What were these medals originally given for?

These medals rewarded achievements in local sports leagues, agricultural shows, fire brigade drills and military campaigns. Civic bodies and clubs commissioned them to mark specific victories or periods of service. They served as portable honours that recipients could display on their watch chains or keep within presentation boxes as personal mementos.

How do I wear or display an antique silver medal?

Many collectors mount these medals onto pocket watch chains to replicate how owners wore them on waistcoats during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Others display them flat in shallow frames or keep them within their original fitted boxes. When wearing them as pendants, ensure the suspension rings and jump rings are secure to prevent loss during daily use.

How can I tell the age of a medal?

Assay hallmarks stamped into the silver provide the most reliable guide to a medal's age, pointing to specific towns and years of manufacture. Many pieces also feature hand-engraved dates on the reverse corresponding to the year of competition. Stylistic indicators, such as the geometric lines of Art Deco pieces or the ornate borders typical of Victorian designs, offer additional chronological clues.

What is the difference between a fob and a medal?

A fob is an ornamental accessory attached to a pocket watch chain, while a medal is a struck piece created to commemorate an event or reward a feat. In practice, many medals were manufactured specifically to be worn as fobs. On this page, the two terms often overlap as sports and civic medals were routinely fitted with loops to serve as watch chain pendants.

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Antique Silver Medal

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An antique silver medal is a tangible piece of past competition, service or commemoration, offering a direct link to the social history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.