The standard definition for a copy medal is: an unofficial reproduction of a medal which is manufactured with NO intention to deceive a collector. Many of these copies have some type of identifier on the medal itself. "Copy", "Kopie", "C", "K", or some subtle change to the medal itself are normally incorporated which makes it readily identifible. In some cases, the metallic content is changed to such an extent that the difference between an original and a copy is obvious. It's importantant to note here that a "restrike" or "duplicate" or "late issue" are other categories and are normally considered not to be copy medals. The quality of copy medals vary tremendously and is not within the scope of this short article but a review of the "Worldwide Military Medals: Forgery" Guide or posts in my blog will provide an overview. Generally, the quality is high enough so the copy medal(s) can be worn by the authorized recipient and the fact that they are copies is not immediately apparant to the casual observor. Recipients of medals often use copy medals for various reasons: they have lost or misplaced the originals, the originals are too valuable to be worn on all occassions, some copy medals are of better quality than the originals, etc.

You will also notice that copy medals are often called "tailor's copy" or "jeweler's copy" (both terms being used interchangeably currently). Copy medals can make an interesting collection, often at a small fraction of the price of an original medal. I've actually seen an entire copy collection of one particular medal which was quite interesting. As medal collectors advance in their hobby, most specialize in a field. Networking within the collector community can often provide amazing trivia about the various copy medals.

British Copy/Fakes/Forgery Medals

Medal collecting can be very specific and the above guides are intended as an introduction.  Expert advise is often needed since the guides can not address every possible question - especially about a specific medal you may be looking at.  Please visit my blog (http://blogs.ebay.com/tsa-li) and/or guides for further information.  Thank you for your visit!