The halcyon collecting years, a bit of nostalgia...

[MAP]

Great stories Sarge/Bob! Thanks for sharing!

Sarge: do you still have all of these?

[CBH]

I started collecting WW 2 German "stuff", at about 16 in 1953, with the purchase of an all matching K98k (including sling, sight hood, clg rod u. bayonet) to use as a deer rifle. Got it from an uncle who had brought it back. I still have it.
This rifle got me interested in German weapons and in looking for them I kept finding medals and all sorts of other stuff. I bought everything I had the $$ for.
This is the way I displayed my collection in 1957/58 - pinned onto a bath towel and the towel nailed to the wall in my bedroom.
My first Knights Cross, cased, cost me $50 in about 1959.
Sarge
Attachment 886681

And I thought my screw back EK I for 5$ back in Highschool in the 80's was a great deal !

[papapanzer]

I got my first german helmet{an m35 nd no liner} from a neighbor around 1950.I still have it now with an ss camo cover on it.Oh,to have the knowledge today and the abundance of items at 1950 prices!
Peter

[RH1941]

I don't know about 1950 prices but I remember going to gun shows in the 70's and begging my dad for an SS dagger for $50.00 and was told he wasn't wasting his money on that junk.

[Bob Lyons]

As we are going down memory lane this week  I thought I would show you my very first German helmet,
it was from the proceeds of my money trapping rabbits back when I was about 11 or 12, so somewhere around
1963-64. This gem cost me the princely sum (from memory) of around 10 shillings (pre decimal currency days),
which would convert to around $1 dollar !! This one is a fibreglass replica, and was made for some war movie way
back in the day (and again, according to the mail order guy that sold it to me), and this I think was the catalyst that
pushed me into collecting German WW2 stuff, as well as all of the old classics that were at the movies back then.
When I joined the Army in 1971 my mum gave this away to one of the neighbourhood kids, and my first leave back
home again from Rookie training had the kid ride past me on his pushbike, and the helmet swiftly got taken from
him and returned to the fold. I still have it, and it has survived countless parties and get togethers where someone
or other wanted to have a photo taken wearing it, and my brother in law wanting to paint it orange so he could
wear it water skiing.  (some of the old Army parties were fairly wild)….

Ah, nostalgia   

Bob

[Sarge]

Great stories Sarge/Bob! Thanks for sharing!
Sarge: do you still have all of these?

Ohh yea and a hell of a lot more! And that was before I discovered cased medals. That is what collecting for 60+ will do for you.

And I thought my screw back EK I for 5$ back in High school in the 80's was a great deal!

It was, by then they were selling for $35 to $50.
When I started collecting German medals were from .50 to $1 ea regardless of what they were.
But then K98k and P.38s were also $20 ea. A dammed Luger was expensive at $25/30 ea. That was why I started collecting P.38s. I currently have about 70 of them, several of which are in Buxtons P.38 books.
Sarge