Question for French collectors

[Guest exuser1]

As have been living in France for 3 years and pick up the odd bit of Great War militaria at the markets ,and today having returned from the Amiens brocante a question for any French collectors on the forum .

French medals in frames compared to British groups some great bargains out there? just picked up in frame with details of officer group of 6 ,Victory medal . Legion Dhonnur , Croix Daguerre with 4 stars , wound medal , combatants cross and War medal , all confirmed to a elite infantry regiment 151 euro ,and he was POW ,heaven knows what a similar British group would be ? Local dealer said French collectors just not interested? would normally pull medals off diploma and bin the frame ,their thing is equipment and uniforms ,just not interested in research or that sort of thing ? So is this true and what's the thinking behind this ?

[CROONAERT]

The thing is, being unnamed, French medals are really only worth the combined price of single unattributed medals as opposed to a 'group'...its only the accompanying certification that can give credit to a group (if it still exists) and, even then, there is no 100% guarantee that the medals are actually the ones to a particular person. Framed (as yours were) may add a little more authenticity but, in all honesty, most WW1 medals are pretty common and groups can quite easily (and cheaply) be knocked together. This may be a reason why interest is (or appears) relatively low?

Dave.

[Guest exuser1]

The thing is, being unnamed, French medals are really only worth the combined price of single unattributed medals as opposed to a 'group'...its only the accompanying certification that can give credit to a group (if it still exists) and, even then, there is no 100% guarantee that the medals are actually the ones to a particular person. Framed (as yours were) may add a little more authenticity but, in all honesty, most WW1 medals are pretty common and groups can quite easily (and cheaply) be knocked together. This may be a reason why interest is (or appears) relatively low?

Dave.

i go along with the un named bit but when you see the framed groups ,been in same frame for 90 years plus with diploma and name of solider with some decent gallantry all documented it does make you wonder , have just spoke to a guy from Pas De Calais tourist office ,he was commenting on the lack of interes French people researching soldiers service and raised the point that when most French people visit a French Great War cemetery they are more interested in the view and having a drive in the country than checking a soldiers grave for any research and such like? as I said at Amiens yesterday some superb French paperwork around and the local collectors more interested in a Great War French bayonet than a bundle of documents pay books to a Sergeant Major in a local unit with medals and diplomas and photographs .