Carey

Hi Tim, I'm trying to identify the exact maker of the CdG in a photograph of my Great-Grandfather. It's very difficult to make out the precise details, though the outline is reasonably clear. My ultimate goal is to buy one exactly the same (his medals are now lost). All the versions that I see on the internet seem to be slightly different in one way or another. The one you show above, that you think is a veteran's medal, is similar in many ways to his, but I find it hard to believe his is a replacement. What characteristics makes the above a replacement veteran's medal? Thanks, Carey.

Thanks to you all for your time and effort in responding and posting the pictures. I thought I had responded to Rob and Hendrick, but in answering Tim, I found my response was still in draft. I must have been interrupted right at the crucial point of submission! I can confirm that my example definitely has the signature and initials in the right places and therefore does not come from the same die as Rob’s and presumably, then, not from the same manufacturer. At least that is one option ruled out. I was going to say in my unsubmitted draft that maybe the absence of the signature/initials could be explained if the French did not have the legal right to 'sign' their versions. If that is the case, then a French manufacturer of mine could be ruled out completely. It seems that this absence is also true of the American version, supporting my suggestion. It’s a common medal, but this doesn’t take away from its varied manufacturing history. In my innocence, I thought they would have been produced in Belgium only. I was particularly surprised to find they were also made in America, as were at least four other medals. It would be interesting to see what the other four looked like – that might answer other questions on this forum. Thanks again, Carey.

Hi Rob, That's an interesting thought. Have you any idea what the die variations were? Regards, Carey.

Thank you very much indeed Hendrik. I'm pleased that you think it is genuine and an unusual version. Maybe someone out there knows about the manufacturers of this common medal and can add more. Best regards, Carey.

Hmmm, they are still very dark indeed. Anyway, I'll carry on and send new ones if necessary. The two pictures below show: a) The edge of the medal. You'll see that actually it's only a single casting, not made from 2 pieces. However, you can see that the lower part of the edge is rougher than the upper part. You can also see a bevelled edge top and bottom, which may be why you thought it was made from 2 pieces. b) The other picture shows the suspension. Note that looking down onto the top of it, the pattern goes all the way from front to back which suggest to me that it wasn't due to a poorly constructed mould (despite the uneveness I referred to above), but the mould was designed to be very thick. Thanks also for your comments about the service bars. This is what I had thought. So really they should be referred to as silvered and gilded base metal bars. Having said that, they are extremely malleable, very much like silver and more than I would expect from a base metal.

Thank you very much Hendrik for your reply. First, here's a picture of the reverse. This medal is a lovely deep bronze aged colour and wouldn't show much detail if I reproduced the colour properly, so I've lightened it a few shades, although it is still rather dark! I've also provided a close up.

Hi, I've come across a 1914-18 commemorative medal that is much thicker than I've seen before. I'm not a collector of them particularly, so maybe it's fairly common, but of the four I've seen, this is the thickest. I was wondering whether anyone could tell me whether this is unusual. In particular, I'd like to know whether it's a different type common to a particular manufacturer, or perhaps even a fake. It's 3 mm deep, compared to the 'normal' one I have, which is just 2 mm deep. Consequently, the thicker one is much heavier than the other. Otherwise, they appear to be the same. I have a subsidiary question as well. I read in various places that the 6 month bars are silver and the 30 month bar is silver gilt. Being pedantic about these things, I would be interested to know whether they are actually silver, silver plated or a silver coloured metal. Many thanks on my first posting.