WWII US Army Air Corps Air Medal -
The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
The Air Medal was established by Executive Order 9158, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, on 11 May 1942. The Air Medal was awarded retroactive to 8 September 1939. The medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Armed Forces of the United States, shall have distinguished himself/herself by meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
The medal featured here has an early wrap-around clutch. Which adds to the value of the piece. The
original issue box is hown. Also known as the "coffin" box because of the shape of the lid. The
box is black with gold letters spelling out the name of the medal.
This page is a recognition and identification guide for WWII US medals and awards. Multiple
detailed photos of a specific sample are provided. Descriptions point out clearly defined
points that should be noted.
One of the most commonly asked questions is "How much is my WWII medal or award worth?".
A price guide is included here to address this question. The value of the medals
is reviewed over a period of several years. A trend can be observed. The present worth
of US militaria in the collector's market is illustrated.
This service is provided free of charge to the visitor/enthusiast courtesy of
MilitaryItems.com,
a company dedicated to the preservation of military history and to providing quality military
antiques and collectibles to museums, institutions and the general public.
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The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps have two types of Air Medal awards: "individual" for singular meritorious acts and "strike/flight" for participation in sustained aerial flight operations. Bronze Strike/Flight numerals denote "strike/flight" awards. As of September 27, 2006, gold award numerals are used to denote "individual" Air Medals. This is a return to the standard used before November 22, 1989. In the interval between November 22, 1989 and September 27, 2006, gold and silver award stars denoted subsequent "individual" Air Medals. Gold stars were used for the second through the fifth, seventh through tenth awards, and so on. Silver stars were used in lieu of five gold stars, and denote the sixth and eleventh (and so on) awards. For "individual" Air Medals, the valor device may be authorized.
The United States Coast Guard issues the Air Medal with subsequent awards denoted by gold and silver stars. There are no additional devices authorized on the Coast Guard Air Medal.
During World War II, the Air Medal was also awarded to members of the Civil Air Patrol that had been participants in that organization's anti-submarine patrol program.
This US medal is currently being reproduced.
It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because
the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with
the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this medal.
Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of
the collectible.
If you have an interest is seeing other WWII medals, you can do so by
going to our WWII US medals
identification guide. Where we cover Army, Navy, Army Air Force and other organizations.
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