GUARANTEES...COA's and such...

**siton1111** · 12-17-2010, 02:12 PM

Hi everyone.
Im stuck here you know...Reason,can name too many if you got five minutes.
I've seen to many people eat yellow snow in buying militaria and Helmets mostly.
Personally Im collecting since 1997 and even with all those books from experts (or so called ones...)I feel that if I am going to buy something of a helmet its gonna be like walking on a minefield.At night. How can anybody be sure in buying one? COA's and written warranties can help?Apart from well preserved lids how sure can you feel if you're dealing with a camo? Not to mention the decal issue! The other expert writes that usually the water transfered type, was later covered in laquer by means on a template(?),however due to the fact that I am a plastic modeller since my early 7"s using insignia water type decals,I had to deal with decal trim.Plus to that,I destroyed a genuine water type trikolor decal (not an ED STRACHE one!) to see for myself that, what appears to be the laquer coating is actually the dacal trim itself! Experiments cost money though,sell the decal to me if you spare any!WHO CAN YOU TRUST?That's my question.
siton

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 12-17-2010 02:12 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**helmet2id** · 12-17-2010, 05:27 PM

Yourself mostly! You have to study and learn. These forums are very good resources, but too often it seems to me that they are used as a substitute for one doing one's own homework. There are very good dealers out there who will stand by their guarantees, but, of course, their prices factor that in and you will pay a premium for the protection. (I must confess that 10 years ago I bought an M35 double decal Kriegsmarine, and just recently discovered that the decals were, in fact, both bad. I had purchased it from a well known dealer, and to his credit, he stood by his lifetime guarantee of authenticity. The decals were very good fakes, and I truly doubt that he knew they were bad when the sale occurred. The wealth of knowledge that has become available in recent years about decal styles, the correlation of decals to manufacturers, etc. is what led to the discovery of my fake.) We all have gotten burned at one time or another, I guess it goes with the territory. Dealing with reputable dealers reduces, but does not eliminate, the chance of getting burned. In the end, it is up to each of us to know what we are getting into, and in the end, we have only ourselves to blame if we get stuck, since ultimately each of us makes our own decision to buy a certain piece. With prices going up, and internet websites and anonymous auction sites making it easier to rip someone off without the need to do so face to face, much of the fun of this hobby has been lost. I still enjoy it immensely, however, and as long as I can afford it, I will continue to collect. Just my 2 cents, which, according to my wife and co-workers, aren't worth a penny. Jim G.

**don_kihotis7** · 12-17-2010, 06:54 PM

Welcome to the forum.
1. It's mandatory to buy books and study or find good resources on the web to learn details and get info on the things you most like. Of course it's impossible to learn and find out about everything (helmets, visor caps, iron crosses, gas masks e.t.c) That's why we are members in this forum, a place with many experts who are willing to help people needing help.
2. Try not to buy from ebay or ioffer or places like that. Forgers have filled these sites with fakes and amateurs who don't know the real value of an item are bidding raising the price way too much.
3. There are a lot of reputable sites in the net that sell original items but usually in very expensive prices. For example if you want a complete helmet, double decals etc you have to pay more than $3000-4000.
4. I was advised recently by a forum member to use the e-stands of forums like this. Collector to collector it's the best deal and if you are unsure of an item's authenticity you open a discussion in the forum to get feedback. Plus the administrators are checking the listings and if they see a fake they tell the member to remove it.

**militarymania** · 12-17-2010, 07:19 PM

by donkihotis7

Welcome to the forum.
1. It's mandatory to buy books and study or find good resources on the web to learn details and get info on the things you most like. Of course it's impossible to learn and find out about everything (helmets, visor caps, iron crosses, gas masks e.t.c) That's why we are members in this forum, a place with many experts who are willing to help people needing help.
2. Try not to buy from ebay or ioffer or places like that. Forgers have filled these sites with fakes and amateurs who don't know the real value of an item are bidding raising the price way too much.
3. There are a lot of reputable sites in the net that sell original items but usually in very expensive prices. For example if you want a complete helmet, double decals etc you have to pay more than $3000-4000.
4. I was advised recently by a forum member to use the e-stands of forums like this. Collector to collector it's the best deal and if you are unsure of an item's authenticity you open a discussion in the forum to get feedback. Plus the administrators are checking the listings and if they see a fake they tell the member to remove it.

item #2,,,ebay and ioffer are no better and no worse if you are a beginning collector,,,sometimes there are real deals to be made on sites such as those,but with all things,knowledge is power,,,you must know your area of collecting interest or it will make no difference where the item is purchased,,,,

