New to the hobby! Any advice?

[afrikasandman]

Will,

There isn't much I can hit on that the other members of the forum havn't already hit on. I still consider myself one of the younger collectors on the forum at 25, and im still learning a ton. You are going to get burned on items, that is kinda the way it goes if you don't know what your looking at or don't have people who can give you an experienced opinion readily when you need it. But thank god for the forum and the very experienced collectors that are here.
Secondly, as was stated before buy books on the subjects that you are interested in the most. Hell its taken me almost 10 years to find my true passion (tropical and DAK items and pz. grenadier) and I have really started to focus my collection in those areas. Some of the reference books are expensive, for example the PAB (panzer assault badge) book that just came out cost me around 240 with shipping from europe and yeah its expensive, but if it saves you from 1 fake then its easily paid for itself. There are great books out there on about every subject, I believe there is a thread that has been permanently tacked to the top of one of the areas on great reference books. Invest in those, read them, study the characteristics and know them like the back of your hand and you will do great.
Thirdly, your coming into this collecting arena at an interesting time. Rare items are avaliable due to the poor state of the economy but you have to be able to put the money up for these items. They will always retain their value, its the common stuff that doesn't really keep its value. The lower end items are some of my favorites Russian front medals ect. they are cheap but I just love them. They are the cheap thrills of my collecting areas.
Forthly, get to know the guys on this forum that collect the same stuff as you and even the guys that know their stuff on itmes outside of your collecting area. You will find that sometimes rare items will fall into your lap that are out of your collecting area. If you know the guys that collect them and hook em up with goodies they will likely do the same for you. Plus you will get to know members on the forum and meet up with them from time to time and have some pizza and beers with em (when you can drink, and yeah Fred thats me throwing a shout out to you!). Also watch out on the forum as you will find that people that don't know anything about your area will throw out their opinions and they don't know jack and shxt and jack left town about that area.
Fithly, welcome to the forum and if you need anything or I can be of assistance feel free to email me anytime. If I don't get back to ya in a few days its because im in Iraq and will respond as soon as I can. Best of luck! I can remember when i was your age and started collecting Best of luck. Matt

[Mat Holloway]

one last piece of advice, Books! dont take everything as gospel that you read i would ask when you buy a book wether any suspect pieces have found their way into that particular publication it has happened and will again!
happy collecting
matt
p.s. i would start off with things like mg ammo tins, bayonets, mess tins etc as they are cheap and usually not faked!

[afrikasandman]

one last piece of advice, Books! dont take everything as gospel that you read i would ask when you buy a book wether any suspect pieces have found their way into that particular publication it has happened and will again!
happy collecting
matt
p.s. i would start off with things like mg ammo tins, bayonets, mess tins etc as they are cheap and usually not faked!

Will,

Matt brings up a great point here as well. There are some bad pieces in most books, Johnsons books and all. So just be careful, learn the characteristics of makers on items and what not. Also if you wanna collect SS you gotta have bank and read the threads here, lots of good info on those items here and look at it like this, 90% of SS items are likly fake that you see out there for sale and the other 10% are out of most peoples reach and you will do alright in that area. Matt

[marshmister20]

Bailey it's Marshall

Hey bailey I see u became a member it's Marshall so when did u get it? Happy collecting

Your friend
Marshall

[Luftm40]

I started collecting when I was 12 or so. I'm 46 now and have never lost the passion for this hobby. Some good advice has been given. Reference books are good to own and read, but I think you have already found one of the best reference resources in existence...WAF. Buy quality over quantity. Quality items are always desirable and you will be able to resell them as your collection grows or changes focus. Start small and focus on something specific. For example, if badges and medals are your thing, put together a high quality collection of wound badges...the best examples you can find. Relatively low cost, but will produce a very nice, focused collection. Eventually you will develop an "eye" for quality and originality that will allow you to expand into more pricey areas. Original German militaria of any kind just has a "feel" to it that is almost like a sixth sense. This skill will come with time and experience. Unfortunately this hobby has always attracted shady characters...both collectors and dealers. Be careful who you deal with and always approach any deal w/ a healthy dose of skepticism. Finally, take the time to make yourself an expert. Take control of your destiny. Many in our hobby never do this, and instead rely solely on the opinion of others. These are the people that get burned, and then eventually burned out.

[NCairborne]

Thanks!

Thanks everyone for there great advice! I have already starting using the it! I am looking at books now on American Paratroopers/German badges and am trying to narrow down what I would like to collect. I have also began to search through the forum to get learn more about collecting military items and just to gain alittle expirence. Best of luck to all of you and thank you for all of the advice!

Will (Or you can call me Bailey)

P.S. Yesterday I found out that one of our family friends grandfather was in the 82nd Airborne durng World War II. I am begining to lean toward the American Paratrooper items myself.

[Military]

Do share with us your collection or post photos when you can!

[Mr.Jerry D]

The bad news is, with the huge popularity of US airborne, after SPR and BoB came out, there are many fakes and reproductions out there. Everything has been faked; Ike jackets, Jump Jackets, Jump wings, Helmets, Jump boots, etc.

But the good news is there are some great books on the Paratroopers ( in no particular order):

Geronimo
The Pathfinders
Americas Finest
anything by Mark Bando

and we are seeing a slight downward trend in the prices of some of the more common AB items, like 101st patches. These prices spiked when everyone "had to have one" but now are tricking back to about where they should be.


But have fun with it. ask questions. We are here to help.

[Lon]

Bailey- I don't know if it has already been mentioned, but be extra careful on ebay, all is not as it appears there.

[Michael Fay]

utilize the SEARCH button

Please use the SEARCH button up in the right hand side of your screen(scroll up to very top ) to quickly access your keyword searches.

When you find somthing of interest or you want to learn more about you can find info from years back quickly.

--Michael

[Chad1]

advice

Like others have said, read as much as you can. However, try to balance it between reading about the artifacts you desire to collect, and books about actual WWII history. I say this because I sometimes reflect on how many books I have dedicated to helmets, uniforms, weapons, etc., compared to how many I have about the actual historical events, which is what I am actually interested in. Just don't get lost in the obsession of collecting, as though the items themselves are magical, 'cause they're not.

Be conservative in your purchases. First off, try not to buy thinking it will be you're only shot at that one most perfect item. There are lots of "rare" things so don't stretch yourself too thin trying to get the long shot. Besides, there are plenty of lemons out there and it really sucks to go all in on something only to have it turn out to be a dud. Excitement clouds judgement.

Being young and without enough money to buy expensive things is usually seen as a handicap, but in retrospect, those are the most magical years of my collecting. I forces you, hopefully, to keep things in more perspective than guys with lots of cash to burn.

[hs132]

Hello, run want ads in any type of publication in your area. Some of those provide free listings. Then buy only from Vet. family sources. You will find good stuff and your passion for collecting will be greatly rewarded. Find something nice, post here and make us all insanely jealous. Best, Bill Bourque