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What got you into collecting Militaria?

Article about: by Bas Jonkers Hey again guys. Again Ade. This probably isn't the right forum for the thread but what the hell right? So my question is fairly simple. What got you into collecting Militaria?

  1. #1

    Post What got you into collecting Militaria?

    Hey again guys. Again Ade. This probably isn't the right forum for the thread but what the hell right? So my question is fairly simple. What got you into collecting Militaria? And ofcourse ill tell what got me into it.So i was bored one day. Browsing the Internet and i came across: Militaria tweede wereldoorlog - Marktplaats (WW2 militaria section to sell on the Dutch Ebay)
    So i began viewing this and looked at a gas mask i liked wich also is my first ever WW2 item. Asked my parents if i could bring a bid on it and they said yes. So i saw the price tag and that also was a bit ''Interesting''. Placed a bid of 5 euro less and i won the auction . And so my collection began. Now tell me yours

    - Bas

  2. #2

    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    My dad bought me a ww2 Aussie tin hat when I was a kid for $1.10 and whinged about the price for weeks! That's what started it for me, the hobby took a backseat when I discovered sheilas, cars etc... But has become important to me again now I'm older, married with a kid, mortgage etc...

  3. #3
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    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    What got me into collecting were the stories my grandmother told me about the war, with the more I learned about the war the more I actually realized what she saw. I think it is pretty remarkable that she got to see the Free Indian Legion and the Georgians while she was on Texel during the war. This always peaked my interest but at the time I had no idea anythings from ww2 still existed, let alone in pretty good condition. I bought my first item when i was 12 (WW2 Canadian Gasmask with Satchel) at a militaria store while I was visiting Victoria, BC, and have since learned of the existence of these wonderful forums that has amped up my knowledge big time on the subject.

    All the best,
    Stefan

  4. #4
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    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    In this case, the sheila's might have been the cheaper option........

    Looking for LDO marked EK2s and items relating to U-406.....

  5. #5

    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    My granddad, he brought back a German Belt buckle from a German Prisoner (he used to transport them) oh and a hand engraved cig case from a friendly German prisoner (my granddad looked after him)

  6. #6

    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    What got me into collecting WWII militaria was one of my college history professors from two years ago. One day he brought into class an NSDAP pennant, an M40 Luftwaffe helmet, an EK2, and various other small things. He wouldn't let us touch the pennant, but he passed around the other items. When I first handled the EK2, I felt some kind of weird connection to it that I can't explain. When the helmet got passed to me, I remember thinking back to all the old war movies. I recognized the style, and the shape of it, but i was really surprised that the interior was just leather. Both of those items intimated me. They were the first original pieces of German militaria I had ever seen. When I got home I couldn't stop thinking about that stuff. I figured it was going to be expensive, but I decided I was going to buy Hitler Youth knife (I didn't even know what it was, I just saw it on Saving Private Ryan and thought it sounded cool). I googled Hitler Youth knife and found LakeSideTrader. I stared at the pictures and the price. I was amazed at how affordable they were, but still a little out of my price range at the time. Fast forward 8 months later... I was at Myrtle Beach looking for some old books in an antique store. While in there I happened to stumble upon a glass case housing hundreds of pieces of militaria! I had just turned 19, so I had a good amount of birthday money on me. I saw a hideous M34 fire/police helmet on the top shelf in the glass case. I asked if I could take it out to examine it. I picked it up and that same weird feeling of connection swept over me again! Completely disregarding the ridiculous price tag of $450, I walked out of the store with that helmet in one hand, and an empty wallet in the other. From that day forward I have been collecting WWII militaria.

    PS: I ended up selling that crappy M34 a few months later, and instead I bought a Q M40 Luftwaffe SD from LakeSideTrader.

    Here is a link to my old collection: (note: I no longer have any of these items): WW2 Collection (North Carolina, USA)

    Regards,
    Corey

  7. #7

    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    Wow... Thanks for that wonderful story. That should become a movie. Steven Spielberg doesnt have anything on that story

    - Bas

  8. #8
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    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    I read a book about the second world war and my interest grew. I wanted to get a second world war item and I was kindly given a bronze mothers cross, and I have been hooked ever since.

    Cheers, Patrick

  9. #9
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    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    A small soviet commemoration badge I bought. I remembered I had a membership here from yonks ago, and thought I'd ask some questions about it.

    I've been here ever since . I have a passion for history, instilled by the old man.

  10. #10

    Default Re: What got you into collecting Militaria?

    As a kid I always wanted to be a soldier and from an early age I read war books, mostly about WWII and the war in Europe. My family fought on both sides. When I enlisted, the 1954 Draft Law was in effect, which mandate eight years military obligation. I wasn't going anywhere so I took a burst of six with a two-year extension and ended up assigned to a tank company in Berlin. Being in Berlin in the mid 1950's to early 60's provided me with a hands-on opportunity to to learn about the rise of the NSDAP and the war. When I got home, I went to college and majored in modern German history, with a modern military history emphasis. I started writing books and articles on various aspects of US and German military history in 1978 and continued until 2002 with the publication of my last book. During that time I collected, or maybe it's more accurate to say I gathered, a wide assortment of artifacts related to the books I wrote. I found that when researching a topic, I got a better feel for it if I could actually handle, and sometimes wear, things that had actually existed during the period about which I was writing. Over the years the result was that I collected artifacts for every book I published and today I have the cream of the crop displayed in my study. A great deal of my collection consists of rare books, which serve both as treasures of another age and excellent references. I have nearly two-hundred rare books dealing with WWI, my speciality. For me, and I think for all of us, collecting is a learning experience that never stops. Dwight

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