Medals, to me, are extra special. Whenever I lay my hands on one, I can't help thinking about that unknown soldier who, most likely, would have had to shed his blood, sweat, and tears to earn it. I am also saddened a bit that the medal was not retained by his family. Looking after that medal is my way of honoring the valor of that unknown soldier.

Majestic, I think you are talking about 'Orders' which are an entirely different collecting field than the art and commemorative medals usually collected. Granted, it is another honored direction in which to collect and you will certainly learn your military history collecting them.

Back to the original question....it would have to be the art and the history of each medal I like the best.

Hi Goetzdude,

I believe that we both are sometimes more interested on the story behind the medal, than the medal itself.
I was on 6th December 2007 in Munich in the town archiv and have found a picture on the textil shop of Ferdinand van Wien,
I still need a special license to publish this picture. The Munich town archiv is looking to recover some money.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

RESEARCH5

As with the other two responses, I collect art and commemorative medals, tokens, and badges. The badges start to get close to orders such as you mentioned, but the spectrum is broad and the terminology can be confusing when trying to distinguish between medals (orders) and medals (art in the hand). In either case, my interest is in the story behind the object as much as it is in the object itself.