I suppose this is as good a place as any to put a thread like this. Anyone here collect militaria? If so, what time period/war interests you the most? What do you like to focus on collecting? What are some of your best finds?
Militaria Collecting
- Thread starter Rambler
- Start date
I would love to but don't have the finances or room to store the stuff... LOL
I have a few bits and pieces, like my American helmet, Dads medals and such like but nothing I have went specifically 'searching' for to buy.
I have a few bits and pieces, like my American helmet, Dads medals and such like but nothing I have went specifically 'searching' for to buy.
Same boat as Bootie mostly. Have a few odds and ends but I'm not a relic hunter. Also have enough people in my life thinking I'm weird so probably not a good idea to fuel that line of thinking any further. 
Free bit of advice don't bring it up in conversation that you were promoted to command the I. SS Panzerkorps in your workplace...
Then there's the other issues:
1. To do it properly you need some $$$ behind you.
2. Australian gun laws. Though I support them, yeah finding and bringing in an MP40 or MP44 and hanging it on your wall in your gaming room is just asking for trouble from the authorities.
Saying that, I do have a 1939 dated Iron Cross my sister picked up while visiting Poland in 2009. Pure chance she knew what it was when looking through a local memorabilia shops. When I visited Europe later the same year I was going through Croatia with the tour group and we stopped to have lunch in some coastal community (forgot it's name). Spent time going through the local markets and was getting back on the bus when some of the girls commented they were shocked and disgusted there was someone there selling 'Nazi stuff.' When I quizzed them on it turns out it was probably a collection of medals, rank insignia, campaign badges and possibly a soldiers pocket version of 'Mein Kampf.' If we weren't already 20 miles away would have begged for the bus driver to turn around. When I told the girls what the stuff could actually be worth they were taken back.
Free bit of advice don't bring it up in conversation that you were promoted to command the I. SS Panzerkorps in your workplace...Then there's the other issues:
1. To do it properly you need some $$$ behind you.
2. Australian gun laws. Though I support them, yeah finding and bringing in an MP40 or MP44 and hanging it on your wall in your gaming room is just asking for trouble from the authorities.
Saying that, I do have a 1939 dated Iron Cross my sister picked up while visiting Poland in 2009. Pure chance she knew what it was when looking through a local memorabilia shops. When I visited Europe later the same year I was going through Croatia with the tour group and we stopped to have lunch in some coastal community (forgot it's name). Spent time going through the local markets and was getting back on the bus when some of the girls commented they were shocked and disgusted there was someone there selling 'Nazi stuff.' When I quizzed them on it turns out it was probably a collection of medals, rank insignia, campaign badges and possibly a soldiers pocket version of 'Mein Kampf.' If we weren't already 20 miles away would have begged for the bus driver to turn around. When I told the girls what the stuff could actually be worth they were taken back.
Z
zaraza
Guest
Same as above...
I have few WW2 local and UK news papers, aircraft instruments, badges and that't it. One day, i'll pay more attention on this (and on retro computers) collectibles...
I have few WW2 local and UK news papers, aircraft instruments, badges and that't it. One day, i'll pay more attention on this (and on retro computers) collectibles...
Cool, y'all should post some pictures of what you do have. Would be interesting to see!
LOL I can imagine the looks you got after mentioning that.
No one out here would bat an eye if you had an MP44 hanging in your room. In fact, you'd be complimented on it and then promptly invited to the range. Too bad you missed the vendor with all those German items. Sounds like you could have made a haul there.
I guess I would be more on the serious side. I'm primarily interested in WW2 militaria, and I've been collecting for 20 years now. I started when I was 12 using money I made mowing lawns. I don't have a large collection by any means, though. My tastes on what I collect are pretty eclectic, and as such my collection is pretty wide ranging. However, the area I do primarily focus on is WW2 firearms and their accessories. I just completed my goal of having at least one rifle from each of the major combatants. The other items I like to collect are manuals. I have the 1940 and 1943 versions of the M1 Garand manual, the 1942 MG34 Butz manual and, I would probably classify this as my best find since it took 8 years to track one down, an original Tigerfibel complete with all of the supplements. Also have some patches, some dug up relic stuff, a couple newspapers, some US uniform items and things from my grandfather.
