Add to this the fact that, as I understand the law, veterans (or families of veterans) who sold their (or their ancestor's) medals have done so in violation of the law. And, so, are we then accessories to criminal action? Receiving stolen goods after they pass through a "fence" or two does little to excuse the crime. Stolen goods are still stolen goods? In part, this explains the fact that most Soviet awards that you could find in the late 1970s, had the serial numbers carefully obliterated. Done to disguise the implicit crime? Previous threads like this have been closed down, though, so . . .