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Lucky find in the antique store
I am right now on vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. There is a really good antique store here that I visited last year while out hunting for old books. I never did find any books in there, but in some ways I found something better. I had proudly left the store with my first piece of militaria. It was this antique store, and this piece that started me on the road of collecting. The item I had purchased was this helmet, a really junky oh-so-common German M34 fire police helmet with a broken chinstrap, bent rusty edges, and rotten liner which I spent/wasted a whopping $450 on! Obviously I had no idea what I was doing at the time. A few months later I realized that my helmet was really only worth about $200. It was a stinging blow, and ever since then I have been eager to return to that antique mall, redeem my honor, and finally get my revenge.
As I drove up to the antique store today, my mind was racing. I remember last year they had tons and tons of Third Reich items, but of course at the time I had no idea what any of them were. I knew I was not leaving without something. The problem was, as many of you know, that antique store Nazi pieces are normally way overpriced or even fake, often times both.
As I walked through the doors and into the building it was all familiar to me. I remembered what it was like buying my first helmet, and all the mystery that surrounded it. It was a mistake, and I wasn't going to get ripped off again. This time I had the knowledge, and a chip on my shoulder.
They have all sorts of great things in there. I saw a really nice SA dagger, and an NCO sword. Also a bunch of flags and medals.
They were all too pricey, nothing I was interested in. All of a sudden I came upon a pair of old ammo boxes sitting beneath an antique table. There was something behind them. I reached in and pulled out from hiding a tall binoculars case. I looked inside, and beheld a pair of original German 10 X 50 "bmj" binoculars. I gently examined the binoculars, making sure everything was in good condition. Now, the moment of truth, I flipped over the price tag and behold...$80.00 dollars!! I was overjoyed to have found such a great piece at an unbelievable price. Of course I bought them, I didn't have to think twice. Just for reference for those of you who do not know, these same binoculars are listed on the Collector's Guild for a little over $1000. They are rare indeed, and it feels good to have rescued them and brought them back into a collection.
As I walked out of the antique store I couldn't stop smiling. Finally, after an entire year, I had redeemed myself. I can't imagine how many people have picked these up, glanced at the price tag, and sat them back down. Knowledge really is power. This just goes to show that good finds really are still out there. You just have to know where to look, and maybe with a little luck, you will score big.
Cheers,
Corey
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06-13-2012 01:16 AM
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
Good job Corey you did well.
Eric
[h=3]e plu·ri·bus u·num[/h]
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
Congrats Corey!
My favorite kind of find! I also hit the local shops but usually come home empty handed. You had a great score!
Green
In this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig. CE
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
Corey,
Good for you. In general antiques stores have Third Reich items over priced but every now and then there is that gem that is very under priced.
Congratulations!
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
Ok - these are late 1960's West German Binos.........
Kidding ! - Wonderful score Corey ! - Glad you were able
to off-set your helmet purchase with this set.......!
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
Nice pick up Corey you did very well indeed !!! there is only thing that would top your find if the Antique store had made a mistake on the pricing label and they were supposed to be $ 800.00 dollars.
Regards Mark K
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
by
Walkwolf
Ok - these are late 1960's West German Binos.........
Kidding ! - Wonderful score Corey ! - Glad you were able
to off-set your helmet purchase with this set.......!
For a second there I broke out into a sweat That scared the crap out of me! haha, but they are dated 1942
Thanks everybody for your kind words. I'm sure many of you have experienced something like this, it is such a good feeling!
Regards,
Corey
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
Good score Corey and don't sweat the helmet. Will climb in value. have not seen too many of these
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Re: Lucky find in the antique store
Great win and you got yours back, well done.
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