Except for World War 2 most medals are named on rim so they are very easy to identify. There are hundreds of different regiments and of course different ranks for medals from 1799 to the present day. Lots of very good replicas of British Military Medals and replacement medals are sold to museums. Replica Medals are exact copies of the original British Military Medal for a certain campaign and supplied with ribbon and a plastic envelope to protect the medal. These are cast medals in high quality alloy if they come from a good dealer.

The replacement medals are die-struck so they are more expensive. Struck in nickel gilt and polished in silver gilt they cost more because these have made by a master craftsman who has carved out by hand and small machine – a “die”. This “die” can cost around two thousand dollars alone. Then you have the actual striking which is completed by a machine usually with a 250 ton press capacity.

Collectors, dealers, ex forces associations and even whole families frame replicas for show. This way, members of the same family can display their ancestors medals. It is usual for owners to keep the original medals in a safe or bank. Part of the reason is British Military Medals can command a very high premium indeed.

The Victoria Cross is the highest award in England and the Commonwealth, and is worn as the first medal over any other medal or order. A business guy who sold his company for over 350 million has bought over the years 100 VC groups for around 20 odd million dollars! There are hundreds of different Gallantry and Campaign medals.

So, as you have gathered, there is quite a good market in British Military Medals and each year a Medal yearbook with price guides is published. There are also Miniature Medal Collectors and even an association of Medal Ribbon collectors.

Other reasons why there is such a vibrant market is the British have been in so many wars over the years. We have wars when we, as ex-soldiers, were part of a forgotten army. Talk to people about the Malayan war which lasted from 1948 to 1960 or the Borneo confrontation of 1962 to 1965 and you get blank looks from people who were around during those times.

Medals have been a very good investment over the years. Now they are becoming scarce. Families are waking up to the fact that their parents, grandparents had a history. People are searching for details of their ancestors. It’s now all very searchable and the main reason is the Internet.

For some reason many bodybuilders join the military. Is it for the money, the patriotism for their country, or is it just a job that keeps you in shape? These are just a few of the reasons but the real question is why would would you want to do such a thing? The military is NOT a place to be wandering around in. You have to have a motive to be there or you`re going to regret ever signing up. During training, you sometimes go days without sleep, food, and even water. You`re almost guaranteed to overtrain sometime, not only during basic, but during the extreme lifestyle you`ll be living fighting in a war. Talk about being in catabolic mode. This is the exact opposite of what us bodybuilders need to be doing.

When you`re in the military, you no longer exist as an individual. You belong to whatever branch of service you`re in and are basically consider a number. Bodybuilding is the exact opposite. In this sport, almost everything you do is by yourself and most of us don`t depend on other people like you do in the service. Most Bodybuilders are also very nice people. We may look mean but most of us act very humbly around others.

People from all areas of life join the military. Some do it as an escape from their troubled lives, some because of their financial status, and many other reasons. What some don`t realize is what the military is all about. People are dying simutaneously in Iraq and you are risking your lives if you join. You also have to consider the fact you`re going to be away from your family and friends and will be around new people that you probably won`t even like. I`m not trying to keep you from joining but I don`t want you guys to make the same stupid mistake I did. We are more than slaves to the government. We are slaves to ourselves and that is how it should be. Now don`t get me wrong. If you`ve joined for your country I have nothing but respect and I salute you.