The "steal" in your collection?

[Bill M]

--Hey all. What piece in your collection did you absolutely hit the jackpot with, regarding the wallet? I'm not talking about 20 or 30 years ago, but semi-recently, say over the last 5 years or so...
--Here is a prinzen 1870 EK2, the core is cracked (the arm up top) but who cares. It's a beautiful piece.
--This is the one in my collection that would bring tears to your eyes if you knew how much I paid for it! Figure around the price of the Jubilaumsspange alone...

[George Stimson]

I got this near mint Godet 1914 EK 1 with side hooks for about half what I should have paid for it. It even came with a case, although not a Godet case.




In other lucky breaks, I once got a four-medal bar which had an (unknown to the seller) Schinkel-form 1939 EK 2.

As for old miracles, in the early 1970s I got a single-decal SS helmet (an absolutely authentic vet bringback) for..... six dollars!!! (Ah, where is it now?..... )

George

[Daniel Krause]

Hi,

I had this medal bar some years ago with no knowledge about, then (silly me) I sold it. After some years of experience I bought it again for a really high price.

Best Regards

Daniel

[Dave Danner]

Let me see:

Austrian Cannon Cross, with original ribbon and three miniature campaign medals attached, for $100:


US WW1 Victory Medal w/"Transport" bar for $20, which, when it arrived, turned out to be privately remounted on a swivel mount and named to the captain of a transport ship. Sold about a week later at the Show of Shows for a handsome profit.

A lot of 4 medals from a UK dealer for about $100 (maybe not a "steal", but well below the going rate):


Also, my collection of propaganda leaflets from WW2, Korea, Vietnam, etc., about 2,000 or so, for free.

In the "if only I had known/if only I had had the money" category, back in the mid-1980s I would go to local gun shows in West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. Around 1987 or so, a regular fixture with a beautiful collection of orders and medals apparently picked up a nasty coke habit and sold off his stuff. I recall being offered a Red Eagle 4th Class for $20. Alas, no money, no medals

Dave

[McCulloh]

An unnamed member of this forum just got the sweetest 1870-71 2 piece set i have ever seen on ebay for a bargain. hint hint-perhaps this western massachusetts chap would be so kind as to post it. its really magnificent.
cheers,
jemc

[Bill D.]

I found a named and cased set at a flea market, comprised of a Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster and a Legion of Merit. I paid $100 for the pair. I researched them and found that they had been awarded to a supply officer on Bataan, who stretched supplies for the defenders ( leading to the L of M award ), and who was wounded in the defense action ( PH ), survived the Death March, and was wounded again when badly beatn as a P.O.W. ( the OLC to the PH).

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi Bill,
How do you go about researching a WW" group?
I had posted asking about this about a year ago, but was told these records are still not open to the public.
All thebest
Chris

[Rolf D.]

"steals"

sorry for dragging the dead cat out of the grave but I recently got two steals. Neither one imperial mind you but both WWII one German and the other American.

The first one was a mint condition Luftwaffe Fliegerbluse, kielhose w/outline of tag still sewn into it, and an M43 cap in "used condition". Price paid: $100.00 Value....??? Who knows?


The other was an American steel helmet. Not interesting sounding at first but it turned out to be front seam, fixed bale with the original Hawley fiber liner which was original to the helmet which came from a vet who died a while ago. Price paid: $85.00 Value....priceless ( birthday present )

[gregM]

I found a 25 year "Jubilaumsspange" oak leaf attachment in a
box of costume jewelry at a flea market for $1.00. Also for my
16th birthday I was given a sawtooth butcher knife bayonet
by my neighbor who brought it back as a war souvenir when
he returned from WW1. But that was 31 years ago.

[Newlyn]

About six months ago, 'Stole' a beautiful colonial sword, the rare pattern with the crown on pommel, with a CURVED eisenhauer blade, lovely condition. Bought it from a well established dealer who knows guns, don't know his Imperial swords, think I was the first to see it when it hit his website - £300, can still be done.

[Luc M]

Still looking for a score...hopefully, if all goes well, I have an Imperial Dagger lined up that should be a good score...

[EKman]

Found in a Pawn Shop

Last year, I was visiting a local pawn shop that has been in business for about forty years. Needless to say, there is alot of junk piled up in there that just gets brushed around. I asked--not really expecting much--if the owner ever came across any German medals. He said, "Oh yeah, not recently, but about thirty or forty years ago, that stuff would come in alot, and I'd get it and just stack it up." He then pointed to a cluttered shelf/cabinet type arrangement in the back of the store and said: "I think most of it is back there somewhere if you want to dig for it." DIG I DID! I walked away from the place with:

1. A custom cased WWI EKI in mint condition--it has been in its case for at least forty years untouched. It is marked 900 for silver on the back.

2. A good 1939 EKI marked 6.

3. A mint 1939 Gold Wound Badge marked 30

4. An unmarked 1939 Wound Badge in silver

5. 2 unmarked black 1939 Wound badges

6. A fair conditioned War Merit Cross II w/swords

7. A silver Mothers Cross with some heavy chips to the enamel

8. A relic Luger (badly burned with no grips). The story being that is was taken from a burned out German tank by an American engineer whose job it was to destroy unexploded ordinance.

And how much did all of these beauties cost me...I exchanged a box of recently purchased army surplus camo jackets that were in the back of the car that I had bought at a Surplus Stores going out of business sale for $20.

This was definately my finest day of collecting EVER!

[landsknechte]

My best deal was a circa 1820-1830 French smallsword that I picked up for $40 from a dealer who brushed it off as a "theatrical prop"... I've had it appraised for between $1200-$1500

(The hardest part of that deal was keeping a poker face.)

[Tony & Kaiser]

I am almost embarrassed to say, that I was at one time (gasp!) primarily a Third Reich collector. In 1992 (?) I received a call at work from a fellow who had gotten my name through the local militaria club, asking if I "bought old German helmets" as he had one. I said I did, and went over. Sitting on his kitchen table was a <b>superb single decal German paratrooper helmet, full liner, with complete chinstrap</b>. He said that he was selling it for a friend who's father (deceased) had picked it up in Italy and asked me if $200 was too much for it.

I could have given him $200 and walked out with it, but........ I said that absolutely wanted it, but I could not afford it. He then offered it to me for $150, so I explained that "I cannot afford it, as it is worth about $1600", (which was the market price at that time).

He flipped of course, and finally decided that this was a crazy price, and asked if I would pay $500 as this was much more than this other person was expecting, so she would be happy and I would get a good deal. I wrote him a cheque for $500 and away I went. This killer helmet by the way, now resides in the collection of my best friend, RKHunter on this Forum when I sold the last of my Nazeee stuff in 1998. Tony

[JBFloyd]

From the old days, about 1985 I bought a tight little mounted pair at a small show in Germany. It was an 1870 Iron Cross and Dutch Order of Willem, knight. I paid about what I would have paid for the EK because the dealer was having trouble selling it with the foreign medal.

I have never seen anything like it since.