just started collecting ddr

[3x3cut3d]

hello all..
ive just started out collecting things from the ddr..at the moment i have an original flag..and steel helmet which i bought from a guy in puckersdorf austria,for 11 euro's,which i thought was a very good price..the helmet is in very good condition...the flag i now know i bought from a forum member torsten..great item

here's a couple of links to the items ive bought...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...n27/helm-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...n27/helm-2.jpg

the question i would like to ask the members of this forum is..where can i buy COMPLETE uniforms from?...that is what i intend on concentrating on..

ebay usually has tunics etc..but i never seem to find complete uniforms.im really interested in buying stasi military and administrative uniforms and parade uniforms..like engels etc...

if any member could point me in the right direction,it would be much appreciated
thank-you for reading this

[torstenbel]

Hi there,

I thought I recognised your user id...you have just bought a state flag from me... this forum is most definitely the best place to come and learn about the DDR and about what is available and what is good and what is bad...re the complete uniforms, stick with ebay and you will find good sets from time to time, but also some very bad made up type sets...or of course, you could join us on our little trip to East Berlin at the end of May and scour the markets with us for good items.

With regard to Stasi and Wachregiment uniforms.... you are certainly not planning to start on the low end of the scale... but, other members of the forum can tell you a lot more about those than I ever could....

Anyhow, good luck and I am sure we'll get to talk again... Cheers, Torsten (ebay id German.Militaria).

hello all..
ive just started out collecting things from the ddr..at the moment i have an original flag..and steel helmet which i bought from a guy in puckersdorf austria,for 11 euro's,which i thought was a very good price..the helmet is in very good condition...the flag i now know i bought from a forum member torsten..great item

here's a couple of links to the items ive bought...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...n27/helm-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...n27/helm-2.jpg

the question i would like to ask the members of this forum is..where can i buy COMPLETE uniforms from?...that is what i intend on concentrating on..

ebay usually has tunics etc..but i never seem to find complete uniforms.im really interested in buying stasi military and administrative uniforms and parade uniforms..like engels etc...

if any member could point me in the right direction,it would be much appreciated
thank-you for reading this

[iannima]

There are a couple of dealers on Ebay who offer complete uniforms (jacket, trousers, hat etc. ) but the price is often astronomical (more than €150). I do think you are better off piecing together the uniform you want to make. You obviously need to know what to look for, but this is what this forum can help you with. All the best of luck in your search.

[Thälmannpionier]

Hi there

just wanted to say,
WELCOME TO THE DDR FORUM

Regards
Andreas

[3x3cut3d]

thank-you all for the response and warm welcome
torsten..with regards to your offer of the trip to berlin..as much as i would love to go..unfortunately i cannot..im off to corfu the last week of may-first week of june..to get away form the cold depressing weather of the uk

if any members here who collect uniforms could enlighten me with reference material ie books ..websites etc..i would appreciate your

ive always been interested in the german military..ie third reich era..but i only collect excellent replica's of tr items..the reason being everything to do with that time frame is now faked..thats the reason ive turned to DDR..in the hope i may actually be able to obtain original items..

thank-you again everyone and i look forward to visiting the DDR forums frequently

[torstenbel]

thank-you all for the response and warm welcome
torsten..with regards to your offer of the trip to berlin..as much as i would love to go..unfortunately i cannot..im off to corfu the last week of may-first week of june..to get away form the cold depressing weather of the uk

well, its been hail and snow on the Wirral today...so, I fully understand...

[Matthew S.]

A couple good sites are www.tridentmilitary.com and http://gowenmilitaria.com.

[olivyaya]

There are a couple of dealers on Ebay who offer complete uniforms (jacket, trousers, hat etc. ) but the price is often astronomical (more than €150). I do think you are better off piecing together the uniform you want to make. You obviously need to know what to look for, but this is what this forum can help you with. All the best of luck in your search.

I've ended up thinking it is much cheaper to buy all the items at a time when possible because you save an AWFUL lot on postage !!!!!!!!!! Paying postage on every single item can cost you the "eyes of your head" as we say in French !
Welcome to the forum and the DDR world and good luck in your quest !

[iannima]

Sorry, I had not realised that you lived in the UK. In that case the best you can do is to come to Beltring in Kent in July. All UK re-enactors and collectors converge on allegedly the "biggest military vehicle show in the world", The War & Peace show. There are a couple of Belgian and Dutch dealers very dedicated to DDR stuff. If you need an address or two, I can supply them and you can write to them and tell them what you need. One of them is very eager for us to tell him what we want in advance as he has a warehouse full of DDR stuff and he can only come with a small van. I am driving home to Italy in four weeks' time, and I have arranged to stop at his warehouse in Holland to visit that paradise of stuff... .
In any case a trip to Beltring will give you a chance to meet several of the characters on this forum, Viktor, Kozlov, myself and others who are not keen on the internet. I have been trying to convince Torsten to come too... but family committments have so far prevailed... We live in hope! .
Well in any case, welcome to the forum and come and join our bunch of nutcases in July...

[Ralph P]

First, welcome to the DDR forum and as already seen on this thread other members have already started to provide you with some useful information. Another thing that can assist you on this forum is the SEARCH feature which I highly recommend you check out if you have any questions.

Second, as with any collecting be it DDR, NVA or STASI is to make sure you do your research so you know what you are buying.

