Collecting Medals Where to begin.

[MrMosel]

Greetings,


I know this may seem like a silly question but I'm really wondering, for a beginning collector in the medal field should I start small and buy a set of wound badges or buy something like an EKII and move upward to more scarcer medals? Also does any one know a decent store in the states where one could buy a decent display case for medals, I really don't just want to set them on a shelf and leave them there. Thanks for all the info and advice!

[Woolgar]

Follow your heart and buy what reaches out to you. You will soon find a favourite area that you will settle into.

Nick

[WarCollector2019]

Personally I just buy what comes along at a good price, but you could always start by buying the common medals and badges such as the wound badges, sports badges, campaign medals, war merit medals, west wall medals, mothers cross' and Russian front medals. These medals and badges would make great display pieces plus you can find them relatively cheap in comparison to many Third Reich items and work your way up from there.
Thanks, Glen.

[Adrian]

Decide what medals YOU like and what will give YOU pleasure in collecting. There is no point collecting a set of wound badges if you don't actually like them. Take your time and think about what YOU want to see in your medal display case.
Once you've thought about it and decided, get on the forum search button and read up about your chosen field, get a feel for it and think about which direction you want to go. Do you want an EK by every maker? Do you want an example of every type of combat badge? Maybe just concentrate on a particular branch of service, the Luftwaffe badges for example. Do the civilian or political awards appeal?
Ask questions of the members here, don't be afraid to ask, there is no such thing as a daft question here, every query will be answered and the members will do their best to advise.

[fischer]

Decide what medals YOU like and what will give YOU pleasure in collecting. There is no point collecting a set of wound badges if you don't actually like them. Take your time and think about what YOU want to see in your medal display case.
Once you've thought about it and decided, get on the forum search button and read up about your chosen field, get a feel for it and think about which direction you want to go. Do you want an EK by every maker? Do you want an example of every type of combat badge? Maybe just concentrate on a particular branch of service, the Luftwaffe badges for example. Do the civilian or political awards appeal?
Ask questions of the members here, don't be afraid to ask, there is no such thing as a daft question here, every query will be answered and the members will do their best to advise.

I can only echo Adrian's sound advice...find what you prefer, arm yourself with knowledge and then begin collecting. To me, the research part is (almost) as much fun as finding the variant you are looking for.

Best Regards, fischer

[MrMosel]

Thank you all so kindly for your advice and tips on the matter, I think I've made up my mind on where to start but I'm looking for a good site where I can buy from that has a nice variety and that has decent prices, any ideas? Thanks so much!

[Walkwolf]

You could always start off with more common medals, which has been mentioned.
A lot of guys begin their collections like this. 'Kriegs Verdienst' Crosses, Iron
Crosses, Civil Long Service medals, etc, are still plentiful and relatively
inexpensive, but it's really up to you and what your preferences are.
Once you've found your niche, you can specialize or focus
on what grabs you.........!

[norsk41elv]

Many good advice above!
One example of storage of medals, is to use this type of glass-fronted cabinets for pins and awards. This protects the objects, while being able to enjoy them where they hang on the wall. These can be purchased in most stamp and coin shops, or you can order online (manufacturers are: SAFE).

Good luck with your collection and show us pictures of the medals before buying them (if possible). There are plenty of copies out there!

Regards
JT