Question on anniversary of WW1.

[TP Alexander]

I see and hear of people going to Normandy for the 6th of June OVERLORD Landings. The 70th anniversary, in fact.

I believe that the US enters WW1 during the month of April, 1917. The European portion of the war has it's opening hostilities commencing on 1 August, 1914.
Is there any gatherings to commemorate the date? Are WW1 items of German, French and British origin starting to go up in price?
I am curious to know if the market will gather steam, much as the American market went up significantly in 1961 on the 100th anniversary of the Civil War, or as some know it, The War Bewtween The States.
Or will the internet and today's young people make it all an anticlimactical event of little significance?
Thanx,
Tim

[Brian L.]

I've noticed that EKIIs are going up in price, especially scarcer marks. Those marked 800 or 935 are close to 100 Euros and some scarcer makers combined with an 800 or 935 are well over 100 Euros on eBay.

[jmgk93]

I'm relatively new at all of this and have only been collecting for about 18 months; I primarily collect Imperial EK's and other Imperial militaria. I too have noticed an increase in prices, more so on ebay than here on the e-stand. I'm a little hesitant to make any purchases on ebay due to the horror stories I've read about and the recent jump in prices makes me stay closer to the estand or a few select militaria dealers I've done business with in the past.

As far as the celebration of the First World War Centennial goes, I used several of these websites while doing some preliminary research for a school project last year and I still go back and visit them from time to time when I'm bored. They list upcoming events by region, a lot happening in the United States too depending on where you live!

http://www.ww1-centennial.org/

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/events/201...ary-events.htm

Jeff

[gregM]

Prices have been going up on 1914 Ek2s for a couple years now.
I don't think it has anything to due with the coming anniversary.

Prices have leveled out and IMO seem to be dropping on common
1st class crosses while the more sought after makers and variations
always seem to stay high.

I seldom find any real deals on the estand. For a place for collectors
to sell to collectors, the prices are more like dealer prices. I have found
many more bargins on ebay. Just do your homework on the item you
are buying.

[Brian L.]

Prices have been going up on 1914 Ek2s for a couple years now.
I don't think it has anything to due with the coming anniversary.

Prices have leveled out and IMO seem to be dropping on common
1st class crosses while the more sought after makers and variations
always seem to stay high.

I seldom find any real deals on the estand. For a place for collectors
to sell to collectors, the prices are more like dealer prices. I have found
many more bargins on ebay. Just do your homework on the item you
are buying.

While I bow to you as a more experienced EK collector than I, I actually don't agree with you on this. Even common KO marked crosses are now selling on eBay Germany for 30+ Euros, if in good condition. I sell generally harder-to-come-by single-mount crosses on eStand, but admittedly near the upper limit of the market. The reason for this is that I increasingly find myself having to commit more and more in trade (my usual way of acquiring crosses) in order to get the better crosses, that only a year or so ago were perpetually in the 25-30 Euro range. For example, single-mount CD800 crosses which used to be on offer for about 40 Euros are now upwards of 90 Euros.

Loose unmounted crosses certainly go for a lot less. But, there has been a marked increase in them as well, over the last year or so, which must at least in part have to do with the centenary.

In contrast, I think EKIs have remained stagnant or have even dropped, except for the very desirable ones which have steadily risen in recent years.

Other Imperial orders and decorations have increased exponentially. But, I don't think this has to do with the centenary, but with normal increases in demand.

While slightly off-topic, the most dramatic increases in the last 2 years have been in Freikorps material, so that one can only imagine what will happen when 2019 rolls around.

[SCOTT G]

Greetings Tim,

In regard to the commemorative events I think a lot depends on what part of the world your in, as you mention with the US coming in later than us here in NZ .
Ourselves and are Australian neighbours have been gearing towards the anniversary ,most of which is aimed at the events at Gallipoli in 1915.

As to price increases ,I have seen some trending to higher asking prices on some auction sites with the comment to the 100 year anniversary and in many cases it is only for a more common item, that if you check out dealer sites you find the same item for less. I tend to only buy from a select fee dealers and collectors now, but when your looking for that particular item and you hunt everywhere the price variation can be huge.


Scott

[Brian L.]

As for events planned, there are several sites. Here are two.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World_War_centenary
http://www.greatwar.co.uk/events/201...ary-events.htm


For example Turkey is hosting a big ANZAC event at Gallipoli.

The UK has several big events planned.

Germany, however is not doing anything nationally, as far as current information goes. There will be smaller individual events in Germany. Apparently, they're bowing to the hyper-sensitivity in the rest of Europe and don't want to be seen as glorifying the German military in WWI in any way.

It's likely due to a disturbing trend in revisionist history I've noticed: the resurrection of the simplistic (and inaccurate) "it was all Germany's fault". I heard a WWI historian on BBC say recently that Germany was the aggressor and started the war.

When I was in school in Canada, we learned that the war was caused by a domino effect of interlocking treaties and that the Kaiser, Franz Josef, the Tzar and George V in fact did not want war. Politicians maybe and the generals, likely. But not the royals. Afterall, they were all related. Probably the only nation that was itching for a fight was France, as payback for 1870.

