Ebay can be OK sometimes as long as you know what you are looking for. I picked up a nice 1895 Pickelhaube last night at what I consider to be a pretty good price.
hi criss.
I often go to the Ballarat gun and militaria show, and the Melbourne one too.
I have never walked away with anything. I find most German helmets down this way are 200 to 300 hundred dollars more expensive and even more sometimes.
and a lot of helmets always seem to be, just not right in someway, like the liner has been replaced or tampered with.
but yet they still ask for the same price,, as a helmet in better condition that you will find for sale over seas.
the sites that have been but up on this thread have good quality items .
im not saying that you will never be able to find something at a good price down here.
You can drive, to markets and swap meets. but most of the time you walk away with nothing.
DAVE WRIGHT of Ballarat. can be a good place to visit.
there's a new shop there to, on humffray st ballrat .I have visited this store few times but can not remember the name of the store.
Buying from the US at the moment will add at least 25% to the price of the item at the moment because our dollar has plummeted over the past two months,
but the overseas dealers that Doug mentioned get some great helmets in, you just have to be prepared to pay the prices.
Ballarat is has a couple of guys dealing in Militaria, Dave Wright, and Ben Smith. (both have shops in Ballarat), the I.S. Wright auction house in Ballarat
(no relation to Dave Wright) has just closed down, and will only operate out of their premises in Sydney now, although they do have a small shop in
Melbourne city, but this is mainly stamps and coins. Garry McDonald in Essendon (EK Militaria) does get a few helmets in from time to time, and although
Garry's prices can be a bit erratic, he will negotiate to a degree.
Sadly the local shows here in Melbourne seem to be just a dumping ground for rubbish.
Bob
I have noticed the allied militaria in Australia remains cheap/on par with the US/EU while Axis items are astronomically overpriced.
As i'm new to collecting , trying to reach out to some local collectors for leads on helmets . From the input i received looks like the local fairs/shows are a waste of time , they where going to be my first port of call .
I m still on the look for a nice Luft or heer helmet to start the German collection . But thought i would have a better chance finding a few nice M1 types in Australia to get underway and feed the bug .
If i must i guess the Good old US will be next on my list
Good luck on a good US M1 WW2 down here hehehe
Last edited by reneblacky; 02-08-2015 at 08:28 AM. Reason: added text
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