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Advice for a novice collector

Article about: by ZigZag But regardless, the reply's I got from my post lead me to believe he is the exception and you can find people who will help. Thanks There you go!

  1. #11

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    I couldn't agree more with the above statement, once you tested the water here for a while, sign up, you will get your money's worth tenfold.

  2. #12

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    It's tough for many new collectors as there are lots of items that catch the eye. Daggers, Helmets, cloth insignia, uniforms, flags, medals, etc., etc.. It's kind of a good idea to just pick one thing you want at first and learn as much as you can before starting to amass a lot of different things IMO.

    My advise would be to decide on an item you wish to have in your collection. Just for example we will say a Heer Helmet. I would study all I could about Heer helmets, look at examples posted here, read threads on Heer Helmets, look at the references quoted and then study those references, see which members that collectors look to here on the forums for input on items they have picked up or are considering. Look for helmets for sale that catch your eye even before ready to buy and then test yourself by posting them for opinions and see if you were correct or would have been taken. I've just used a helmet for example but this would apply to whatever item you have interest in.

    Don't ever depend upon a dealer or seller to authenticate items for you, no matter who they are. Study and decide for yourself what is authentic and what is not. Do not be in a hurry to build a collection as a good collection takes time, and remember for every deal you miss out on by not making a snap decision to buy or not, there are ten more deals just around the corner. In this hobby patience pays in my opinion. It's a fun hobby but there are those that will take advantage of the uneducated by selling bad items and some sellers do not even know items they are selling are bad. Be wary of deals that sound to good to be true, anyone can do a quick internet search and find ballpark values in minutes so if they are offering a dagger that retails at a dealer for 2500 USD at the price of 500 USD this is a big red flag.

    Above all have fun but learn as much as possible. The community here is a great resource for learning about items, sharing collecting knowledge, and just networking with other collectors that share your interest.

  3. #13
    ?

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    Don't let A D Royster get to you. There are a few arrogant folks out there, as there are with any group, but for the most part collectors are more then happy to help fellow collectors whether new or old hands.

    Happy collecting!

  4. #14

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    I have never even heard of Mr. Roysters until now! He seems like a very bitter man; but I'm sure you'll find the collector's community as a whole to be very inviting! (Don't always take the invitation as a genuine care for you well being, there are always swindlers out there, as previous members have discussed)

    An exert from his website :

    "Newsletter for February 20, 2013, No. 99
    In addition to thoroughly crooked merchandisers of German militaria, disguised thinly as experts, we have another menace to the hobby that, in some ways, is even more deadly. I am speaking here of the pseudo-experts whose numbers have grown over the years and whose activities are extremely destructive. These are minor collectors who would have the rest of the collecting world believe that they, and they alone, hold all the answers to specific issues.
    These creatures congregate at military shows and flock to the so-called “forums” where they pontificate endlessly, and loudly, upon their special areas of knowledge. They will publish cheap little books, say, on examples of “Grossdeutschland” insignia, most of which are from their own collections, and thereby establish themselves as the world’s premier expert on the subject. No “Grossdeutschland” items can be bought, or sold, without their approval. When one looks at what they have in their Rikermounts on their small table, the temptation to laugh out loud has to be strongly suppressed because what isn’t an outright fake, is misattributed.
    You find these attention-seekers in every branch of the collecting fraternity and read their illiterate mouthings on all the forums. This one collects SS tunic buttons, that one is a specialist in Hitler Youth belt buckles and yet another knows everything about the hobnails on military footwear.
    If a collector posts an item on the Internet, in a matter of minutes, one of these mongoloids will copy any illustrations and send out hysterical warnings to all and sundry that this wound badge or that Luftwaffe belt buckle is a fake, made in Madagascar, and certainly not like the real one in their collection.
    These social misfits are not out to swindle the public, like the high level dealers, but seek only to convince the rest of their world that they are really important and must be listened to. If one took the trouble to investigate their social backgrounds, we would find that in the real world, they do not matter and in all probability work as janitors in pet food factories and live in a basement apartment in their mother’s house.


    The more literate ones, (very few indeed) write books and try to establish themselves as the premier expert in their field. They make money selling their books and, more important, helping their crooked dealer friends authenticate outrageous fakes. They also sell “authentication certificates” that are bespangled with eagles and swastikas and make fine linings for the cat box and little else."

    Yeesh!

