My collection when I was a kid

[Jody]

Hi folks,
I found these old blurry photos and I would like to show you guys what my collection used to look like. All the items are original and the DK in gold is a 5 rivet example.

The 1st photo was taken in 1975 when I was 11. This was some of my medal and badge collection.
Jody

[Jody]

My collection when I was a kid

Well here was some of my medals and badges in or around 1979 when I was 15 or so. Again all of the pieces were original.

I had made a big stride in 6 years.

Sorry for the poor picture quality.
Jody

[Jody]

My collection

Here was a picture I took for a TV news segment, Channel 3 did on me when I was 21 in 1985.
Jody

[George Stimson]

Jeez, Jody, I hope none of them got dinged!

[Jody]

My Collection

Hi George,
My friend and I were very careful and none were dinged. as a matter of fact we have bits of cotton under some, but you can't see it.

This picture was for the newspaper.
Jody

[Tyler Ramsey]

WoW!
I wish my collection was like yours when you were 14 (since I am 14)
But stuff has gotten pricy!
Anyways Very nice!
I love that last photo!

[Lasse L]

Whoa! Let me guess, you were rich when you were littel, right??

Thats a relly nice collection, do you still have the RK´s and the DKIG??

[Pascal H.]

Hi Jody,

We’re almost the same age and I used to have a nice collection too in the seventies but not is nice a yours (RK, RK des KvK, DKiG). Did you realise at that time the rarity of the items you had in your possession?
I never had those items although some of mine were very nice as well. Then the dreaded happened, I got more interested in girls and the collection went. Some of the items I even gave away!!
The only items I kept were 2 items my mother gave me for my 14 birthday. Until today those were the best birthday presents I ever got.

Pascal

[Luc]

very nice collection!!
Luc

[Christian L]

nice collection at that age you have
but how could such a child get such beautiful and expensive pieces?
i haven't such at that age!
christian

[Jody]

My Collection

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the comments. I was a very lucky child. My mother and grandmother were in the antique business and really encouraged my collecting. They bankrolled most of it. Money also was not an issue, and that was a big help. I also got to know some big collectors as a kid, Steve Wolfe and Neil Hardin(known for 23 years) and Bob McCarthy, these guys helped me along.

I also had a friend named Don Donaldson and he was a collector(started collecting in 1959)and told me to always go with rarity, so as a kid I took his advice. I had a RK of the Iron Cross before I had a 1st class (which I sold to buy other things). Don quit collecting in 1982 and my grandmother bought a lot of his items for me as well. So I was very fortunate.
I still have most of the stuff and my RKs are in the Crosses of the Wehrmacht section.

On my old web-site Beltram's German Militaria, I had a write up on how I got started. I also had a mom and grandmother that did not mind me having my stuff displayed out in the open.
Regards,
Jody.

[Jody]

My collection

Hi guys,
I also forgot to add that I knew many things were rare. For example, I knew my RKs were good when in 1980, Jack Angolia tried to get them off of me.

I also remember I used to set up at shows here in AZ and at the Great Western in California. Most were rather shocked when they realized a kid owned this stuff.

My age actually helped me a lot. I used to beat out many other collectors when it came to veterans. They would sell to me because I was polite and young.

Then the news got wind of me and did several televised news storys on me and that helped me get more stuff.

I also had a girlfriend in High schhool whose father collected WWI and WWII pistols and he also gave me the Imperial and Nazi stuff that came his way. That helped a lot too.

So I was very fortunate.
Jody