**siton1111** · 12-17-2010, 09:16 PM

Hi Jim G. I tend to agree with you however you live in a country that has nothing to do with the one I live. I mean that theory and studying is good but one needs to see and touch(if possible) the real thing.I live in an outskirt of Athens,the closest SERIOUS collector lives too far,not to mention the fact that who could ever trust somebody to invite him at his little studio or little private place.Let me tell you this,I was invited by a friend of mine to see a local National Resistance Museum,not private, oh man, you wouldnt believe what was in there!I mean the whole thing was for loughs.And whoever made it or helped to stand it out got state bonds for it...I dont dare to reffer to the local militaria market!Anyone reading this and is Greek knows what Im talking about!Absolutely it aint such thing around here! Yet.As for the well reputated and known sellers I almost also got burned from more than one of them in the past.Anyway Jim G. thanks for your time and interest,it is a very fine hobby we've got and its nice to have people to talk with.
Notis (my real first name actually)

**siton1111** · 12-17-2010, 09:24 PM

by donkihotis7

Welcome to the forum.
1. It's mandatory to buy books and study or find good resources on the web to learn details and get info on the things you most like. Of course it's impossible to learn and find out about everything (helmets, visor caps, iron crosses, gas masks e.t.c) That's why we are members in this forum, a place with many experts who are willing to help people needing help.
2. Try not to buy from ebay or ioffer or places like that. Forgers have filled these sites with fakes and amateurs who don't know the real value of an item are bidding raising the price way too much.
3. There are a lot of reputable sites in the net that sell original items but usually in very expensive prices. For example if you want a complete helmet, double decals etc you have to pay more than $3000-4000.
4. I was advised recently by a forum member to use the e-stands of forums like this. Collector to collector it's the best deal and if you are unsure of an item's authenticity you open a discussion in the forum to get feedback. Plus the administrators are checking the listings and if they see a fake they tell the member to remove it.

Thank you donkihotis
Yes ebay is full of fakes and repros,I aint got so knowledge to see which is which, hence my defence method lies in the fact that I judge the quality of the pictures, answers given by the seller to others or me and his recorded feedbacks.

**ObKrieger** · 12-17-2010, 10:09 PM

Trust the names... Bolton, Hicks, Baer, Niewiearowicz, etc.

**don_kihotis7** · 12-17-2010, 10:55 PM

by ObKrieger

Trust the names... Bolton, Hicks, Baer, Niewiearowicz, etc.

Hi ObKrieger are the above mentioned ebay usernames or this forum's members, that sell stuff?

**don_kihotis7** · 12-17-2010, 11:18 PM

Notis man there is a guy from Athens selling medals in good prices and always originals with their ribbons too. He has the user names hunderrigrek and hunderrina. I have purchased most of my medals from him.

**helmet2id** · 12-17-2010, 11:36 PM

by siton1111

Hi Jim G. I tend to agree with you however you live in a country that has nothing to do with the one I live. I mean that theory and studying is good but one needs to see and touch(if possible) the real thing.I live in an outskirt of Athens,the closest SERIOUS collector lives too far,not to mention the fact that who could ever trust somebody to invite him at his little studio or little private place.Let me tell you this,I was invited by a friend of mine to see a local National Resistance Museum,not private, oh man, you wouldnt believe what was in there!I mean the whole thing was for loughs.And whoever made it or helped to stand it out got state bonds for it...I dont dare to reffer to the local militaria market!Anyone reading this and is Greek knows what Im talking about!Absolutely it aint such thing around here! Yet.As for the well reputated and known sellers I almost also got burned from more than one of them in the past.Anyway Jim G. thanks for your time and interest,it is a very fine hobby we've got and its nice to have people to talk with.
Notis (my real first name actually)

Yasou Notis, I am Greek /American, my father's parents came from small villages in the mountains near Sparta! I haven't been to Greece since 1969, but hope to return in the near future, as we still have relatives in the Sparta area and in Athens. I actually have a relic Italian helmet that I found in my grandfather's village in August 1969 that was being used as a chicken feed. It most definitely has the least monetary value of any helmet in the collection, but is one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I agree that it is very helpful to have the opportunity to examine militaria hands on, but you can learn much from some of the reference books that have been published recently. Perhaps the best for helmet collector's is the Ken Niewiarowicz book, Germany's Combat Helmets: 1933-1945 - A Modern Study. Ken's web address is http://www.germanhelmetsinc.com/index. It is definitely worth the price to have that book on your shelf. If you venture into the minefield of SS helmets, the recently updated book by Kelly Hicks, SS Steel, is a must. Welcome to the forum. If you want any information, feel free to PM me, and I will provide you with whatever I can, for whatever that is worth. Welcome to the forum, and good hunting! Jim G.