that the scarcer the medal, the more they will appreciate, as without any large scale conflict, the likelihood of many more being commissioned (thereby driving down the price) is unlikely. The Victoria Cross has only been awarded a total of 13 times in the 65 years since the end of WW2, the last being in 2006 posthumously. What also makes these medals sought after and in their own way unique, is the story behind every medal and the supreme acts of bravery that they were awarded for, whether they be VC's, Burma Stars, Military Crosses or the George Cross.

The question now is, how do you go about entering the world of the medal collector? It's going to require you the hone up on your amateur history skills, research is going to be needed. It's not just about having the story to go along with the medal, but it is also to protect the investor from being conned into buying fakes for soldiers who never even existed. The oft given advice is to focus on certain armies/battalions or campaigns within are larger war.

The varying array of medals, not to mention citations and ribbons can overwhelm any newcomers to the hobby, luckily Her Majesty's Stationary Office have a very thorough, in depth guide to all military awards past and present. In some ways it is the holy bible of medal collecting, in the UK at least, after all, how can you make sure you are making a wise investment without having an in depth look at what you are buying? You wouldn't just buy a property without conveyance and structural surveys would you? The same applies in this instance.

Then you have to consider where the best place to purchase medals is. There are registered dealers to who you can go. As always these days there will also be medals to purchase on the internet at sites like eBay but you must be careful. There is a market of fake memorabilia and it is easy for the unwary or inexperienced to be caught out. You need to do your research into any medals available for sale.

You can visit the various medal fairs held all over the Country to find medals for sale These will be advertised in the many magazines that cater for collectors or as always today can probably be found online. These give you a chance to meet fellow collectors and share information and tips for successful buying.

Another important reason to getting down to a collectors fair is that you really need to look at a medal in detail before you buy to make sure it's the real thing. It is a simple enough thing as every medal has the service number and name of the recipient on the rim of the medal, the National Archives keep all records of personnel, so it's easy to investigate whether a medal is a fake or not, plus it's a good springboard for researching the history of the medal.

If the National Archives only give you the basics, you can add meat to your research by accessing the records of other organisations such as the War Graves Commission or the Order, Medals and Research Society. There is also the British Medal Society, which you can pay an annual membership to, between these three institutions, the wealth of knowledge and expertise you have access to as an amateur will expand your knowledge base considerably.

Depending on who the medal was awarded to will also affect the price and value, for instance medals for officers usually have a higher price than the same medal awarded to a private. Not only that, but medals awarder to units that were on the front line are also more sought after than the medals given to regiments, support staff or logistical regiments who were not on the front line but in the same battle/campaign. So you can see, if you put the logic together, a medal awarded to an officer who was on the front line at the time would be the most valuable.

The opportunities for investing in medals can really be summarized as follows. The interest they can provide as you develop your expertise. The relatively small amounts of money you require to begin investing. The possible returns on those investments as a percentage of the amount you spend against what you can later sell for.

Marcus Selmon writes for Just Commercial Mortgages.com the UK's No.1 site for the latest commercial mortgage rates and commercial property finance news. [l]