Coins DIG

Tell me: what does the word ‘coins’ conjure up in your mind’s eye? Is it neat velour covered boxes with a multitude of shiny coins sitting neatly in slots and covered in perspex, or coins hidden below ground centuries ago to safeguard one's wealth from wayside robbers and vagabonds?

And ‘medals’? Do you see long rows of brightly colored gongs and ribbon with some long dead soldier’s name carved on the side, or Cruft’s Championship Tokens, ‘Blue Peter’ giveaways, some Boy Scout's best attempt at tying reef knots or thousands more alongside?

And what of tokens? Love tokens? Bus tokens?

I’ll tell you what coins, medals and tokens mean to me - an immensely popular eBay collecting category with hot selling products and little competition.

An eBay PowerSeller's dream come true and also a great way to lose money, lots of money, if you're not careful.

YOU MUST SPECIALISE

Most certain profits come from unusual and even unique medals in specific high interest collectible sub-categories. Study the niches and you'll always succeed. So instead of buying and selling 'medals'; namely any medals, coins and tokens, go for Boer War Military Medals, Police Dog Bravery Medals. For coins, opt for limited edition collectors' sets and buy when they are new, store them safely away for a few years, promote them outside their area of origin and expect decent or magnificent profits. For tokens, choose mining tokens from a colliery long since closed, possibly one with a sad or tragic history of serious accidents. For sports medals and tokens, choose popular sports like golf and cricket, motor cycling and football.

SUB-CATEGORY: MILITARY MEDALS

Military medals vary in price according to actual battles and recipient’s rank, also level of bravery involved. So a bravery medal awarded to a high-ranking officer in the First World War – long battle period, wide scale action, many countries involved – might - be worth less than one awarded for similar level of bravery, to similar service rank, in a shorter war involving fewer countries and smaller geographic scale, such as Vietnam, Falklands War, Iraqi War. Only 'might' remember because two or more people desperate to have an otherwise common item can start another war, a bidding war with fierce bidding and high finishing prices.

TIPS

* Beware of re-engraved medals. It was quite common for men who lost their own medals or were less than proud of their own service status, to buy another man’s medals and remove the name and re-engrave with their own names.

* Medals were worn with pride and polished sometimes daily causing wear and reducing value. Medals dropped or otherwise facing heavy use get damaged and are also worth less than their pristine counterparts.

* Fakes abound for really rare medals so aim to prove authenticity such as by checking vendor's background for military decorated relatives, check letters and photographs, consult military records for really high price items.