[TP Alexander]

Ourselves and our Australian neighbours have been gearing towards the anniversary, most of which is aimed at the events at Gallipoli in 1915.

And I would bet my bottom dollar that anything with impeccable provenance from Gallipoli has always gone for big money!

[TP Alexander]

When I was in school in Canada, we learned that the war was caused by a domino effect of interlocking treaties and that the Kaiser, Franz Josef, the Tzar and George V in fact did not want war. Politicians maybe and the generals, likely. But not the royals. Afterall, they were all related. Probably the only nation that was itching for a fight was France, as payback for 1870.

I appreciate your reply in regards to the events that are upcoming in Europe. It's a shame about Germany feeling that they musn't be seen as glorifying the 1st World War.
I must take issue with you as to Kaiser Wilhelm the II's desire to go to or not go to war.
Yes, all of the royals, from across Europe were related. I believe that 'Willie' was the Queen of England's grandson(?) But from all that I have read, he was an unstable, immature personality with delusions of grandeur and if analyzed could quite possibly been committed to an institution.
One book that I believe gives an unbiased viewpoint of events leading up to the 1st World War would be THE GUNS OF AUGUST by Barbara Tuchman.
You might also read DREADNOUGHT by Robert K. Massie. Another tome to look up would concern Bismarck's realtionship with Wilhelm II. I have already put the dogs to bed, so I can't get at the book for title and author. However, I believe that any well researched book will point out that Wilhelm had a superiority complex that was first displayed and became the undoing of Chancellor Bismarck. I believe the proper term for his condition is called megalomania.
Aside from that, I tend to agree that WW1 might have been postponed or never have happened, but at the same time, what with the unstability of the nation/states then in being, maybe it was a foregone conclusion! Entangling alliances and all that rot!
Respectfully,
Tim

PS-In 1890, US Navy Captain Alfred T. Mahan wrote a book titled THE INFLUENCE OF SEA POWER ON HISTORY, 1660–1783. Wilhelm II took this book to heart and after reading it believed that the German Navy could inflict a decisive victory over the British Fleet. Only the events at Jutland proved him wrong. The Battle of Jutland was a very close run thing at that.
That and the plan of Count Alfred von Schlieffen, all point to a desire to have a war with France on a second go around as 1870 didn't settle things as decisively as the Germans would have liked.

[Elmar Lang]

Hello,

the WW1 centennial anniversary has different dates, as noted for the United States.

The war's outbreak was in 1914, as a consequence of the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, in Sarajevo, and the declaration of war given by the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef to Serbia.

For my country, Italy, the war started on May 24th, 1915, but the centennial commemorations already started, because the peoples North-eastern regions of Trentino and Alto-Adige (also known today as South Tyrol) and part of Friuli, having been subject to Austria, were immediately involved in the war's operations, firstly against Serbia and Russia, later against Italy.

Being myself a collector of orders and decorations of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, I have noticed an increase of prices of these collectibles; I think independently from any celebration. Very rare pieces go at surprisingly high prices at auctions and collectors' shows.

Regarding the other nations involved in the war, I can say that the main Austria's opponent, Italy, is strongly collected, especially in my Country: the most collected items are the Medals for Valour (gold, silver and bronze); they're always very interesting, since each awarded piece, is engraved (or, rarely, impressed) with the recipent's name and place/date of the action).

E.L.

[Brian L.]

TP Alexander

I've read extensively about the Kaiser for the last 40 years; most recently, Kaiser Wilhelm II, A Life in Power by Christopher Clark. I agree that the Kaiser was unstable due to psychological abuse by his parents and disapproval by his beloved grandmother, Queen Victoria. But, I think at best it can be said that the war got away from him. He liked the trappings of military life, but was a reluctant participant in the reality of war.

In any event, it's a discussion best left to another time and a forum of its own.

This isn't the place for a protracted debate.

[Jesse]

The UK is planning many commemorations as has been mentioned already. There has been information on the BBC that the Government are having to almost beg Germany to get involved in some way, so far it appears German involvement will be very minimal.

The Christmas truce football match is to be replayed, with a British team and a team from Germany.

I travel through Belgium a lot and I know many hotels, apartments and guesthouses in the battlefield areas are booked solid with British and Canadian visitors. Where I have stayed previously they have been booked up for more than 2 years.

I will go myself but in October, for 1st Ypres. I make a special point of going to the German cemetery at Langemarck, it gives a very powerful statement on the results of the politicians or Royals screw ups... the blockhouses in amongst the graves add to the feeling. All the German Great War cemeteries convey an almost indescribable sadness that you do not get in the British cemeteries.

As for the militaria, I see it going up in price, even basic EK's are up in price and that has to be related to the coming centenary.

Jess

[BILL]

"The Great War". The war that was avoidable and yet happened. I will commemorate.

[pzrwest]

"The Great War" the war to end all wars!!!!!..... guess the world still hasn't learned anything from it

[Elmar Lang]

This remembers me Sir John Squire's verses:

God heard the embattled nations sing and shout
“Gott strafe England!” and “God save the King!”
God this, God that, and God the other thing –
“Good God!” said God, “I’ve got my work cut out!”

E.L.