OPINION ON BRITISH MIMI MEDALS

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Gentleman

I have come across these pictures of British Mini medals, they are for sale here in Romania, but first I wanted to ask some advice.

The medals have no hangers and are approx 20mm in size, what do you think official issue or from a collectors replica set??

Kevin in Deva

[Ed_Haynes]

As there are, in most cases, no "official" miniatures, this is not at issue. These seem to be an interesting portion of a novelty collector's set of numismatic medallions (not "medals" in the we we phalerists use the word) representing the reverses of a number of British campaign medals. You can imagine these things done up in a fitted case for sale to collectors of table medals.

The obverses are of course incorrect and the time span of even just these few suggests it isn't something involved in the manufacturing process (things like the MGS and 2nd Punjab medals predated the common wearing of miniatures in any case) = not samples of the proper reverse designs made available to the manufacturers (unless they were manufacturers targeted soley on the collector's market only, and there may be indelicate words for this activity).

In any case, an interesting fringe novelty item.

[Tony Farrell]

Ed's bang on the money. These were produced several (early '80s I think) years ago for the purpose of providing 'collectors' with a 'collection' - not unlike the mass-produced 'limited edition' junk that's pedalled in the Sunday supplements. These are more akin to football coins - the sort that petrol stations used to give away in the 1970s, and were meant to be displayed accordingly, i.e. in one of those cut out insert boards.

[Kev in Deva]

Hallo Ed and Tony,

thanks for the information about these, I think the seller has no idea they are "reproductions" and his price is small 2.50 Euro each. I will wait and see if they sell or if he reduces the price if a no-sale and he relists, he does say they are made from aluminium. But they are a novel item.

Kevin in Deva.