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Breaking the habit of a lifetime


jager 152

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Since I rival Methuselah, (A very ancient old bugger), I think I may be breaking the collecting habit. Apart from a few very reasonable, sensible breaks for drink, drugs and women, I guess I must have been collecting on & off for about 40 years plus. I have seen a lot of changes, of course, but I think the collecting world has reached an all time low.

Apart from the plethora of fakes, ranging from obvious to very clever, (But people are getting taken for some pretty expensive rides ), the quality of goods coming onto websites is pretty poor generally. Yes, of course there is some top of the range items to be had, but the prices are just unrealistic.

Since we seem to be heading for an economic collapse 'twill be interesting to see the effect on the collecting world, (Tank of petrol or an IAB ?).

Thing is, I honestly can't see myself adding much to my pile, in fact I find a lot of dealer sites a bit depressing, the sheer amount of military rubbish, plus the thought that some poor sucker is going to invest his hard earned cash, and quite a lot of it, in badges only fit for scrap value.

And just to depress you further, my first pickelhaube, a felt Baden infantry, mint of course, was £8. (Adrian Foreman's expensive emporium). German badges ? the stall on Birmingham market had them for about ten shillings to a pound. No one knew what they were, but the stall holder had some photo copied booklets which had a few I.D.s. British badges ? five shillings, Scottish ten bob, 'cos they were bigger.

My last pickel was well into four figures, so it's also my last !

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It is getting very expensive to collect these days and now life in general seems to be getting very expensive too. No sign of help from our great government who's only answer seems to be to tax us out of existence for all these great plans which don't seem to work, no surprise there. Collectors are being more careful where as a customer would spend once a week we now notice for bigger items it's now once a month sometimes every couple of months. People are hanging on to there stuff though and good items will always sell.

A very big percentage of our militaria collectors are buying their big item every month but still visiting on a weekly basis and picking up a toy soldier or tank where in the past it would be a more expensive item. So they are still feeding there collecting bug but at a less expensive rate to suit todays climate. The toys and tanks do fit in perfectly with the militaria and it seems the Militaria now is becoming a center attraction or highlight of a toy soldier collection rather than people collecting nothing but militaria. The credit crunch does not seem to have hit us yet with the last eight months all up on last year ,fingers crossed it continues.

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Isn't it amazing how a Labour administration manage to bugger up the economy eventually, even by accident or circumstances ?

I guess what you say falls in with my "Gotta buy something" theory of collecting. This includes the guy who has travelled miles to a show, and has to buy something, sometimes anything, to justify the time and trouble. Also in this category, the younger collector, on limited funds, who is itching to add to his stash, and as soon as he finds a little spare cash tends to buy something of little value, rather than wait until he can afford something really good.

I don't have a real down on the dealer who is selling transparent fakes, if you are daft enough to think that an SS long service at £50 is a real "Steal", more fool you. No, it's the fairly established dealer who has reasonable credentials, yet sells badges at just that "Bargain" rate that makes them just believable, and very tempting. Bit like the prospectors who used to salt the mines with gold.

It's a wicked world out there, I wouldn't like to be a beginner in militaria collecting, not with so many hungry wolves about.

Finally, just because you have written a book it doesn't make you that rare breed, the 'Expert', nor does it make you 100% reliable. No names, no pack drill, and my solicitor is crap !

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It's sad but true everything Labour seem to touch turns to dust, even if there heart seems to be in the right place, happened back in 1979 too. Totally agree about experts, there's no such thing in my opinion and the ones who come close to it, I have found usually are modest enough not too shout about it. Whither they have written a book or made lots of posts on forums these guys can be down right dangerous. Our new motto is "just because it's in a book, doesn't mean to say it's real" 

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Yep, a case in point. In the first Littlejohn & Dodkins, (Experts of the first order), book on Third Reich badges etc. there is a variation Kreta plaque. For years anyone with a complete set of wisdom cells knew it was made post war in errr....the south of England, shall we say. It was just a simple etched plaque with the diving eagle from a repro para badge affixed. (Vol 2 had a correction).

Didn't stop a very, very well known dealer of immaculate credentials (Supposedly), listing one a few years back for a few hundred quid.

You know a lot of these guys obviously despise the average punter. The only way to beat them is the ultimate weapon. (No not a pointed stick tipped with South American blow pipe poison), a large dose of knowledge, and handling as much stuff as possible. You would be amazed how many people buy a badge 'cos they like the look of it, but have no idea what it is for. (Hence the desirability of the anti-partisan badge, skull, swastika, sword, snakes, the whole deal). I had a shop, I saw it happen all the time.

Fink I'll get into Ming china, know f... all about it but, hey, all those general antique dealers are so much more respectable than those deviant types who deal in nasty be-sawstika'd stuff, they'll put me right. 

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Don't mention antique dealers, they are even worse. One of my first experiences when I started collecting at 12 (28 years ago) was to visit a local antique fair. There was a guy there sold me a WW1 German Tank badge, assured me it was real. I bought it and took it away and showed it to some of the other collectors I knew at the fair. They told me it was fake ,when I took it back to the guy 30 minutes later he said it wasn't the same badge! I went away with my tail between my legs and one of the guys asked me how I got on ? When I told him he said come with me son I'll get your money back ,we went back and got my cash back. The Antique dealer then told me I was barred from his stall ! The antique dealer is still in business, I'm not 12 anymore and he's 30 years older just as well I'm not a vindictive person. 

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