Can someone tell me how to know how old a medal is judging from the box?

[ShibaLegend]

Weird question but i have never been hugely into medals, but i do come across them often sometimes in the box. My question is, what boxes were medals put in during WW1, WW2, korea, and vietnam?

[TGAZ]

There are varying, and vastly answers to this due to the many medal manufacturers and time periods. The information is scattered about, and I don't know if there is a book on US medal manufacturer boxes... I must say it would make a most intriguing topic and I'd pick up a copy. If you had a more specific area it might be easier to start from there.

 

From a collecting standpoint, a medal with the box, paperwork and really anything that can go with it to substantiate its authenticity will carry a premium. I personally have a small side collection of medals in neat old boxes and cases.I recently paid a huge premium for a medal in a box because one has never been seen like it (to the best of my knowledge- it's another country so I won't post here). 

 

If perhaps you had pics of a few examples of what you come across we would be able to give a more detailed answer.

[ShibaLegend]

1 hour ago, TGAZ said:

There are varying, and vastly answers to this due to the many medal manufacturers and time periods. The information is scattered about, and I don't know if there is a book on US medal manufacturer boxes... I must say it would make a most intriguing topic and I'd pick up a copy. If you had a more specific area it might be easier to start from there.

 

From a collecting standpoint, a medal with the box, paperwork and really anything that can go with it to substantiate its authenticity will carry a premium. I personally have a small side collection of medals in neat old boxes and cases.I recently paid a huge premium for a medal in a box because one has never been seen like it (to the best of my knowledge- it's another country so I won't post here). 

 

If perhaps you had pics of a few examples of what you come across we would be able to give a more detailed answer.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. Sadly i don't have any boxed medals to show.

[ShibaLegend]

A few examples of the type of boxes im trying to date. I run into the blue felt boxed medals all the time and i have no idea when they were made. I have only come across one medal in a box like the purple heart shown below.

[doyler]

With some of the blue cardboard board boxes they can have a paper label with information on them or even stenciled/ embossed info of the medal type and designation in the end of the box. The style of medal broach or pin can tell you a time frame or if the markings are seen in the broach. To me the Vietnam Campaign shown are typical of the styles. First one to me is more a war time era and the one in the darker box and plastic is a later style or issue. I have seen reissue medals in the boxes like this with plastic covering the medal set.

 

The Purple heart looks to be a standard WW2 era production, but these can be seen issued for many years. Actually very common to see WW2 medals still issued during the Vietnam war especially Purple Hearts.  I have mentioned here on the forum how I had purchased WW2 Silver Star and Purple heart sets that were brought to market after Desert Storm. The Silver Stars often had cards with then for engraving information and the cards were dated 1968 and have had a handful that were even numbered from the surplused medals. 

[Blacksmith]

To be safe, I would only attempt to judge the approximate age of the box by the box, and make no assumptions that the medal in it is of the same era.

 

I have seen MANY Purple Hearts at shows, where the box is WWII, and the medal is a crimp-broach example from the 90s.  And this mis-match applies to other medals as well; and, I suspect can go the other direction (e.g. - a WWII medal in an 80s blue plastic box), though I don’t know that I’ve seen that.
 

I really think one needs to be educated on both to be safe.   

[TGAZ]

I concur with what Blacksmith says. Also sometimes the box adds value, sometimes it doesn't. So many variables. 

 

However, there are times where engravings on the medal may match what is written on the box, or a slip attached. For instance, West Virginia named civil war medals regularly show up with the original box and pencil cursive on it with the recipients name. An engraved medal for valor may come in the box, and there's the potential a serial number is on both. 

 

But again, so many variables, and more fun things to collect.