Starting my collection

[Badto666]

Tips from me on good and not so expensive medals to start with:
War merit cross 2nd class. Cost about 30 euro. Winterslacht im osten (the frozen meet medal) costs about the same. Woundedbadge in black or silver. Black goes for around 20-30 euro and a silver one for about 40-80 depends on shape. Infanteri sturmabzeichen (infantry storm badge) in silver or bronze. A good silver goes for around 80 euro. A good bronze for about 120 e. Allgemein sturmabzeichen (general storm badge) goes for about 80-100 euro.
And ofcourse the iron cross 2´nd class. You can have a pretty good one from 70-100 euro. Not the unusually ones that goes much higher. And then you got the political awards and the sports awards too. But as you wrote you would begin with WH/heer and LW for the beginning Good luck with your collection.
/Mike

[Adrian]

Dolan,
Welcome to the forum. Some good advice has been given here and I can only echo what the others have said.
Start off by focusing on an area you are interested in, something you will enjoy collecting. It sounds a bit ridiculous to say that but don't collect Black Wound Badges for example because they're cheap when you really want to collect M35 helmets.
Take your time, save for quality items and don't rush into purchases. Be aware that many people will try and rip you off, beware the hard sell types, the stories that accompany items.

Two commonly used phrases which you would do well to remember:
'If it seems too good to be true - it probably is.'
'Evaluate the item, not the story or the seller's reputation.'

Not all sellers are bad, there are many, many good guys out there, don't be afraid to seek advice or ask questions, no matter how stupid you may think they are, we have all been there before and are here to help and advise.
If you have an item in mind to purchase, post it in the correct forum and let the members take a look for peace of mind.
Invest in some good reference books, use the search function on the forum and study, study, study.
Everyone is here to help.

[pammy]

well said adrian,and finn iam new to collecting too!! ha ,ha just playing as if there is anything i could do to help just pm me. good luck with your collection!

[Neil Hever]

Dolan, I started by focusing on a complete uniform and gear display. My first was Luftwaffe. I started with a cap and then built an artillery uniform around that including Feldbluse, pants, helmet, belt, buckle and so forth. It made a great display and I was excited to add a new element to the basic uniform. Since then I have collected a full Mountain troop display and field phone equipment. I just started collecting specialty patches which are pretty cheap.
Neil

[tampalam]

Welcome Dolan. We always try to encourage young collectors. It is good to know that when we older guys move on, someone will be around to preserve this fascinating history and hobby. You have been given sound advice, so i won't add more.

[Screaming Eagle]

Hi Dolan,
You also might want to consider how your family feels about you collecting Nazi militaria. As most people know on this forum, I was desperate for a German helmet until I found that digging deeper into my family roots, some of my relatives were put in Nazi Concentration camps. Out of respect for them, I decided to not buy a German helmet, at least until a bit later

[ToxicGas]

AdrianC gives very good advice there- especially:

'Evaluate the item, not the story or the seller's reputation.'

I have learned this multiple times. We as young collectors are fortunate enough to start with access to the advice and knowledge of experienced and informed forum members, as well as the internet for research purposes. As a result, I have a reasonable sized collection, all genuine- had it not been for some members here, I'd have been fooled into buying fakes 3 or 4 times by now. That includes fake helmets and fake SS badges.

Also, when I started collecting, I went for variety... I started with a gas mask, then a grenade, then a gun. Then more of each. For me, money is my main problem- guns and helmets are generally expensive, and it's easy to give in when saving and blow money on cheaper things as someone mentioned. I'm now officially a broke student, and I fear my serious collecting is financially impossible for about 4 years now. Make the most of it!

-Mat

[tampalam]

Hi Dolan,
You also might want to consider how your family feels about you collecting Nazi militaria. As most people know on this forum, I was desperate for a German helmet until I found that digging deeper into my family roots, some of my relatives were put in Nazi Concentration camps. Out of respect for them, I decided to not buy a German helmet, at least until a bit later

I had the same problem when I began collecting over 40 years ago being that my parents were Jewish. We had family members murdered by Nazis. I explained to my parents that I was fascinated by history and did not consider my collecting interests to be a glorification of Fascist and Nazi ideology. They conceded after much dialogue. My parents were very fair and willing to engage in logical argument.

George

[Screaming Eagle]

I've had a rough time with it. When I was talking history with some gentlemen, I was called a Nazi Sympathizer just because I said that I respected German equipment very much. That hurt a lot. Despite all of this, I still own an SS Knife, an Iron Cross 2nd Class (Repro) and a War Merit Cros with Swords second class.

[ToxicGas]

I've had a rough time with it. When I was talking history with some gentlemen, I was called a Nazi Sympathizer just because I said that I respected German equipment very much. That hurt a lot. Despite all of this, I still own an SS Knife, an Iron Cross 2nd Class (Repro) and a War Merit Cros with Swords second class.

'Nazi sympathizer'? I hate encountering such ignorance, I've previously been told I'm 'sick' for collecting gas masks...