Fake medals are around and it is often hard to tell from the photos that appear in the auction sites. Many WW1 medals had had their original names erased, this was because the families who received them often sold them without nosy locals knowing they were doing so. This is especially true of the British War Medal which was the only one of the three (Star & Victory being the other two) which was made of precious metal (silver) and thus had a scrap value (people were often very poor after the war). Things to look out for are: A rim which is thinned all the way or part way around. Engraved. The name etc. was always stamped. If a seller says the medal is a replacement due to the original being lost etc., ensure he has documents to prove it. Blank medals are often seen, easy for a name etc. to be added with no thinning of the rim, or to the back of a star. Some repros of medals (in common with badges) can be passed off as genuine. Very common badges being advertised as "unknown badge". Items said to be very rare when they are not. I have even seen this against Mary tins which are very common. They were all issued by Princess Mary, not Queen Mary. This has led some to think there are two tins!