vbPasha

Gentlemen -- Many thanks for your helpful and enlightening comments. I suppose I'll just have to treat the verdict on the medal group's authenticity as "not proven." My main concern was that somewhere along the way the GC had been added by a seller to bump up the price (perhaps by swapping out a 1914-15 Star). I should note that I purchased the group from a reputable and trustworthy seller; any concerns I might have about a seller messing with the group refer to the period before it came into my seller's hands. Lars's remarks about British collectors creating groups from loose miniatures in the wee hours made me chuckle. It never occurred to me that collectors themselves might engage in such shenanigans.

Hello Gentlemen, I recently acquired a quartet of mounted miniatures consisting of the George Cross, British War Medal, Victory Medal, and Defence Medal. The latter three definitely show signs of wear and toning consistent with their age. The GC has some signs of wear, but is brighter than the other three and has a mirror-like quality. Do you think it's likely that the GC is a modern reproduction added to a genuine set of older miniatures? And generally speaking, are there ways to distinguish modern from older miniatures? After a few years away from collecting British campaign medals, I'm getting back into the hobby, this time with a focus on miniatures rather than full-size medals. I've been looking for info on how to distinguish reproduction miniatures from the real deal, but haven't found much, so any comments would be greatly welcome. The second photo (of the group's reverse) captures the mirror-like quality better than the first photo. Thanks for your help!