What is the best way of storing/displaying medal collections?

[Gunner 1]

Many years ago my wife and daughter purchased a 6 foot high, 7 foot wide and 48 inch deep oak cabinet for me at auction , It has two rows of 17 drawers each with a drawer depth of a little over two inches.  It is oak and was constructed in the late 1800s.  I have been using it for over 20 years and have had no problem with silver items tarnishing over that time. The items are displayed on acid-free felt with an inch and half thick acid-free foam underneath.  My guess is that any gases from the oak have long ago disappeared.  The fact that the humidity is usually less than 15% probably also plays a role.

I would mention that if you are storing medals, badges or other militaria in a safe that is closed for a long time you need to have a desicant in the safe to absorb any moisture.  Make sure that the plastic medal envelopes that are used to store medals do not contain plastic softners in them as these will turn silver and bronze items a slimy green over a long period of time.

[Broletariat]

On 06/05/2018 at 08:06, peter monahan said:

A few of us are on the GMIC on a daily basis, many more weekly or monthly and some only when we have a question. Probably none of us read every post in every sub-forum, so new posts do get missed.

That said, welcome to the GMIC.  Your question is a perennial one, to which there is no 'right' answer.  Displaying the award in its original box is nice but often unwieldy, so many of us mount them in frames or, depending on numbers, in 'wallets', often wth the boxes stuck away in a drawer.  However, if the box is more than plain cardboard, it adds a nice formality to the award.  Your choice, and happy collecting!

Sorry for being a bit snappy. I guess I'm used to quick responses from other forums and reddit. The only boxes I have that are visually interesting are the Japanese ones. I have a bunch of original American WW II era stuff that was never issued and are are still in their blue cardboard boxes but its nothing really to look at. I might put those in wallets then.

[Aberdeen Medals]

For those in the United Kingdom who might be considering obtaining a medal cabinet, I can readily recommend cabinet maker Stephen Phillips, of Chadwick End Cabinets;

- http://www.chadwickendcabinets.co.uk/geological_cabinets.htm

Some years back I purchased a bespoke 37 x tray sapele mahogany medal cabinet, and have never looked back. 

As information.

Mark

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2018 by Aberdeen Medals
update hyperlink

[peter monahan]

"Many years ago my wife and daughter purchased a 6 foot high, 7 foot wide and 48 inch deep oak cabinet for me at auction , It has two rows of 17 drawers each with a drawer depth of a little over two inches.  It is oak and was constructed in the late 1800s."

Lucky man!  In fact, oak used yto be the wood of choice for museum cabinets but it off gasses something fierce when first cut, so institutions which now use it - very few- expect to wait 18 months after installation before inserting sensitive artifacts.  But, damn, it looks sharp!  And I expect after 100 years it's pretty much inert.

[azyeoman]

This is an old thread and I wonder if there are any new and safer products for preserving and displaying medals. Any ideas? 

[The Prussian]

Hello!

I´ve got my Entente medals in a "top-transparent" suitcase:

 

and my german and austrian ones in an old jewellery display case

Edited December 19, 2021 by The Prussian