What is your most unique and one of a kind item?

[coloradocowboy]

Lets see the most unique item in your collection. I have two. One is a token and leave pass off the USS Arizona. The other is a map marker which I will describe when I post the pics. Here is the USS Arizona items.

[coloradocowboy]

Here is the map marker with a description from the man I bought it from:
"This was given to me by the veteran himself; who is about 90 now, who was a crew member on a tank. It is high gloss, very smooth layered glass, with no markings on it otherwise. While it does not have ornate decorations or fancy makings about it, it seems to be very simple and functional. It looks very military plain (specificially functional) so to speak.

He said as the Army pushed into Germany they were halted at a heavily defended building that was reported being a command center of some kind near a river. The fight there lasted several hours, and the tank he was on was ordered forward to shell the building. Finally at some point the Germans pulled back and some surrendered, and the building was taken.

As infantry pushed forward the tank crew was allowed to take a break, and had dismounted near part of the building which had collapsed for several floors. An intelligence officer asked several enlisted to help gather items seen in the building wreckage. Inside he saw approx 25-30 of these, but many were already broken badly, and some had different insignias on them, but he recognized this easily. Initially he thought this was a paperweight, and slipped it into his coat pocket as a war prize. As they continued picking up pieces he asked what they were the officer told him this was a territory marker from a planning map, and showed him several pieces of a destroyed smooth top map like we see in the old war movies.

The oficer gathered up several which were still mostly intact, placed them in a bag, and handed them to his assistant to place with papers, and other items being sent to the rear command, but then destroyed all the others like this on site that he was not taking or were already badly damaged so they could not be used my the enemy in any manner."

[coloradocowboy]

3

[blinky]

That is an awesome commemorative token! I assume it was given to the crew members by King Neptune for their "equatorial baptism"!

One of my favorite one of a kind items, the rank insignia of 2nd Lt. Osamu Yoshida, Imperial Japanese Army Air Forces. 2nd Lt. Yoshida crashed his aircraft into the escort carrier USS Salamaua on January 13th, 1944, during a kamikaze mission over Lingayen Gulf, Philippines. This insignia was recoverd by one the navy pilots aboard the Sal shortly after the incident while working with one of the salvage/repair teams.

[coloradocowboy]

That is an awesome commemorative token! I assume it was given to the crew members by King Neptune for their "equatorial baptism"!

One of my favorite one of a kind items, the rank insignia of 2nd Lt. Osamu Yoshida, Imperial Japanese Army Air Forces. 2nd Lt. Yoshida crashed his aircraft into the escort carrier USS Salamaua on January 13th, 1944, during a kamikaze mission over Lingayen Gulf, Philippines. This insignia was recoverd by one the navy pilots aboard the Sal shortly after the incident while working with one of the salvage/repair teams.

Yep, its for crossing the equator. That is quite the piece you have there. I can just imagine how the salvage team stumbled upon it.

[EKman]

I have a few things in my collection that come to mind when I think of "unique" items. Here they are:

First up is the West Point uniform that belonged to Colonel Roger Donlon. This item is special because as a Captain in the Vietnam war, Donlon was the first serviceman to earn the Medal of Honor. He was serving in special forces at the time and consequently he also became the first member of any US special forces to earn a MOH.

I was able to contact Colonel Donlon to confirm that this is indeed his West Point uniform--tunic and trousers. After learning that I am a disabled veteran, he kindly sent me an autographed copy of his book about the battle in which he earned his MOH.

[EKman]

The next item I would like to share is a dress sword that belonged to General Walter Wenck. He played a key role in the Battle of Berlin and is often noted in historical studies of that great battle as "Berlin's last hope."

[EKman]

One other photo of General Wenck's sword displaying his engraved initials.

[EKman]

The last item I would like to share came to me directly from a World War II German veteran. This individual had worked for a period of time in the Concentration Camp system.

He had this walking stick hand carved by an obviously skilled Jewish craftsman in exchange for some food.

[EKman]

One final photo of the amazing detail on this walking stick.

[gregM]

This knife was given to me by my father in law. He served in the Navy
during ww2 and spent some time in the Philippines. This piece was made
for him by a shipmate.

[amiklic1]

OK, enjoying looking at your unique items, I decided to ad some of mine.
As I am collectiny only naval stuff, it's coming from that branch.

First is a centerpiece of my ever-growing collection, which I think will be very hard to remove from the throne. It's top part of U-boat attack periscope. I am actively investigating the boat from which this was taken, and I have narrowed it to 2 boats till now.




and another items is WW1 EK1 awarder to Rudolf Singule, Imperial Austrian commander of U-boat U-4, which sunk Italian warship Giuseppe Garibaldi in front of Cavtat in Adriatic Sea:

[Mark Broughton]

Some very cool items have been shared and I could neved top an attack periscope. Here is my periscope rifel attachment by B.A.F.
Mark

[Adam S.]

My most unique items would have to be the oil portraits that now grace the walls of my war room. Obviously one of a kind items that came from the families of the soldiers.

I now have 5 officer portraits - 4 of which are named.

[Jean-Loup]

British coins found in the El Alamein area, that have suffered a very violent shock (bullet/shrapnel going through wallet) and imprinted themselves on each other.
If only I could know what exactly happened to them.