Your first collection item

[Rossi]

Collecting Peers,

It would be great to hear and see what your first item you ever collected was. How did you get into collecting and what made your passion start. Please share your first item and your history or story.

My first item below was given to me by my Opa who served in WWII and brought back a pistol that he put my German war bride Lidwina’s picture in the sweetheart grip. I was age 14 and we shot the firing pin out after many target rounds in the gravel pit. He brought back many items from the war as capture items and also after 1945 he became and active collector with the goal of preserving history. I caught the bug and would go meet with him and veterans who would sell and trade items. We also went to Germany and bought items along with attending many auctions here in the US. It was great time spent with a great man who moulded me into who I am as a man and as a collector. I designed my website to honor him and the brave souls who served against the Hitler and the Axis powers. My items are shown at www.tothehiltmilitaria.com if you want to check them out.

[Rescue190]

I don't have a great story as my first collectible item was a shipping crate full of Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifles from fleet farm. Picked the best one and moved the others. 15 years later, today, I collect anything in good quality with a focus on US items.
John

[Tim030]

Looking forward to following this thread Rossi. Wonderful item and your website looks great with even better historical pieces. Thanks so much for sharing.

My first was a Hellmomd Holland Man of War flag that my mentor gave me on my birthday as a boy. I had always enjoyed his visits to the farm as he would bring Wonderful firearms to shoot. I also was thrilled whenever I got the opportunity to visit his amazing collection.

Over the years he became like a father figure and we had so many wonderful visits around militaria. I would also slowly pick up items from him. Today unfortunately he has passed. I truly miss him. My collection is centered around the flag he gave me and many of his items I have purchased along the way.

I am so blessed to have known him for 45 years.

[Chopperman]

That is a great idea for a thread.
I think that some of us are just born with the collecting gene in our blood.
I've had little collections of stuff for as long as I can remember. Rocks, coins
bottlecaps, I even had a collection of the little plastic swords that my old man would
bring home from the bar. As a kid out in Wyoming about 1965, I lived just down
the street from Army surplus store. They had boxes upon boxes of patches for 10 cents
a piece. Fast forward to about 1970 and I'm collecting bayonets and knives that I find
at surplus stores and flea markets. In 1972 for my 16th birthday, a very dear family friend
who knew of my interest in military items gave me a ww1 German sawtooth bayonet and
German helmet that her husband had sent home from the war. That was the item that really
sparked my interest in ww1 German items and military blades in general.

I still have that bayonet today and it is the one item that will never be for sale.

[Pauls1970]

Great thread guys. As a youngster in the 70s I initially became interested via a WW1 book, still got it, that my Dad gave to me & I was hellbent on getting a British helmet, a gas mask & a rucksack. Then still in the 70s I fixated on a black beret which I got from a former Desert Rat at the church I used to go to, still have this to, then through watching 60s US WW2 films & some books my fixation become more german based.
The most desirable for me as I got older was owning a WW2 German/US helmet & an EK, I got them back then, but made a couple of mistakes, lack of knowledge, but corrected it all in the end. The power of films eh ?
Paul

[Rossi]

I don't have a great story as my first collectible item was a shipping crate full of Mosin Nagant 91/30 rifles from fleet farm. Picked the best one and moved the others. 15 years later, today, I collect anything in good quality with a focus on US items.
John

Thanks John for sharing. Every story is a great story.

[Rossi]

Looking forward to following this thread Rossi. Wonderful item and your website looks great with even better historical pieces. Thanks so much for sharing.

My first was a Hellmomd Holland Man of War flag that my mentor gave me on my birthday as a boy. I had always enjoyed his visits to the farm as he would bring Wonderful firearms to shoot. I also was thrilled whenever I got the opportunity to visit his amazing collection.

Over the years he became like a father figure and we had so many wonderful visits around militaria. I would also slowly pick up items from him. Today unfortunately he has passed. I truly miss him. My collection is centered around the flag he gave me and many of his items I have purchased along the way.

I am so blessed to have known him for 45 years.

Great stuff Tim!

[Rossi]

Great thread guys. As a youngster in the 70s I initially became interested via a WW1 book, still got it, that my Dad gave to me & I was hellbent on getting a British helmet, a gas mask & a rucksack. Then still in the 70s I fixated on a black beret which I got from a former Desert Rat at the church I used to go to, still have this to, then through watching 60s US WW2 films & some books my fixation become more german based.
The most desirable for me as I got older was owning a WW2 German/US helmet & an EK, I got them back then, but made a couple of mistakes, lack of knowledge, but corrected it all in the end. The power of films eh ?


Paul

Thanks for sharing Paul.

[Rossi]

That is a great idea for a thread.
I think that some of us are just born with the collecting gene in our blood.
I've had little collections of stuff for as long as I can remember. Rocks, coins
bottlecaps, I even had a collection of the little plastic swords that my old man would
bring home from the bar. As a kid out in Wyoming about 1965, I lived just down
the street from Army surplus store. They had boxes upon boxes of patches for 10 cents
a piece. Fast forward to about 1970 and I'm collecting bayonets and knives that I find
at surplus stores and flea markets. In 1972 for my 16th birthday, a very dear family friend
who knew of my interest in military items gave me a ww1 German sawtooth bayonet and
German helmet that her husband had sent home from the war. That was the item that really
sparked my interest in ww1 German items and military blades in general.

I still have that bayonet today and it is the one item that will never be for sale.

Great stuff Greg! Love the handle “Chopperman”. Glad I got the chance to meet you a few years back at the show in St. Paul.

[Chopperman]

Great stuff Greg! Love the handle “Chopperman”. Glad I got the chance to meet you a few years back at the show in St. Paul.

Thanks Kirk.
That was a good day. I enjoyed meeting up with you , Darren and the rest of the group.
A great bunch of guys.