MEDAL NEWS NOVEMBER IS NOW ON SALE! The November issue of Medal News is now on sales at newsagents, through our website www.tokenpublishing.com or from the Token Publishing office. See below for the many interesting articles this month!
evening, the newspapers we read every morning are testament to the fact that it won’t go away. The trouble is because it won’t go away, because conflict, death, car bombs, fire fights and casualties are so much part of life now as they’ve always been, they rarely make headline news anymore (certainly these things are mentioned, but rarely do they take centre stage these days, the credit crunch has seen to that) and so we are in danger of forgetting that whilst war will always be with us it isn’t something that just happens. It actually happens to real people, not actors or extras but real people with real lives.
Of course, as medal collectors we should be more conscious than most that war is something that affects real individuals, but unfortunately we are often in danger of forgetting that the medals we hold in our collections (maybe proudly displayed in a cabinet or on the wall in frames or perhaps locked safely away in a bank somewhere) all represent real service, service in action that was as every bit as real to those taking part as the conflicts in Afghanistan and the Middle East are today. Too often we treat our medals as commodities, just things to be bought and sold, and we forget that whilst it’s "just a pair" or "just a trio", to us in fact it really is something far more important than just a few bits of metal. Most of us will, I’m sure, have researched the "better" groups in our collections, delved deep into the past of those who were awarded the most interesting or rarest combination of medals, but this Remembrance Day try looking again at the lowliest medals you may have in your collection. Look again at the singles, the pairs, the "ordinary" medals that you haven’t yet bothered to research properly (it doesn’t matter if they aren’t from World War I, the principle is the same), and remember those men (and women) who fought, who have now faded away and who really would be forgotten if it wasn’t for their closest family and collectors like us. Look at those medals, spare a thought for their recipient and remember that whilst war may be a human weakness the ability to honour and give thanks are human strengths and should be exercised as often as we can - so once a year really isn't too much to ask.
