Meticulous veteran cleans up on medals

by Paul Sallaway of The London Free Press, April 28 1971.

During his 25 years in the army, Ivan L. Greenham took particular care to keep the medals he earned in mint-like condition.

While that personal habit may not have earned him a mint since his retirement in 1963, it has helped to provide him a comfortable living.

Officially, the former regimental sergeant-major is known as the “medal manager” at Forest City Coins and Stamps, is almost fully occupied with mounting and remounting service medals from all across Canada.

Medals sent to him tarnished and pitted, their ribbons faded or frayed, are restored to a state that will make their owner proud to wear them at military ceremonies or on Remembrance Day.

His relatively rare occupation has brought in orders from the United States and even from Brisbane, Australia.

Brass medals are electroplated with gold, silver medals with nickel and rhodium to prevent further tarnishing. New ribbons – and special care is taken to make certain the proper ribbon is matched with proper medal – are imported from Britain.

While many veterans ask that their medals be mounted in glass cases for wall or mantel adornment, the majority want “swing” or “court” mountings for uniforms or suit coats.

A swing mounting permits the medals to sway as the wears walks or marches. A court mounting, far more popular, holds the medals in place so they cannot chip each other.

Mr. Greenham also works with miniature replicas. With miniatures he can place eight on a chest bar. On the average the complete mounting will take about a month.

His largest work has 130 medals refurbished for the department of national defense and now on display at London’s Wolseley Barracks.

Though there are much larger operations in such centres as Toronto and Montreal, his reputation for quality work has brought him many orders from just such communities.

Now 65. Mr. Greenham works with his son Keith, owner of the store, but Keith leaves most of the medal work for his father.

The medal business blossomed through word of mouth, beginning two years after he returned to civilian life.

“The fellows I was in the service with knew I always took good care of my own medals so they started sending me theirs and it just spread from there,” he states.

His medal mountings range from Boar War awards to a Distinguished Flying Cross Won by an air force veteran in British Columbia.

Perhaps another thing which adds to his popularity is an extra service he provides.

“Sometimes fellows will write in and say they know they have earned some medals but they don’t know just what. If they just give us their regimental number we write away and get them for them. “