Yeah, collecting can be expensive, but, like anything, you can make it as expensive as you want. I have price limits I won't go over. That does mean there are things that I won't be able to get, but I'm cool with that. Half the fun is seeing what is out there in your price range, and sometimes you can even get lucky and score really good deals. I have an M1 Garand rear sight worth $800 that I got for $75 all because the guy I bought it from had it mislabeled.
LOL I can imagine the looks you got after mentioning that
.Then there's the other issues:
1. To do it properly you need some $$$ behind you.
2. Australian gun laws. Though I support them, yeah finding and bringing in an MP40 or MP44 and hanging it on your wall in your gaming room is just asking for trouble from the authorities.
No one out here would bat an eye if you had an MP44 hanging in your room. In fact, you'd be complimented on it and then promptly invited to the range
. Too bad you missed the vendor with all those German items. Sounds like you could have made a haul there.I guess I would be more on the serious side. I'm primarily interested in WW2 militaria, and I've been collecting for 20 years now. I started when I was 12 using money I made mowing lawns. I don't have a large collection by any means, though. My tastes on what I collect are pretty eclectic, and as such my collection is pretty wide ranging. However, the area I do primarily focus on is WW2 firearms and their accessories. I just completed my goal of having at least one rifle from each of the major combatants. The other items I like to collect are manuals. I have the 1940 and 1943 versions of the M1 Garand manual, the 1942 MG34 Butz manual and, I would probably classify this as my best find since it took 8 years to track one down, an original Tigerfibel complete with all of the supplements. Also have some patches, some dug up relic stuff, a couple newspapers, some US uniform items and things from my grandfather.
Yeah, collecting can be expensive, but, like anything, you can make it as expensive as you want. I have price limits I won't go over. That does mean there are things that I won't be able to get, but I'm cool with that. Half the fun is seeing what is out there in your price range, and sometimes you can even get lucky and score really good deals. I have an M1 Garand rear sight worth $800 that I got for $75 all because the guy I bought it from had it mislabeled.
D
Dutch Grenadier
Guest
I have an Germand helmet (see avatar), an American helmet, some Dutch medals from my wife's grandfarther, some photo's from my own grandfarther who fought on the Grebbeberg when the Germans invated Holland, old newspapers, foodstamps and books loads of books
Another little collection story, this time from my late grandfather (fathers side). Sorry @Dutch Grenadier posting reminded me of this.
Story handed down via my own father who was only a baby when they migrated to Australia in 1951. Anyway, my grandfather was a proud Dutchman but wasn't political by any means. He was a bit of a rebel whose pride and joy was his motor cycle and leather jacket. When the Germans invaded in 1940 his home town of Maastricht was just across the border so fell the first day. There wasn't any real resistance and people didn't even realise the Germans had taken over until later in the day. Though he was offered a position in the NSB from two of his mates following the takeover, he turned it down as he didn't necessarily disagree with the right wing parties of the day but didn't like a foreign power taking over his country either. (A side note, neither of these two men would survive the war as a result of revenge attacks following liberation). He spent the next few years stealing food to help feed his family before being 'drafted' into the dutch resistance in late '42. He spent the following few years in the underground and never talked about what he got up to to either my Dad, his other children or even his wife. The only bit of information that was shared was that he had indeed killed someone during this time. He was with the Underground until the British rolled through in '44.
This is where the collection stuff comes in. Apparently many of the Dutch underground fighters were drafted into the British army as cooks and other behind the lines duties owing to the manpower shortage facing the British army at this late stage of the war. My grandfather rotated around a bit but spent quite a bit of time in the 'body lifters' section which followed behind the battles and cleared away any corpses, undertaking marking and burial duties. Most of his unit did the German soldiers who fell in battle. He always had a keen eye for battering and trade and used to collect up the medals and 'anything shiny' from the German corpses with the idea of selling them after the war to relic hunters. Apparently he had a little bag of collected items including medals, badges and pocket manuals which he brought all the way out to Australia with him after the war. His wife who just wanted to forget about the war always wanted to throw them away but my grandfather always held onto them. Needless to say when I learned about this as a History Undergrad at University a couple of years after his passing I was very interested.