So again welcome and hope to see more of your DDR collection and your comments.

hello all..
ive just started out collecting things from the ddr..at the moment i have an original flag..and steel helmet which i bought from a guy in puckersdorf austria,for 11 euro's,which i thought was a very good price..the helmet is in very good condition...the flag i now know i bought from a forum member torsten..great item

here's a couple of links to the items ive bought...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...n27/helm-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...n27/helm-2.jpg

the question i would like to ask the members of this forum is..where can i buy COMPLETE uniforms from?...that is what i intend on concentrating on..

ebay usually has tunics etc..but i never seem to find complete uniforms.im really interested in buying stasi military and administrative uniforms and parade uniforms..like engels etc...

if any member could point me in the right direction,it would be much appreciated
thank-you for reading this

[torstenbel]

In any case a trip to Beltring will give you a chance to meet several of the characters on this forum, Viktor, Kozlov, myself and others who are not keen on the internet. I have been trying to convince Torsten to come too... but family committments have so far prevailed... We live in hope! .
Well in any case, welcome to the forum and come and join our bunch of nutcases in July...

well, I only missed one summer so far... but if I manage to sell my holiday home in France in time, then I will definitely be able to come this summer (well, should be able to...)... anyone want to buy a really nice 3-bed house in France???? Cheers, Torsten.

[Mike G.]

RE: Just Started Collecting

Hi 3x3cut3d,

Welcome to the Wehrmacht DDR Forum.

By the way, it is a very open forum, and we pretty much think of ourselves as a family here, so don't be afraid to drop at least your first name in your posts. Its an easy door to open.

Regarding your expressed interest in the collecting of DDR Memorabilia, you picked a really great time to start. It is still very easily attainable, and still for the most part, inexpensive when compared to other collectibles, such as TR. Also there is little faking going on, and of what little there is, it is of very poor quality and easily recognizable.

You seem to have advanced beyond the initial major hurdle, in that you have narrowed down your initial collecting interests and have indicated a desire to focus on Stasi and Fredrich Engels. I presume you would also therefore have an interest in the NVA Wachregiment, too.

You didn't express an era, and I'm going to again presume it would be late 70s and 80s era, or what is commonly referred to in the DDR Collecting Community, as "Open Collar" era.

This would be a good starting point, as the Uniforms and accessories for the uniforms are very available, and for the most part, inexpensive.

Matteo (iannima) has graciously opened the door to you with an offer to join him and his companions on their collecting ventures throughout the UK. I highly recommend you take him up on his offer. He is knowledgeable about the DDR, and is both keen and very exuberant about his passion for collecting DDR Memorabilia. He would be a great source of information.

As to other sources - I would recommend first:

ebay.com, which is the american one. There is a lot of DDR memorabilia offered there, and the 70s and 80s era items are usually much cheaper than on german ebay.

ebay.de, which is the german one. Here you can find more unique, but also more costly items, and if one day you decide to go retro, here is where you can items from the 50s, 60s and early 70s era, or as we like to say - the "Dark Collar" era.

Believe it or not, you can find complete uniforms on both american and german ebay. You just have to be patient and thorough when you search.

You commented that you are just starting out, and would appreciate recommendations on books that might be helpful. Here then are three books I highly recommend to anyone that is just starting out collecting DDR Memorabilia. All three can be found on both american and german ebay, and are not very expensive. You can also find them sometimes on Amazon.com.

The gray in color (colour) book is a uniform book that pretty much covers the NVA spectrum from beginning to end. It has some errors, but not many. Its a great starting reference.
It is titled " Uniformen der Nationalen Volksarmee der DDR 1956-1986. Yes, the last four years are omitted, but there is a newer version that incudes them. That one is blue in color and more costly. At your level, and with your expressed collecting interests, the gray in color book will serve you just as well, and for a lot less money. Also, the quality of the photos are better.
The book is authored by Keubke and Kunz.

The red or maroon color book covers all the awards and decorations that would be worn on the uniforms, and the time frames and where worn. It is a great partner to the gray book referenced above. It does not however cover medals and orders.
It is titled Militaerische Abzeichen der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik.
The book is authored by Feder / Wagner and Swoboda.

The third book (the black one) addresses medals and orders worn on the uniforms you expressed an interest in collecting. It is specific to the NVA, and therefore would be appropriate for the Wachregiment aspect of the Stasi as well.
It is titled Auszeichnungen der Nationalen Volksarmee der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik.
It is authored by Ferder.

Lastly, I highly recommend you hang around this Forum and question the more knowledgable members as often as you wish. Be sure to browse all of the pages, as there is an accumulated wealth of information that has been assembled over time, here.

Again, welcome to the Forum

Attached: Reference Books

[3x3cut3d]

wow what a response
so much to take in,i appreciate everyones response,briefly im looking for the open collar uniforms and not the dark collar or earlier years tunics,like it has been stated mainly due to price reasons,that having been said never say never

ive taken note of the relevant websites and the reference books and will certainly check them all out,thank-you

i have 4 tunics coming from germany in the next couple of weeks and i got them at a very good price i think 2 mfs admin tunics and 2 fahnrichs with jodphurs all for 84 euro's i will post pics when they arrive..and hopefully the more clued up members can pass judgement..(i hope that will be ok?)

once again cheers people i like it here already

oh and my name is julian

[torstenbel]

Hi Michael, good response... is that a new book by Feder x2? I don't think that I have seen that one before...? Looks and sounds like one to get...Cheers, Torsten.

[iannima]

,

Matteo (iannima) has graciously opened the door to you with an offer to join him and his companions on their collecting ventures throughout the UK. I highly recommend you take him up on his offer. He is knowledgeable about the DDR, and is both keen and very exuberant about his passion for collecting DDR Memorabilia. He would be a great source of information.

Thank you Michael!!!