My first year of WWII collecting
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I started collecting WWII things one year ago today. I bought a German fire police patch, with no idea what it was, or who may have worn it. I remember gazing at the scores of German helmets on this forum when I joined in February, lamenting at the fact that they were all too expensive, and I would never get to own one. Geez, sometimes I just need to shut up and collect, 'cause now look at me! One nice M42 ND CKL with liner and chinstrap, an identified helmet from the Russian front, and an Italian camo relic with bullet/shrapnel holes. And a WWI Brodie t'boot. You might have noticed the German P38 in the mix. That was my grandfathers personal find at a junk shop. It's all original, and dated 1943. It had the holster at one point until someone stole it. I have medals, identified patches and momentoes, foxhole inds, relics from the great battle of Bastogne, and all sorts of neat things thanks to you guys! Whether y'all know it or not, just posting pictures fueled my interest in these kinds of collectibles.
Some of the things you see in the picture will be gone in a week or so. I traded them for an original 101st Airborne patch, a piece of German bomber, a named K98 ammo pouch and a photograph lot that should be interesting.
And below are some Christmas gifts that I got in the year 2020.
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Here is a WWI British brodie, marked HS four-something. It is in good relic condition, with almost no pitting, no flaking and hardly any rust to speak of really. It contains traces of its original paintwork, but I've been thinking that this would make a nice refurbishing project.
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And here is a really nice relic lot from Bastogne. The 30. Cal. casings are all either marked DEN 43 or DEN 42. The remnants of the GI belt are bloodstained; a sobering relic indeed. The other things like the mess cups and plate are in poor, but stable condition.
So what are my collecting goals for this year? I'm not sure. I would like a German helmet with a decal this time. Perhaps a ratty tunic will do too. I still want battlefield relics like bullet casings and such from different places as well. Something DAK. I want something DAK. I also want something from Normandy. I also want to keep working on my Civil War battlefield, and Gettysburg collection as well. Looks like I got my work cut out for me!
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