where to find a good WW1 German tunic

[Federico Perez]

I am shifting interest to Imperial Germany from T.R. period, there seems to be a good selection of german imperial parade/gala uniforms in several dealers sites but what I am looking for is a good feldgrau tunic enlisted/officer 1910 desing or one of it's latter variants, any member knows of a good one outhere, will like to see it.

Thanks in advance!!

Fred

[phild]

I am shifting interest to Imperial Germany from T.R. period, there seems to be a good selection of german imperial parade/gala uniforms in several dealers sites but what I am looking for is a good feldgrau tunic enlisted/officer 1910 desing or one of it's latter variants, any member knows of a good one outhere, will like to see it.

Thanks in advance!!

Fred

I can only tell you that there are some originals on a few (very very few) dealer's sites and they come up from individual collectors for sale from time to time. They are all expensive but probably still under priced relative to how scarce they actually are. Theye are also very sought after so bargans are not for sale for very long!

If you really want to get crazy just wait and try to find a WWI feldgrau tunic that you can say "I know this one was worn in combat or in the trenches" that will be maybe 1 in 10 or more like 1 in 25 that you will find! Easier to find W-SS Generals tunics that true combat worn WWI German tunics..

[leibregiment]

Having sold my feldgrau collection last year and now looking to get at least one tunic back..you are going to be hard pressed to get one...parade tunics are also getting harder to find, you may want to try <TABLE width=440 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>

HERMANN HISTORICA Munich, but be prepared to have to pay

</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Federico Perez]

Thanks for the replays, yes I know this type of tunics are extreamly dificult to find, and as you said, it's easier to find an untouch Waffen SS tunic than a WW1 combat used feldgrau tunic. I have seen the Herman Historica auction catalog for the next auction, there are several tunics available but as you well said, the final price including auction house comission will be very high and with the dollar/euro exchange will make it even more .

Again thanks for the replays and information,realy appreciated, will keep looking

Fred

[leibregiment]

Fred, I started with a greatcoat and a belt, greatcoats can be purchased for a lot less, Paul

[Nick VR]

Phild has a point and I agree totaly with him...

[phild]

I started buying or rather trying to find and buy German Feldgrau Imperial cloth back in the mid-1970s...it was hard to find then and generally cost about 1.5X to 2X what WWII German Heer tunics sold for at that time...as usual other collectors thought that I was crazy for seeking it out.

I was approached by a "well known" Luger collector around 1979 who asked be to help him find or buy some of my WWI feldgrau tunics to "set off" his large Imperial Luger collection. When I told him that he should expect to pay around $250+ per tunic (they had increased a bit since 1975 as had everything back then!!) he became almost indignant that these cost as much as some of this Lugers! I told him the tunics were rarer than most any Imperial Luger (except Navys) and generally by a huge factor.

People seem to think they have the only game in town...that is daggers, helmets, badges....whatever they collect and that everything is window dressing to whatever their interest are. Actually WWI feldgrau is about where it has always been price wise in comparsion to other items. That is about 2x what standard WWII uniforms bring and about 1/2 to maybe 1/3 what a SS tunic brings.....a lot of factors can adjust these relatinships of course but I think that everything has keep about the same relatinship that it has had for the 40 or so years that I have been collecting.

[Federico Perez]

Thanks again for all the replays and sugestions.
Because of the battlefield conditions and tactics of WW1 as well as what happened in europe and specialy in Germany after the end of the "great war", have made this feldgrau combat uniforms an very scarce item and expensive. As has been noted by Phild, these where never in abundance of any kind and always have commanded a premium, most of this uniforms that survived the battlefields where still been used in the late 1920s by the so call paramilitary units. The amount of surpplus of imperial army regalia of WW1 will NEVER be even close to the ones of WW2 germany.

Even with this limitations in uniforms and regalia in general, is a facinating period of history and traditions.

Again thanks to all the members for the information and guide to start in this new field for me.

Fred

[Robert Evans]

Hello;

I'm a recent forum member, and as an exclusively WW-1 German collector of field uniforms and combat equipment for 40 years I have been searching old threads for this subject. I was impressed with the analogies made by "phild" (who apparently has been collecting as long as I), in putting things into a valuation perspective. I also empathize with Fred in starting a collecting area, WW-1 field gray uniforms, that is at once bewildering and daunting.

I began in the early '70s and have owned but a modest 15 field gray uniforms and 2 overcoats, all but one acquired in that decade. I have 8 tunics remaining, now the centerpiece of my small collection, along with mützen, hosen, etc, and the equipment, and I wish I had not sold any of my uniforms!

Last month I began posting some of the uniforms on the German Helmet Walhalla forum, but found that interest was slight compared with WW-2 stuff (never a surprise to me). For instance, a busted up T.R. EK2 drew more viewers than a M-1910 tunic to an elite infantry regiment. So, to anyone starting off in this area just be aware that your interests are considered pretty far outside the norm in military collecting.

Bob

[leibregiment]

Bob, The simple fact is most of us remember TR in our childhoods, WW1 and indeed Napoleonic was for the bigboys....the fact is it still is I can still pick up a TR tunic for $500 albeit RAD or alike...where as a WW1 imperial German tunic is $2000, I have a few tunics left but have people knocking down the door to purchase a relic that could be made for dollars.

You will find though on here you will be most welcome to post and I for one look forward to seeing your collection

[Robert Evans]

Thanks, Leibregiment, I will be glad to post some of the feldgrau here as I gather that there is a different audience than the other forum, and it looks like more viewers. I am not quite sure of the requirements to post attachments, as presently it says under posting rules I'm not permitted to do so.

Anyway, I look forward to the exchange of information and discussions.
Bob

[leibregiment]

Bob, you will have to pay your $25 but worth it, there are many WW1 collectors on here and with your experiance you can help the young uns....

[Robert Evans]

Thanks, should have read the rules first - let me consider this and do some checking with people I know.
Bob