    Quite refreshing rhetoric he uses, it gave me a good laugh!

  5. #15
    ?

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    See what I mean. That site and the "Letters" this guy writes were my first, introduction to the hobby and going off that it makes it sound like a hobby full of arrogant, ass.... crooks. Why does he even bother.

    But regardless, the reply's I got from my post lead me to believe he is the exception and you can find people who will help.

    Thanks

  6. #16
    Fred Green
    ?

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    Hello,

    There have been alot of good ideas posted here. Here are a few of my own:

    1. Find and area you want to collect in.
    2. Find what you want to collect in that area.
    3. Get good references about your collecting interest
    4. Learn Period construction techniques and materials.
    5. Go to shows and handle items in your collecting interest
    6. Find other collectors that collect the things you do or items in your collecting area
    7. Hook up with a mentor or an older collector that can help you out with direction in your hobby.
    8. Once you have done all of the above , do it again and again.

    Identifying original items is a perishable skill. Constant study, reading, research, and handleing of original pieces is the best way to hone your skill.

    I hope this helps.

    Fred

  7. #17

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    I never heard of him either and Im glad, he seems like a big blowhard who wants to be noticed and enjoys hearing himself talk, he must be the limbaugh of collecting lol and there is nothing wrong with being a janitor in a pet food factory...:-)

  8. #18

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    Quote by Perspectivist View Post
    I have never even heard of Mr. Roysters until now! He seems like a very bitter man; but I'm sure you'll find the collector's community as a whole to be very inviting! (Don't always take the invitation as a genuine care for you well being, there are always swindlers out there, as previous members have discussed)

    An exert from his website :

    "Newsletter for February 20, 2013, No. 99
    In addition to thoroughly crooked merchandisers of German militaria, disguised thinly as experts, we have another menace to the hobby that, in some ways, is even more deadly. I am speaking here of the pseudo-experts whose numbers have grown over the years and whose activities are extremely destructive. These are minor collectors who would have the rest of the collecting world believe that they, and they alone, hold all the answers to specific issues.
    These creatures congregate at military shows and flock to the so-called “forums” where they pontificate endlessly, and loudly, upon their special areas of knowledge. They will publish cheap little books, say, on examples of “Grossdeutschland” insignia, most of which are from their own collections, and thereby establish themselves as the world’s premier expert on the subject. No “Grossdeutschland” items can be bought, or sold, without their approval. When one looks at what they have in their Rikermounts on their small table, the temptation to laugh out loud has to be strongly suppressed because what isn’t an outright fake, is misattributed.
    You find these attention-seekers in every branch of the collecting fraternity and read their illiterate mouthings on all the forums. This one collects SS tunic buttons, that one is a specialist in Hitler Youth belt buckles and yet another knows everything about the hobnails on military footwear.
    If a collector posts an item on the Internet, in a matter of minutes, one of these mongoloids will copy any illustrations and send out hysterical warnings to all and sundry that this wound badge or that Luftwaffe belt buckle is a fake, made in Madagascar, and certainly not like the real one in their collection.
    These social misfits are not out to swindle the public, like the high level dealers, but seek only to convince the rest of their world that they are really important and must be listened to. If one took the trouble to investigate their social backgrounds, we would find that in the real world, they do not matter and in all probability work as janitors in pet food factories and live in a basement apartment in their mother’s house.


    The more literate ones, (very few indeed) write books and try to establish themselves as the premier expert in their field. They make money selling their books and, more important, helping their crooked dealer friends authenticate outrageous fakes. They also sell “authentication certificates” that are bespangled with eagles and swastikas and make fine linings for the cat box and little else."

    Yeesh!

    Quite refreshing rhetoric he uses, it gave me a good laugh!
    Yawn - What a load of rubbish.........!
    Regards,


    Steve.

  9. #19

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    Hmmmm, there is a lot of good, sound advice here. I can only add that if you are not having fun in the hobby then it's just now worth it, worry not about the size of other collectors collections as they have been in some cases doing this for 30 years. Just enjoy what you like to pick up, and preserve whatever you collect and pass it on to the next generation.

    Just become educated and enjoy the hobby.

    Good luck!

  10. #20

    Default Re: Advice for a novice collector

    What a very sad and degenerate person, that letter is total spite, probably because he has been burt by fakes because he can not accept peer reviews and opinions.
    Morris

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