The background to collecting military medals is inseparable from a study of history. The earliest British medals, as befits a nation for so long reliant upon naval strength for its independence, were issued to the Navy, beginning with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The first true campaign medals awarded to the Army followed the Battle of Waterloo, although many had been issued privately and unofficially before this. As one would expect for a country like Britain, with an outstanding imperial history dating to modern times, a vast field of military medals covering service in Africa, India, and China awaits the attention of the collector. There are, too, the collections relating to major wars, including the Crimean War, Boer War and the two World Wars. Colin Narbeth describes the medals awarded, and the actions which gave rise to special bars, ribbons and stars. Orders and decorations, including the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, both awarded for extreme valor, are described as are the naming of medals and display. As well as this wealth of background information, the author also details the aims to which a new collector should aspire, and discusses the pitfalls to guard against, including the problem of identification of forgeries. The volume is illustrated with numerous photographs selected by the author.

Includes a fascinating selection of photographs illustrating the medals described.

With India's independence in 1947 and emergence as a fully self-governing republic in 1950, new awards were created to reward Indian citizens for bravery and national service. While these new national awards grew out of the historical heritage of the period of British rule, they also represented the unique values of the new republic. This book presents a systematic overview of the official military, police, and civilian awards of the Republic of India from 1947 though to the present day. In addition to presenting a detailed catalogue of official awards, this work also surveys the development of policy on such awards, considers their changing legal status, and provides a critique of the policies that governed their creation and bestowal. While focusing on official national awards, the book also provides information on Indian provincial awards, on foreign awards given to Indians, and on awards of the pre-1947 Provisional Government of Free India. While much space is necessarily devoted to military awards, attention is also given to civilian awards, to the awards of the police and fire services and to the other official awards of the Indian Republic. This is the first book to focus on this important topic and should be of special interest to those in the defence and other uniformed services, to national policy makers, to students and collectors of decorations and medals, and to those with an interest in the social and political history of India. Members of the general public with an interest in how such national honours are awarded or with a curiosity over the meaning of all those bits of coloured silk that are worn on uniforms, will find this a useful and handy work of reference.

The most complete guide to United States Army medals, ribbons, rank, insignia, and patches from WW II to the present day. Each medal and insignia shown in full color. Includes listing of respective criteria and campaigns.

The GLOSSARY is a must reference work for libraries, numismatists, & collectors of militaria. Written by a leading authority & author in the field of phaleristics, the GLOSSARY begins with a history of the development of orders & military awards followed by over 700 definitions from "accolated" to "znachok." Many of the definitions are encyclopedic in depth, & there are numerous B/W illustrations that enhance the text. This comprehensive work is not limited to strictly phaleristic terms, but also includes terms found in phaleristic literature that are drawn from numismatics, heraldry, symbology, & art. In addition, the GLOSSARY contains key foreign terms used to describe the orders & military awards of non-English speaking nations. The GLOSSARY is available to libraries & dealers from the author at 311 Dorado Place SE, Apt. D, Albuquerque, NM 87123, (505) 293-6450 for the discount price of $16.00 per copy (versus $25.00 retail) which includes handling & book-rate postage. 8 1/2 x 11 inch format. Quantity discounts are available.