About Us
We are committed to providing the best medal mounting service available at the fairest cost. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.
MEDAL MOUNTING
Medal Mounting is undertaken by Aubrey Bairstow -the owner and operator of New Zealand Medals Ltd.
Aubrey is well known both within New Zealand and Australia as a Medal Mounter. He is also a recognized authority on Orders, Decorations and Medals. His client base is extensive and has included elements and members of the New Zealand Defence Force, the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Federal Police, Royals, members and branches of the Returned Services League and the NZ Returned Services Association. As one of the few medal mounters in Australia to be approved to undertake AFP mounting his workmanship is of the highest standard. He has also undertaken medal mounting and restoration for museums and private collectors on both sides of the Tasman and further afield. No mounting work is outsourced.
Our costs are simple. $20 per medal swing style or $25 court style plus post. There are no other costs. Other mounters may charge extra for pins or may damage your medals. We are professional, experienced and one of the most reasonably priced medal mounters around. This is not a hobby for us.
Medals are stored securely whilst entrusted to our care, and they are fully insured whilst in our care.
An extensive range of replica medals and miniatures are also stocked.
Most ribbon we use is manufactured specifically for us.
We are able to mount medals in either swing style or court style and our quality is second to none. Unlike some mounters we do not cut corners. Medals are mounted on proper brass or nickel plated bars which are manufactured for this purpose specifically for us by an overseas firm- we do not make our own bars as we have seen the results of what happens when they fail - namely medals hitting concrete at some speed.
Court mounted medals are mounted on perspex/acrylic (which is weather resistant unlike cardboard) thus if they get wet your mounted medals will not collapse.
Your medals are not damaged in any way during the mounting process (some mounters will use a grinder on your medals or clasps to get them to sit flat) . We appreciate what the medals represent and they will be treated with respect - whether they are gallantry awards or service medals.
We generally do not lacquer medals other than silver medals, WW2 campaign stars and the WW1 Victory Medal and 1914-15 Star - all of which tarnish almost immediately after cleaning.
We consider spray lacquer generally unsuitable as it invariably discolours over time. We use a product called Renaissance Wax which has a Royal Warrant.
We mount in accordance with correct protocol in place. Medals have a set order of wear and we cannot deviate from that.
Framing is available by request and we can turn your medals or those of a family member into an attractive display and permanent heirloom. Please see our framing section of this website.
We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service in the industry.
Before and After
PLEASE NOTE THAT MEDAL MOUNTING PRICES INCLUDE NEW RIBBONS AND A NEW BRASS PIN.
OUR RIBBON IS USUALLY MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR US TO THE ORIGINAL SPECIFICATIONS AND SHOULD NOT RUN IF IT GETS WET. OUR PINS ARE DESIGNED NOT TO SAG AND ARE THE BEST QUALITY
Please be aware that we will not insert a medal into a previously mounted group without remounting the entire set of medals unless it is a restoration job for a collector or museum wanting to preserve an antique mounting for display purposes.
From time to time we get medals where a veteran has a previously mounted set and wants a new one "added in" for $25. We cannot do this. We start from scratch.
The reason is simple - other mounters do things a different way and we would rather not try and make do with what they have done before us because if their pin breaks or their mounting comes apart then as the last person to handle the medals we could be considered responsible. When we court mount we use 22-26cm of ribbon. Most firms use under half this. Your medals are valuable so they should be correctly and professionally mounted. For this reason we have the offer to private clients that if, after we have mounted your medals, you receive other medals we will fully remount the group but only charge for the new medals (at $25 each).
Mounting Styles
COURT MOUNTED FULL SIZED MEDALS (COURT STYLE)
The medals are wired to a rigid backing board (perspex) and do not swing. This is as required by most commonwealth defence and police forces. A pin is affixed to the rear for wear. This style prevents contact damage and wear however the reverse of the medal cannot be seen. The cost is $25 per medal
COURT MOUNTED FULL SIZED MEDALS (COLLECTOR STYLE)
The medals are mounted using period antique silk ribbon and with no wearing pin verso. Price on application depending on period ribbon stocks. Please be aware that the costs can near $50 per medal. It is not suitable for families and is a service we offer to museums and collectors only. We do not recommend wearing medals on old ribbon no matter how good the condition may appear.
SWING MOUNTED FULL SIZED MEDALS (COLLECTOR STYLE)
The medals are mounted swing style using genuine period antique silk ribbon. Price on application depending on ribbon stocks. This is unsuitable for wearing and the cost can be up to $50 per medal depending on the ribbon scarcity.
SWING MOUNTED FULL SIZED & MINIATURE MEDALS (SWING STYLE)
As the name implies, the medals swing freely from a mounting bar. The cost is $20 per medal
COURT MOUNTED FULL SIZED MEDALS WITH DISPLAY SPACING
Medals which are to be displayed can be mounted with less overlapping to allow more of the medal to be seen. This is especially suited for framing or for museum displays. The cost is $25 per medal.
THESE MEDALS CANNOT BE SAFELY WORN WHEN SPACED LIKE THIS AND ACCORDINGLY WILL BE MOUNTED WITHOUT A PIN ON THE REVERSE
COURT MOUNTED BOW MOUNTED FULL SIZED MEDALS
The bow mount is one of the most complex styles. It is worn by Ladies only and only for Orders and Decorations such as QSO/QSM, OBE/MBE, ONZM & SS St J. In this case I have bow mounted the two decorations court style and beside the St John Long Service Medal. Please enquire regarding pricing for this mounting style.
