Kano Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I bought this group of US medals (my first purchase of US medals) recently for £30 and wondered if I did well, OK, or maybe ripped off?! The PH looks Vietnam era to me, looking at the broach. Value wise, I'd guess the Vietnam Service Medal is worth £6-7, the Purple Heart £12-15 and the Silver Star £10-12? So absolute minimum they are worth £28? That was my thinking when I bought them anyway.. The Silver Star looks to have a crimped broach so that one may be quite modern. In any case I think they'll make an interesting addition to my collection so I'm quite happy with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I am not up on prices, but I bet you paid less than half of what they should have cost... Nice find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speagle Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I am not up on prices, but I bet you paid less than half of what they should have cost... Nice find! Just curious. I see you have the medal box for the VSM. Do you have them for the other medals as well? Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul L Murphy Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 The Silver Star is more recent (about 1st Gulf War era) so c£10. The Purple Heart is a nice example with a slot broach so probably at least £20 if not more. The Vietnam Medal is original but still only about £3. Overall you did ok, with most of the value in the Purple Heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Ouch... I thought a silver star would be about GBP20-30 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kano Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 Without that slot broach I wouldn't have touched them. By luck or good judgement I seem to have acquired one or two decent additions to my collection for a reasonable price, so am quite happy! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kano Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 Just curious. I see you have the medal box for the VSM. Do you have them for the other medals as well? Ed I haven't received the medals yet but there's no mention of the other boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim B Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 (edited) Isn't the Purple Heart with that slot-brooch more possibly WWII or Korea vintage? The Vietnam Service Medal (box) appears to only show the contract/DSA #. Would be nice to know the manufacturer if possible. Some are marked with both pieces of information, this one may not be. It did come in a carton of 6/40 sets however. Tim Edited June 17, 2011 by Tim B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim B Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Another shot, though poor, of the 40-set box: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim B Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I think once you get it in and check the brooch, you'll see this diamond mark. I know there were more than one manufacturer that used a diamond in their design but still do not know exactly what maker this one belongs to. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 1 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I thought the 'GI' stood for Graco Awards of Tomball, Texas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim B Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 (edited) I thought the 'GI' stood for Graco Awards of Tomball, Texas? Hi Gunner, No, the "GI" indicates "government inspected" and follows the manufacturer's stamp. This was added to the brooch ID sometime in the 1960's. A "Graco" product would read: GRACO - GI. It should be noted that by the mid-90's, this "GI" was discontinued and medals were marked with the manufacturer's Institute of Heraldry code. An example would be G27 (GRACO). Tim Edited June 17, 2011 by Tim B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim B Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I suppose the Purple Heart could be Vietnam era, but it would be very early Vietnam IMO. Slot-brooches were used roughly from 1920 to the early 1960's. I know when the Air Force first created the AF Good Conduct Medal in June 1963, they were still using the slot-brooch for those but, then changed shortly thereafter. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim B Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Unfortunately, these slot-brooches cannot be manufacturer identified, unless there is a certain die trait to the medal that changed from era to era. I do not know if the Purple Heart Medal "planchet" appears different between old and new awards, perhaps someone else can show that if it exists. Here's another reason I think the Purple Heart shown at the beginning of this thread is pre-Vietnam. Below is a composite PIC of three medals; the Vietnam Service Medal came sealed in a box marked 12/69 and the DSA number also shows 1969. The Army Commendation Medal came in a marked carton, dated 5/69 and shows a DSA number for 1969. The Purple Heart was purchased by me back in the mid-60's. Note, all show this same manufacturer's diamond mark, which would indicate to me, that all items are circa 1960's. The only 100% sure way would be to correctly ID the manufacturer and then check the contract dates. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim B Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Thanks to another collector, I confirmed this diamond mark does in fact belong to the Williams & Anderson Co. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kano Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 I think once you get it in and check the brooch, you'll see this diamond mark. I know there were more than one manufacturer that used a diamond in their design but still do not know exactly what maker this one belongs to. Tim Yep, that exact mark is present, although slightly rusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kano Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 Thanks for all the replies, it's really interesting to learn about these medal. If you want me to photograph anything, I'll be more than willing. I have a pretty good camera that can do very clear super-zoomed in macro shots. Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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