I hope this post might be of interest to someone. Information like this can be found on specialist medal forums, but it would be beneficial to spead the message a bit wider.
Recently, I became interested in Chinese military history in general, Kuomintang as well as Korean War. As you might guess, there aren't much in the way of (genuine) Chinese uniforms on the market, yet even a cursory search through epay's listings will show hundreds of Chinese medals, types from the foundation of the Republic of China, through the revolution to the Korean War - with prices ranging from $1 to $100.
Here are the two types (both alleged Korean War) I bought:
Both are fakes, yet both also appear on a reputable Western dealer's website. Fortunately, I only got stung for $1 (after all
"who would fake Chinese medals?!") for each of the above, but, again, one is curently listed for $50
with several bids.
I now propose to put foward a simple, yet I hope reasonably fail-safe, guide to verify them, in the hope that people will not get stung quite so easily.
1) Ribbon. Synthetic fibres did exist in the '50s, but were not used in medals. All types with red "shower curtains" like mine above are fakes, yet there are genuine versions with similar odd-squared-red hangars, though in real fabric but these are chiefly 1950s types. Increasingly however, there are more and more medals offered (with identical "gongs") but which have different - frequently more correct - (Soviet/North Korean style) hangars.
To a certain degree, common sense can be used. Would the Kuomintang really use socialistic Red hangars?
2) Enamel. It may be surprising but all Chinese medals - even during the dark days of Japanese invasion and Civil War - had beautiful enamel finishing. Enamel
paint (often off-colour) is a sure sign of a fake.
3) Weathering. The above medals should also come with a health warning! I'm informed that the way they are made to look like that cruddy is by burying them in Chicken excrement. Real medals were made with a non-tarnish finish and, though they may get a bit worn over the years, chipped enamel etc. but will never look like quite like that!
4) Design. This test is made more difficult by lack of reference. There aren't any 100% accurate catalogues in any European language, not even in Chinese come to that. Many fakes are fantasy designs, so check before buying on a reputable website/collection if possible. I would particularly recommend the OMSA database (
http://www.omsa.org/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=544).
Anyway, I hope this helps.
BP