COURT MOUNTED FULL SIZED MEDALS WITH WINGS
I am able to add wings (either Air Force or SAS / Para) on clear perspex above a mounted set of medals which gives the illusion of the wings being on the jacket above the medals. I can do the same with Australian ICB's or other insignia you may want above your medals. The cost of this is $20 when I am mounting your medals. The cost of any pins or emblems needed is obviously in addition to that and generally we would expect you would provide your own wings or insignia.
Mounting Costs Swing Style (Full sized or Miniature PER SET):
Mounting Costs Court Style (Full sized or Miniature PER SET):
All medal mounting is plus a courier fee $8.00
LOCKING BROOCHES
PRESENTLY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO IMPORT COSTS
We have had a number of requests from veterans and families wanting a type of medal brooch that will attach securely to their clothing. The UK made pin has a safety clip which, when locked in place, secures the pin firmly into the medal brooch. We have imported a number of these and will on request mount your medals on these. Due to the extra cost of having these imported there is a nominal $5 additional charge PER SET OF MEDALS if you want this type of brooch used. However please discuss this with us if you have any queries. This is a quality product obtained from the Royal medalists to the Queen
Below are both types of brooch we use when mounting medals in either swing or court style. The UK brooch is the chrome one on top. You will note the simple twist lock mechanism which, when twisted in place, will secure the pin.
These pins are unsuited to heavy sets of medals of over 6 full sized awards as the pin will sag as they lack the spaces which the NZDF pins have.
Simply courier your medals with a cheque payable to NZ Medals Ltd to:
NEW ZEALAND MEDALS LTD
PO Box 128-134
Auckland, 1541
PLEASE REFER TO THE MEDAL MOUNTING ORDER FORM PAGE FOR CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS
Payment by credit card is only able to be accepted via paypal at this stage. Bank deposits and online payments are also accepted as are cheques (to NZ Medals Ltd). Bank details are on the order form.
Please specify if you would like your medals court or swing mounted and provide your postage details. You can obtain a courier bag at any post office and the medals are sent securely from the post office to our post box.
If you would like to deliver your medals to us in person this is quite acceptable however as we do not maintain retail premises it will need to be by appointment. Please telephone 09 571 2074 or 021 447 888 to arrange a suitable time or if you have any other queries
We will clean and remount them and will also check for other medal entitlement. Turnaround is around 7-14 days however where we are obtaining unclaimed medals or undertaking other specific work such as framing it can a lot take longer. We will however be happy to provide you with a time frame when you deliver your medals to us.. Often due to significant delays in having unclaimed medals issued we can loan a replica medal while awaiting the supply of the the genuine award.
The medals will then be returned via courier, if you would like to collect them this can also be arranged.
Replica Medals
These are available from $50 each medal, mounted court style or swing style for wear. We stock a wide range from the Victorian period to present day.
Unofficial Medals
Our stance is that we do not sell non awarded commemorative or vanity medals.
We would prefer not mount them, and in many cases ribbon is unavailable. In accordance with correct protocol we will not mount them with official medals in order to save our clients the potential embarassment of featuring on a website such as www.anzmi.net .
The ONLY exception we make to this rule is the ANZAC Gallipoli Star and from time to time the NZ Army 150 Year Medal, which we are aware was officially presented to at least one group of veterans descendants (the families of the men of the 1st NZ Contingent to the Boer War)
The safest rule of thumb is that if you had to pay for it then it should be mounted separately from your official medals.
Some UK firms have made an industry out of creating and manufacturing costly vanity medals to "represent" service where a medal was not given. These vanity medals sell for around $140 each and include medals such as the CMT Medal, the Cold War Service Medal, the Simpson Medal, the Antarctic Service Medal and the Foreign Service Medal. Obviously you are free to wear what you want when you want if you are no longer serving however we cannot mount unofficial medals in the same set as official medals. And do expect to be called out or asked to leave a parade and remove those medals if the parade is being run by the Defence Force or a Parade Marshall who is onto it.
Medallic grievances such as CMT and National Service have been addressed by the New Zealand Defence Service Medal so there is no need to wear unofficial medals for that service now.
US Antarctic Medal
We do stock the correct US Antarctic Medal awarded to NZers, but for which no permission to wear was granted to those still serving. We would suggest that at $60 from us this official medal would be more appropriate for a retired veteran to wear than a $120 unofficial medal created solely for commercial gain by an overseas firm. The stance of NZDF is that as the US Antarctic Medal is an official award which New Zealanders who served there are entitled to that its wear by those who served in Antarctica is harmless and not an issue - even though official permission to wear has not been granted - much like the Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti medals awarded to Gulf War veterans , who were given permission to accept them as a souvenir but not to wear them (yet now many chose to wear them).
A set worn by an entitled Naval veteran who has chosen to wear the official American Antarctic Service Medal (far right). The medal is also available from us in miniature.
NEW ZEALAND MEDALS LTD 09 571 2074 newzealandmedals@gmail.com