Do think you break even in this hobby?

[spandau]

Hi

well I 've been collecting since 1978 and I reckon my collection has cost me the besty part of £?, or as I say to wife when a new piece turns up........

"blimey thats nearly 50p I've spent on this hobby over the years dear but it must be worth at least £25k by now"........seems to be working so far....OMG she behind me watching me type...................

Joking apart for me it's all about the history. Finding the items and restoring them if needs be. We are but custodians and value is always relative IMO. I have friends who buy things I woulkdn't give house room too and vice a versa.

Happy collecting

[MD Helmets]

To be able to put your hands on a piece of history, of world history, and to smell and feel it, know where it's been, what it's seen, the anguish the owner may have experienced, who can put a monetary value on that?? I know I can't. And to still be able to talk to those who were actually there and lived it, what an experience. To own a mini-museum in your house, what a thrill that is. Not to mention the conversations that begin from the items we own. Yes, I think we could put a value on what we own, what we have spent based on current "going" prices (or what we have told our wives/gf's that we've spent!), but the true "value" of our collections is our happiness in what we have collected. Money can't bring you happiness, but it can help you collect the things that do bring you happiness. I, for one, am very happy to collect these items and give them a good home, and I'm glad to be able to do it, and to share it with you fine folks.

[Adrian]

I buy things because I like them and I enjoy my hobby. The value of a piece only comes into consideration as to whether or not I can afford it!
I don't buy to sell so the entire value to me is irrelevant from that perspective. I spend more on some things than maybe they're worth and equally less on other things. I like a bargain but if I have to spend out on a piece I particularly want then so be it.
When I'm gone, my daughter will be the recipient of my collection and if she decides to sell it then she will be making a massive profit because she hasn't spent a penny on it!






Unless you count the times her pocket money has been deferred 'to a later date' because of an impending purchase..............

[Sir Payne]

Joking apart for me it's all about the history. Finding the items and restoring them if needs be. We are but custodians

I think that hundreds of years from now, future collectors are going to be very grateful for our preserving these historical items. I wish that there were militaria collectors like us back in the medieval and ancient periods. Very few items exist from those ages, and as a result, most of that history is lost. It would be a shame if the historical items of WWII, especially those relating to Nazi Germany, ended up being lost the same way. I am grateful for the veteran collectors that preserved this stuff. But most of all, I'm glad that all the politically correct selective-history idiots never did and never will, get their way, which is to have this stuff wiped off the face of the earth.

[big ned]

I buy things because I like them and I enjoy my hobby. The value of a piece only comes into consideration as to whether or not I can afford it!
I don't buy to sell so the entire value to me is irrelevant from that perspective. I spend more on some things than maybe they're worth and equally less on other things. I like a bargain but if I have to spend out on a piece I particularly want then so be it.
When I'm gone, my daughter will be the recipient of my collection and if she decides to sell it then she will be making a massive profit because she hasn't spent a penny on it!






Unless you count the times her pocket money has been deferred 'to a later date' because of an impending purchase..............

You utter barsteward......!!!!

[Greenhorn]

Ned, you're making me feel guilty. lol

Don't go for a joyride becuase it costs gas, don't go to the movies..it'll be on tv enventually, eat at home it's better and cheaper. Yikes! Enjoy life if you can afford it. Buy your daughter a new bike every year and a new dress for your wife every other month.....it makes them happy and shows you love them. You can't take the money with you when you're tits up!

Green

[FrankBooth]

I really doubt if I could come even close to breaking even. My collection is focused and the market for what I collect is small in comparison to many other arenas of collecting. I would probably have to consign to an auction or dealer, as selling hundreds of straps individually and in sets would just be a nightmare for me as far as payment, shipping, etc. Taking that route theres no profit in it for me. It's at a point now where I'd just unload the entire lot rather than deal with the hassle with the exception of a few pieces that I have promised to other collectors if I ever decide to sell up.

[operaman]

Guys it is funny how many of us hide the truth from our wives,the only thing I tell my wife is don't put my stuff in a garage sale (boot sale).This is our hobby it is something we enjoy as far as getting something over and above what we paid is hard to say but some guys have hobbies that will not get you anything except the fun you get out of the hobby,Say people who like to to gamble,they spend 5000.00 playing whatever, chances are more than 60% they will have nothing,on the other hand I take the same amount of money and buy a great SS dagger in ten years I think I will be able to get at least what I paid most likely more,and I would have had the item to show off for ten years.Hell I knew a guy that had a collection of Bennie babies he paid a lot of money for now they are worth squat.

[Ryan B]

I think i may make way more then i have payed for. Alot of my items have been givin by family and friends and alot of them are worth some big $$ in my opinion and my big price is around (400$)... But i will never sell my family items... Ive been collecting since August of 2009 and in the value of my items i might be positive a couple hundred dollars and i plan to keep it that way figuring that my neighbor has a model m1918 trench knife and a box full of old switch blades and a german dagger that she is looking for and will sell to me for cheap if her kids don't want them. So im excited and cant wait for the future to come and watch my collection grow.
Thanks Guys
Ryan

[Woolgar]

For me, collecting, visiting museums/shows/sites, model making, watching films, reading books etc. are all part of the rich tapestry of the passion for WW2.
It wouldnt bother me in the slightest if my collection was worthless, its history in my hands and I cant put a price on that

Nick