My grandfather passed away first back in 2001 and my grandmother about 6 years later. Went top to bottom through their unit to try and find any sign of this collection but never could. It was likely if my grandmother came across the items after my grandfathers death they would have been chucked immediately regardless of what was collected. Shame but I can also see her point, she had a rough war and only married my Grandfather in '41 to avoid being deported across the border into Germany to work in the Ruhr factories. All I remember as a little kid was the two of them bickering. They loved each other but lets just say if the war hadn't happened and they weren't 'forced' to marry due to circumstance there's a very good chance they never would and neither my father nor I would be here today.
Story handed down via my own father who was only a baby when they migrated to Australia in 1951. Anyway, my grandfather was a proud Dutchman but wasn't political by any means. He was a bit of a rebel whose pride and joy was his motor cycle and leather jacket. When the Germans invaded in 1940 his home town of Maastricht was just across the border so fell the first day. There wasn't any real resistance and people didn't even realise the Germans had taken over until later in the day. Though he was offered a position in the NSB from two of his mates following the takeover, he turned it down as he didn't necessarily disagree with the right wing parties of the day but didn't like a foreign power taking over his country either. (A side note, neither of these two men would survive the war as a result of revenge attacks following liberation). He spent the next few years stealing food to help feed his family before being 'drafted' into the dutch resistance in late '42. He spent the following few years in the underground and never talked about what he got up to to either my Dad, his other children or even his wife. The only bit of information that was shared was that he had indeed killed someone during this time. He was with the Underground until the British rolled through in '44.
This is where the collection stuff comes in. Apparently many of the Dutch underground fighters were drafted into the British army as cooks and other behind the lines duties owing to the manpower shortage facing the British army at this late stage of the war. My grandfather rotated around a bit but spent quite a bit of time in the 'body lifters' section which followed behind the battles and cleared away any corpses, undertaking marking and burial duties. Most of his unit did the German soldiers who fell in battle. He always had a keen eye for battering and trade and used to collect up the medals and 'anything shiny' from the German corpses with the idea of selling them after the war to relic hunters. Apparently he had a little bag of collected items including medals, badges and pocket manuals which he brought all the way out to Australia with him after the war. His wife who just wanted to forget about the war always wanted to throw them away but my grandfather always held onto them. Needless to say when I learned about this as a History Undergrad at University a couple of years after his passing I was very interested.
My grandfather passed away first back in 2001 and my grandmother about 6 years later. Went top to bottom through their unit to try and find any sign of this collection but never could. It was likely if my grandmother came across the items after my grandfathers death they would have been chucked immediately regardless of what was collected. Shame but I can also see her point, she had a rough war and only married my Grandfather in '41 to avoid being deported across the border into Germany to work in the Ruhr factories. All I remember as a little kid was the two of them bickering. They loved each other but lets just say if the war hadn't happened and they weren't 'forced' to marry due to circumstance there's a very good chance they never would and neither my father nor I would be here today.
I was once in Stockholm with my Swedish ex-girlfriend. I saw a black Panzer beret for €99, I was so tempted to get it but my girlfriend talked me out of it
R
Richtig
Guest
When we did the gamers and there hats, I spotted a cap in a 'junk shop' festooned with badges - and I thought go on get it just for a laugh - make a good picture - the salesperson pointed out the number of badges, the rarity and value of some of the badges and not long after they mentioned the figure of £185.00 I was already crossing the road and heading home...
At least you were allowed to own one without a million and one checks and balances.
I know, have it poking out of an upstairs window with a sign attached, ' NO TRESPASSERS OR SALESMEN ! '
R
Rommel
Guest
Had a chance to buy a Bren Carrier at a surplus store in Colorado Springs, CO, but did not buy it. They wanted $1000.00 back in 1975. Also could have bought a 37 mm A.T. gun but no I did not. It would look cool in the front yard.
Rommel-out
Rommel-out