How to Identify Antique Medals

Identify the metal. This alone may help you narrow down the era. For example, if the medal is made of aluminum, it cannot be older than 1824.

Clean the medal. Soak it briefly in a mild metal cleaner appropriate to the identified type of metal. Scrub it with a small brush; a toothbrush is fine.

Inspect the medal with a magnifying glass.

Note all identifying characteristics and list them in the following order of significance: lettering, dates, depictions, designs, edging and marks.

Identify the language of any lettering using the Internet. If it is a foreign language, use the search engine translation option. Identifying the language narrows the list of countries from which the medal came.

If a date is stamped on the medal, enter the language, the word "medal" and the date in a search engine. This will usually produce a reference work in which an identification may be made. For example, a search for Polish, Medals, 1945 will produce a number of medal identification reference sites.

If a language and year search does not produce a reference that identifies the medal, your next step is to identify any person depicted on the medal and add that name (e.g., King Edward VIII). To determine the identity of any historical person, use the language as a search term along with the word "medal" and selected identifiers, such as Regent, King, Queen, President or Prime Minister.

For medals that contain no lettering, date or depictions, use the shape of the medal (star, circle, cross, etc.) in the search string. For example, Polish medal star.

If you find medals with similar identifying characteristics but of different sizes, measure the diameter and add that to the search terms. For example, Polish medal star 4 cm.