Best Piece in Your Collection?

[johnrtse]

What is the best piece in your own collection?

It doesn't have to be the most valuable, but which piece is your dream piece that you never thought you'd own, most historically valuable, or the one item that you searched long & hard for.

Show'em off or tell us about them!

Here is mine: It is a near mint+ E.Pack M33 SS dagger that I bought last year from the son of the veteran that brought it back. It has 97%+ of the laquer covering the anodizing on the scabbard. Mine is the first collection that it has ever been in.

[dragos03]

My grandfather was awarded this one on the Eastern Front and kept it hidden for 42 years, during the communist regime in Romania, when you were sent to jail for owning something like that. Then he gave it to me. There's nothing i value more in my collection.

[Chet Sowersby]

Dragos,
Outstanding award with a great story.

Chet

[Roy Queen]

My favorite piece is a vet bring back Soviet TT-33 pistol. I found this in a pawn shop two years ago, and only had to pay $175.00 for it. What makes this one special is that it does not have the mandatory safety as required by the BATFE for the recent imports. Also, this pistol does not have any import stamps.

This is a post war version, being dated 1947 and made by the Tula Arsenal.

[Okrach]

Hi,

The most valuable piece to me is the Golden Cross of Merit awarded to my father. It is not a military award since my father is an academic teacher but he has written over 300 scientific papers/articles/monographs/books etc and his contribution to the science was recognised in 1991 by former Polish president Lech Walesa who awarded him this cross.

What is really funny the award presented to my father in 1991 (hence after 1989 - non communistic goverment etc.) is a communistic type with PRL (People's republic on it!!! ) and hence as such it has never been worn (my father has always been against communistic regime). Nevertheless it is my most valuable award (still not in my possession (i wish it was never be mine) but ... ).

The most valuable and beatuful piece in my collection is the PRL Order of Merit Commander Class wit case of issue. Here is the pic

[Bobwirtz]

...

[Svt40]

For me it's a toss up between two things.

I bought this M1918 trench knife off a guy I sat next to during a Navy Leadership course. I paid him a whopping $20 for it!

[Svt40]

The second item is a 1942 Ford GPW. I had searched since the mid 1980's for a jeep I could buy and in 2004 I finally found one in Oklahoma. So during the evacuation for hurricane Ivan I made the trek to Ok and bought this jeep. Little did I know that this jeep + U Haul trailer = lotsa gas money. Seems a V6 Sonoma was not meant to tow another vehicle like that.

It is a September 1942 GPW with an interesting history. It seems at some point in it's life it was a very early GPW that was mounted on a MB frame. These are fairly rare to find. But somewhere in the last 62 years the frame was replaced with the current GPW unit and the glove box door was changed to match.

[Mian_Tang]

My very first and only one EK2,by maker "Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Graveur-Gold-und" ,two frames are made of silver(not silver plated),was a lucky pick on Ebay.

[Daniel Murphy]

My rarest item, but not the most expensive, is my Russian jeweler made Kulm Cross. These were awarded to the Russian guardsmen who held the line at the battle of Kulm in 1815, until the Prussians could arrive and seal the victory. This is not an issue piece, it was made later (c.1830) by a Russian jeweler for an officer. The maker marks are on one edge of the back, but I cannot decipher them. I believe it to be one of a kind, I have never seen another like it.
Dan Murphy

[landsknechte]

Without a doubt this one.



My grandfather was in the 8th AF during WWII. He bought leather butcher's aprons, cut them into roundels, and painted on his squadron's insignia. Sold them for a pretty penny to his squadronmates. We found this one amongst some of his effects shortly after he passed away. Barring a companion buried in a box somewhere, this is the only one still in the family.

--Chris

[Raymond]

I would have to go with my Grandfathers Colt 1911 .45 with holster(HOYT 1917 J.J.M.)He carried this during WWI and some how brought it home.
My father always told me my Uncle Bernie took the pistol away from my Grandfather and got rid of it,because someone tried to break into his house the night before and grandpa was going to be ready for them if they tried again.My uncle being a cop(NYPD) wouldn't have this,and took it away.A few years ago I asked my uncle about it and he said he still had it.He said "It's yours if you want it,but it has to go on your license" (that cop thing again).

[Gary B]

Hi,

Good post. Interesting that some of the most "valuable" pieces are the ones from a relative; so here is mine....

My father's A-2 jacket that he wore on all 50 missions to include the mission he was shot down on. The squadron insgnia was changed shortly after his return due in part to a change of unit missions and the fact that my father was almost mistaken as an SS officer!

Gary B

[Gary B]

Squadron patch

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Guys, some nice family items here. They are very hard to "beat".

Here is my contribution. I chose to show this item as it falls under the historically valuable item catagory.

This is the SS dagger of SS Standartenfuhrer Dr. Enno Lolling. I have shown the dagger on the forum in the past, which can be seen here, and which gives the full story:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ad.php?t=25859


Cheers, Ade.