Heading off to a huge military estate sale, what should I know before buying?

[Julekpl]

Hello, this is julekpl again. There is a large military estate sale being held near my city, and I was wondering what I should be weary of when making a purchase. The sale will consist of Japanese, American, German, and Polish military items (Uniforms, helmets, hats, pins, field equipment, ect.) I want to avoid being sold faked items (I know, anything that is worth a lot of money has been faked), and I have read about many faked items, but in person, how do I know if for example a helmet decal is faked? The fakes they make nowadays are getting harder to differentiate from the real ones...Any tips? Thank you !

[Wagriff]

One well-known....any SS decals should have a "pointy" tip on the bottom-not a rounded smooth bottom.

[ObKrieger]

Do you have a smartphone? Bring it with you and upload photos to the forum of anything you are not sure about. If you're lucky, you might get replies before it's time to buy.

[big ned]

Hello, this is julekpl again. There is a large military estate sale being held near my city, and I was wondering what I should be weary of when making a purchase.

Everything.....Seriously.

[Adrian]

Don't buy anything unless you know 100% you're buying something good.

Don't go there and buy something 'just in case it's real'.

Go there with the mindset 'I really don't have to spend my money'.

If you don't know if an item is fake or real then you shouldn't be even considering it.

[GIZMO8Z]

Use your senses...

Does the item you're interested in smell old? If it smells new/ like fresh paint... that's a bad sign.

Does the item have even wear? Often fakers will do a good job in scuffing up an item (especially helmets) but they'll leave the decals untouched. OR, they'll dent up a fake SS decal to cover up a blatant fake but the rest of the helmet will have significantly less wear. In a nut shell, wear ONLY on a decal or wear that magically stops before it would hit a decal, etc. automatically makes an item fishy to me!

In terms of most German items... does the items you're interested in have crisp details? Keep in mind that the Germans were perfectionists. They more than likely would NOT wear a medal or piece of insignia if it looked funky.

If all else fails... Go early, snap photos, and post them here.

[Danmark]

Put your wallet in a zippered pocket ........ then break the zipper! .......
Your money will remain intact until absolutely sure of an item which you can then purchase ( along with a new item of clothing )

Cheers, Dan

[Julekpl]

Thanks for the info...I am mainly interested in a helmet (Japanese or German) A few k98 bayonets, maybe a few hats, canteens, that sort of thing. I have noticed with the fakes however (especially clothing) that some are made too well, as in superb stitching and craftsmanship, even though the item is very late war. Since I am a amateur collector, I have a low budget, and I am just hoping to get a modestly priced helmet. I would just like to leave with something good. And no, I don't own an iphone (I am old school, I still own an old flip phone), but I will use what knowledge I have gained from you fine people and use it to rate certain items. I have also seen many SS buckles faked too. Of course anything SS is worth a pretty penny.

[Sir Payne]

Everything is faked, value doesn't matter. Never buy something thinking they don't make fakes of it...they always do. If you are an amateur collector stay away from SS items. From what you have described so far, I can almost promise you that those items will go up to near retail value. Collectors flock to military estate sales, so don't expect to get anything cheap.

I once went to an estate sale and saw a bronze mother cross with no ribbon sell for over 200 dollars. The bidders got caught up in the moment. Don't get caught up in the moment!

Good luck,
Corey

[Julekpl]

Yeah, I'll stay clear from the SS stuff. I myself have a few things, a blued k98 bayonet, an 1870 fashinemesser, a webley tank crew holster, and a few other things. I am more interested in trading at the sale than buying, mainly because the items I have were purchased for a few dollars and hold no true value for me, and I have been interested in a helmet. I have gone through the faked decal/helmet section of the forums and so I'll keep reading to get ready...Ah those "caught up in the moment" moments are crazy. An empty German stick grenade box went for $500 at a local auction here, and it was practically falling apart. And so I will try to keep myself from drooling over everything