Dust down that Victoria Cross – it may be worth up to €200k
Last week’s Armistice Day commemoration highlighted that 250,000 Irish men fought in World War I.
Many Irish families have relatives awarded medals for their service.
This means there are probably hundreds of thousands of World War I medals still knocking around in Irish attics and drawers. So how much are they worth? It all depends on the type of medal and the story behind it.
The top price paid for a medal is €1.7m for a Victoria Cross and Bar in 2009.
There are plenty of Irish Victoria Crosses (VCs). Irish soldiers won more VCs proportionate to our population than any other nation before WWI. To this day, Tipperary still holds the regional record.
We may not like to admit it but Irish soldiers were the enforcers of the British Empire, comprising up to 30% of its army, and in the front line of most of its battles, often suppressing rebellions in other countries with notable zeal.
Irishmen won 180 VCs, including 59 for putting down the so-called ‘Indian Mutiny’ and 46 for various other British Empire campaigns, including the Boer War.
The value of such medals has appreciated hugely.
A WWI Victoria Cross (such as the one pictured right) awarded to an Irish soldier, sold 30 years ago for about £17,000.
‘That was a lot of money then. But if the owner walked into my office with it today, it would probably be valued at €150,000 to €200,000,’ said Stuart Purcell, medals expert with Whytes auctioneers.
The first posthumous VC of WWI was won by Lieutenant Maurice Dease from Westmeath, who was in charge of a machine gun unit defending a vital bridge at the Battle of Mons early in the war.
With all his men shot down, he manned the machine gun and held the position despite being shot five times.
His medal, if sold today, would be worth hundreds of thousands.
The next most valuable medal of WWI is the Distinguished Conduct Medal for enlisted men and women, which can sell for over €1,200. The equivalent for officers was the Distinguished Service Order, which can sell for €2,000plus.
Just below this in rank was the Military Medal ‘for bravery in the field’ for regular soldiers. These sell for €500 upwards. It was introduced in 1916 but also applied retrospectively to 1914. The equivalent for officers was the Military Cross, which can sell for more than €1,000.
A soldier who served throughout the war would get a trio of medals – the 1914 Star or 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Separately, they may not be worth very much – as little as €50 or so – but a full set can fetch several hundred, depending on the regiment.
Medals awarded to Irish soldiers tend to be worth more than their British counterparts at the lower end of the value scale – and less at the upper end.
This is because there are fewer Irish medals relative to the number of Irish collectors – pushing up prices. But for the really valuable medals, Irish
collectors lack the buying power to fork out seven-figure sums.
Rarity, as always, increases value. A relatively obscure regiment such as the South Irish Horse can command a high price. Whyte’s recently sold just such a trio awarded to a Sgt John Keegan in a recent auction for €480.
My granduncle actually served with the South Irish Horse and was awarded four medals – a trio of service medals and a Military Cross.
A display of his picture, citation and the medals was a family heirloom for many years. Mr Purcell seemed excited about this. ‘That would be a lovely collection. The South Irish Horse was quite an obscure regiment,’ he said. Alas the display was ejected at one stage from a ‘Republican house’ and left to rot in a fish store. The medals survived but were passed on to American cousins by my mother. Despite their mistreatment, Stuart valued the collection at up to €3,500. So how do you know if your medals are genuine?
Each medal is inscripted with the name of the soldier, so a family should know its history. That greatly increases its value.
Experts like Mr Purcell also confirm authenticity by examining the quality of the casting.
Medals were cast with great accuracy in expensive metal. ‘Fakes don’t have crispness and tend to be 6/7% smaller,’ he said.
The Memorial Plaque – often referred to as the ‘Dead Man’s Penny’ – was another memento of WWI found in many Irish homes.
It’s a small bronze plate issued to the family of those killed in the war. Prices run at around €100.