U. S. Military Items

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Navy Cross, World War II era

The Navy Cross remains as one of the most beautiful and highly sought medals ever produced by our country, and less than 1100 were awarded to recipients during World War II.
Many of the citations were awarded posthumously, due to the gallantry and supreme sacrifice of the individual who earned it.

The Navy Cross was designed by James Earle Frasier, a distinguished sculptor, member of the nation's Fine Arts Commission. The Navy Cross' arguable resemblance to Great Britain's Navy Distinguished Service Cross is noteworthy, but not elaborated upon in any available research. Frasier experimented with the image of a World War I era destroyer on the medal, however finally opted for the timeless, flowing lines of a 15th century sailing ship as depicted on the obverse of the medal. The crossed anchors on the reverse were to symbolize the long, proud heritage of the American Navy, and has never been redesigned since the inception of the award.

U. S. Congressional Medal of Honor, Air Force issue
Vietnam War Era

Image Courtesy of a private collection, not available for sale

The highest award for Valor in action against an enemy, which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.

Generally presented by the President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress.

Army Distinguished Service Cross, WW II Issue

Another rare decoration, the Army DSC is the equivalent to the Navy Cross in criteria for award. Second only to the Medal of Honor in order of precedence, it was only awarded to those individuals who performed an extreme act of gallantry under fire against an opposing enemy of the United States.

Early examples of the Cross are simply outstanding, as they were often die struck and hand assembled by jewelers contracted by the government. Current issue examples of this award pale in comparison to the pre Vietnam issue examples, as there is a noticable difference in the quality of the workmanship.

The criteria for the awarding of the Army Distinguished Service Cross reads as follows :

Awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor; The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from their comrades.

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This is an area of collecting which can provide years of pleasure to one who has the time and patience required to locate the right items, and we have been enjoying the thrill of this wonderful hobby for over twenty years !
	Cased Decorations U. S. Cased Decorations remain as one of our most enjoyable product lines, due to both the historical importance of such items as well as the American Patriotism which they represent. The pride of ownership of such symbols of our freedom are simply hard to describe, as they are the truest link to those who sacrificed all in order that we may survive as a nation. Those who did, gave what they had in our nations' time of need...not for medals, not for glory, but for the future generations of Americans. These medals were our country's way of expressing the gratitude of a gratful nation, and sometimes as a heartfelt reminder awarded posthumously to a soldier's next of kin. It is hard to place a value on such an item, as each was awarded for a separate and enduring act of self sacrifice of different degrees. Naturally, a collector market has emerged to assert a dollar value upon various examples of the decorations...but these are one of the few things within the realm of collecting that we have always believed have been underpriced, as how can you place a dollar amount on the acts of bravery described within many of these citations ?
Navy Cross, World War II era The Navy Cross remains as one of the most beautiful and highly sought medals ever produced by our country, and less than 1100 were awarded to recipients during World War II. Many of the citations were awarded posthumously, due to the gallantry and supreme sacrifice of the individual who earned it. The Navy Cross was designed by James Earle Frasier, a distinguished sculptor, member of the nation's Fine Arts Commission. The Navy Cross' arguable resemblance to Great Britain's Navy Distinguished Service Cross is noteworthy, but not elaborated upon in any available research. Frasier experimented with the image of a World War I era destroyer on the medal, however finally opted for the timeless, flowing lines of a 15th century sailing ship as depicted on the obverse of the medal. The crossed anchors on the reverse were to symbolize the long, proud heritage of the American Navy, and has never been redesigned since the inception of the award.
	Medals and Ribbon Bars Not only do we have many original items in stock and available for sale, but we can also create custom made ribbon bars and uniform items for all your special military uniform needs. We even use the original World War II materials, which we were able to locate and obtain in bulk years ago from a defunct original manufacturer at government auction ! Have you ever seen an uncut spool of Navy Cross ribbon ? We have it in stock, and many others which cannot even be located at any price ! We even have original issue Medal of Honor ribbon of prewar manufacture, and we can't even offer it for resale due to Federal Law ! Did you ever wonder whatever happened to all of that war surplus at the end of World War II ? We did, and we found out too...by tracking down as much of it as we could find, and buying it as if "they didn't make it anymore"...as in fact they don't, as modern made examples of these rare items cannot even compare to the quality of pre-1945 manufactured materials ! Turned out that one of the main overseas Quartermaster Depots for European Theater distribution had been located within 30 miles of here, in nearby Philadelphia, Pa. The building was still there, and although it had been immaculately maintained and staffed to appear in operation, it in fact had been closed since the end of the '50s...and was merely being used as what it had always been, an enormous military warehouse filled with merchandise ! As usual with government spending in the early '80s, the people working at the facility were actually still guarding and inventorying military surplus left over from World War II and the Korean Conflict. Nobody knew or even cared of course, as any job is a good job... Sooner or later the property was listed for sale, and the contents were to be liquidated at one of those famous "government surplus auctions" everyone hears about. But nobody heard about this one except for a few lucky or smart individuals, who had been watching the property for decades, fantasizing about what treasures may have been contained within. Little did anyone realize what a cache of valuables was about to be sold to the highest bidder, and at such ridiculously low prices that a "fortune" was about to be given away at pennies on the dollar ! Literally thousands of unissued cased decorations, uniform items, headgear, etc. were to be offered up to the highest bidder for three days, and the turnout was quite poor...we were able to obtain as much as we could carry home that weekend, and it was a true V Day for collectors from all over the east coast ! We were lucky to obtain enough original issue merchandise to last throughout a lifetime, and almost enough to re-enact D Day...
U. S. Congressional Medal of Honor, Air Force issue Vietnam War Era Image Courtesy of a private collection, not available for sale The highest award for Valor in action against an enemy, which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Generally presented by the President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress.
	Branch Specific Awards We strive to both update and upgrade our inventory of World War II U.S. Decorations as often as possible, and are always buying in this area ! We currently have a full selection of these medals available for purchase, and the complete inventory can be accessed by simply clicking on to the picture of the item you are interested in ! If you don't find what you are looking for, just contact us as we can find almost anything...we have been collecting in this area for over twenty years, and have made many major connections in the acquisition of this merchandise !
Army Distinguished Service Cross, WW II Issue Another rare decoration, the Army DSC is the equivalent to the Navy Cross in criteria for award. Second only to the Medal of Honor in order of precedence, it was only awarded to those individuals who performed an extreme act of gallantry under fire against an opposing enemy of the United States. Early examples of the Cross are simply outstanding, as they were often die struck and hand assembled by jewelers contracted by the government. Current issue examples of this award pale in comparison to the pre Vietnam issue examples, as there is a noticable difference in the quality of the workmanship. The criteria for the awarding of the Army Distinguished Service Cross reads as follows : Awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor; The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from their comrades.

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