An erased medal is defined as "one that is officially issued to a verified recipient and has had the naming removed" through one of several techniques - and has not been replaced by a new name .  The vast majority of British Commonwealth (to include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, et.) medals are officially (or regimentally) named in a variety of documented styles. 

A medal that is normally named and that is listed as un-named should be viewed with suspicion since the price differential for an erased medal and an un-named medal is often more than double for the un-named example.  At any rate, reference books should be consulted concerning a particular medal.  Competent sellers will know about erased medals and it would be wise for the potential buyer to look carefully at this possibility prior to a purchase since there seems to be an overabundance on "un-named" medals on eBay currently.  These comments are generally applicable to other countries as well.

The UK eBay has a number of medal guides published which discuss this topic in greater detail as well as my blog.  After reading this review, you should be able to readily distinguish the difference between an erased and un-named medal, which could save you quite a bit of money!  Remember that "erased" is not the same as "not named" (which often is construed as "un-named")!   If you found this short guide helpful, a Yes vote is appreciated.  Please visit my blog (http://blogs.ebay.com/tsa-li) and/or guides for further information.  Thank you for your visit!