collecting without historical background

[WalterB]

I am really upset about so called experts. mainly from the US, who are sittin' in their basements or running around for "veteran's" buys.

Would you identify which particular persons call themselves experts and have not been to a battlesite in Europe? You must have some facts to make such an assertion. I await your response, otherwise, as I suspect, you are merely blowing hot air and speculating.

[Don D.]

If walking a battlefield was a requirement to collect then I guess the Luftwaffee and Kriegsmarine would be virtually unstudied. Of course you could take up sky and scuba diving.

[jiipee76]

I have walked various battlesites in Northen Europe(Norway,Finland,Russia).Even camped in old LW airfield and prison campsites...And searched relics...Some of those sites give "vibes" about battles,but most of them are in forgotten condition.I say 10 more years and many of those sites have gone totally.

I say US collectors have saved lots of ww2 era items.Many if not most of the best quality ww2 items are now in US,as US veterans took many kinds of items as their remembrance items from war.Who should be shame is europeans,they have ruined many,many historic sites and destroyed piles of ww2 items.

[History]

just an observation i think the poster is talking about guys who have the money but have never been. If you can buy a german paratroop helmet every week but have not been to see the battlefields i think it' a good question of why too.

At the very least, because english is not the poster's first language he should get cut some slack.

W.

agree !!!!

[SurvivingPanzer]

I spent about three months in Europe visiting battlefield sites and didnt find anything. Its KINDA been all gone, its been 60 years. The few things that are left are not right off of the road and are not laying on top of the ground. I've been to Normandy, and Anzio, never found a helmet. Would love to buy one.

[Garry M.]

Many collectors know about catches, maker marks, value, and nothing about the time period or history they collect. Many won't even buy a book unless it is 500 photos of their badge from every angle

Nicely put. I'll never understand collectors like that.

[Jos L C]

The fact that a lot of people rather discuss the way a (for example) Nordland cufftitle was manufactured than the divisions actions during the war was one of the things that pretty much got me out of collecting. Im intressted in the combat history of the war, not the manufacturing technics of collartabs/cufftitles/eagles/helmets/Hitlers underpants/whatever. That, and being ripped off :P

OK, but if there were no people to discuss this stuff you'd probably have a collection of bad material..
Visiting battlefields doesn't learn you how to detect good items... although some just use their guts feeling and end up with 75% fakes..
The history can be found in books, battlefields are gone, nothing to be seen there anymore, except under the ground maybe..

Jos.

[Lasse L]

OK, but if there were no people to discuss this stuff you'd probably have a collection of bad material..
Visiting battlefields doesn't learn you how to detect good items... although some just use their guts feeling and end up with 75% fakes..
The history can be found in books, battlefields are gone, nothing to be seen there anymore, except under the ground maybe..

Jos.

Deffinitly, Im glad there are collectors who keeps track of whats good and whats not. And I do not believe either that a collector must visit battlefields, but it would be quite nice to be able to discuss history of a unit, more than the badges worn by the unit and how they where made. Problem is, as Marc put it, a lot of the collectors dosent seam intressted in picking up the books; "Many collectors know about catches, maker marks, value, and nothing about the time period or history they collect. Many won't even buy a book unless it is 500 photos of their badge from every angle"

[adlerfan53]

I know this poster touched a very soft spot but I think I know where he was going with his comments. He just can't express them well. If he did mean that most American collectors lack the sense of history he is dillusional. My peeve are those that collect but do not have a clue about what their collections mean. I know a few people who collect (friends) who cannot hold a short conversation on any topic related to the war. I spend the most time with collector friends who prefer to sit around with a few beers and talk about the war more than what we are collecting. I live near Gettysburg and visit a few times a year. I don't collect Civil War but after every trip to the battlefield I can truly say I do get "it" and every trip I get the same feelings from the battlefield. If I could afford to visit Normandy or any other great battlefield I would no doubt be there. I think this poster needs to respond and clarify what he was trying to say.

[Robert T.]

The history can be found in books, battlefields are gone, nothing to be seen there anymore, except under the ground maybe..

Jos.

And it can also be found on WAF... Have a look at this amazing thread; http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=325906

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Robert

[Mark C. Yerger]

The fact that a lot of people rather discuss the way a (for example) Nordland cufftitle was manufactured than the divisions actions during the war was one of the things that pretty much got me out of collecting. Im intressted in the combat history of the war, not the manufacturing technics of collartabs/cufftitles/eagles/helmets/Hitlers underpants/whatever. That, and being ripped off :P

You sound EXACTLY like me thinking and talking. I'll stick to writing history books.

Part of the problem is many people are to lazy to read. In buying a book many only want to know "how many photos."

Sort of a "coloring book" mentality.