Have dealers gone mad ..... ???

[Matthieu]

Guess some dealers must have lost it for sure ...

Thomas Huss - a well known and respected dealer for us 57er buyers - listed these.

* Very modern APB in bronze by St&L - 150 Euro
* Postwar LWPAB100 by Souval - 495 Euro (!!!)

Am I missing something here ? I ( IMHO ) value each bade no more then 45 Euro ?!?

Sadly I'm seeing it more and more - dealers posting and valuing completely wrong ( modern badges for high prices ).

Mathijs

[Skyhawk]

Hi Mathijs,

You are completely right!

Seems like the late/modern versions of 57er pieces that are super hard to find in early/mid versions are dealer priced at "inflated" prices (see image). In one way, we are a "victim of our own success" as the value of all of our 57er collections continues to increase. Especially, for 57er collectors who were able to purchase in the earlier days..... I have purchased many 57er pieces from you, and you have always priced fairly, thank you again I think 57er collectors who are entering the hobby now have no alternative than to "feed the beast" if they want ANY example of certain awards. I must say that I have been able to purchase some great 57er pieces from certain dealers at fair prices as well, including Thomas Huss.

Who has, and is willing to sell an early/mid 57er numbered LW Tank Battle Badge at a reasonable price? There is one major issue, supply versus demand, and "the beast" gets fed!

Best,

Jeff

[Tom B]

And I have been asked, "Tom why have quit collecting". THIS is why, and many more will follow me I'm sure. What you are seeing is the END of our hobby IMO. Tom

[Nigel N]

I guess a dealer can ask what he wants, and its up to us if we want to pay the asking price or not!
I do see Tom's point, and I am very glad I already have a decent collection!!
I wouldn't like to be starting out now!!!
-Nigel

[Tom B]

I guess a dealer can ask what he wants, and its up to us if we want to pay the asking price or not!
I do see Tom's point, and I am very glad I already have a decent collection!!
I wouldn't like to be starting out now!!!
-Nigel

I watched this happen in my TR collecting days and it has never stopped. Outrageous prices by dealers & collectors, more and more fakes, and Many of us who were lucky enough to start collecting in the "old" days have now stopped. An example: In 1975 I purchased a RK marked lazy 2 & 800 by CEJ of course for $275.00.......Today.......$12,000.00 my point is made. Tom

[Nigel N]

Indeed Tom!
I used to collect TR, but, as you said, the ever increasing prices, and the huge number of fakes ruined it for me, I guess 57ers will go the same way, but (I hope) we haven't quite got to that stage yet!!
-Nigel

[Matthieu]

From my side, demand for buying from my collection has been huge this last year.
Hence my collection of DK and KC has been reduced quite rapidly - same for my LW collection.
In selling, I've been able to buy that one scarce piece and have invested in my other hobby ( wine ).

Still, these dealer prices are becoming interstellar and I do refuse in feeding the bubble.
When I'm selling I do so with profit, but not squeezing my buyers till they bleed.
Now, eBay hunting and dealing amongst us collectors has replaced my need for dealers.
I still have a decent collection of wartime pieces and extensive collection of 57er pieces.

I'm happy with what I have - but I feel bad for beginning collectors in this hobby.
If they are forced to rely only upon dealer prices, many will drop out very quickly.

Therefore, I do find these fora important - trading amongst collectors at fair, honest and most of all affordable prices !!!

Mathijs

[Nigel N]

Well said Mathijs!!!
-Nigel

[Skyhawk]

Well said Mathijs!!!
-Nigel

Agreed!

I have personally sold several 57er duplicate pieces at minimal gain/no gain or a loss to assist new 57er collectors, and I know others in our group have done the same. Let's all try to help our 57er hobby, and assit new 57er collectors!

I believe strongly in helping new 57er collectors so I will " put money where my mouth is" and help another new 57er collector. I will soon have a duplicate minty 57er EK2 that I will sell to one of our new 57er collectors at a great deal, and well below what I paid last year. I will PM a couple of you when the time comes to see if you are interested.

Best,

Jeff

[Tom B]

Indeed Tom!
I used to collect TR, but, as you said, the ever increasing prices, and the huge number of fakes ruined it for me, I guess 57ers will go the same way, but (I hope) we haven't quite got to that stage yet!!
-Nigel

We have passed that stage IMO Tom

[Alex W.]

Wow, what has happend to some of the prices ?! Maybe the 495 € is a typo ? Seriously, I don't believe anyone will pay this much. Anyone can ask what they want; the question is, will it sell at this price ? I strongly doubt it.

Best regards,
Alex

[Alex W.]

Mhh guess prices have really gone up. I've just seen a Souval RK with OLS (the later semi hollow ones) at a well known Dealer for 780€. Kind of scary but at least I already have this part of my collection covered. Sad for beginners of the post-war hobby though.

[Brig]

A new guy's 2 cents, if I may...

I am relatively new to 57ers, however not new to collecting. Have been collecting USMC items for nearly 12 years. I started with TR, and the prices, and ultimately the sheer volume of fakes, drove me away from them for many years. It's only been in the past 6 months that I've eased back into it and branched into 57ers

The first month or so of 57er collecting, I thought that the fakes were flooding the market. Then when I stopped checking US eBay I learned better. There are fakes, but it seems most are fairly easy to notice once you know what to look for, far easier than TR.

I've known for a long time that dealer prices are always higher, no matter what you collect. Always will be higher, they have overhead, etc. Us US guys also end up paying more than you European guys often times. The euro is stronger at the moment, so it costs us more when sellers take payment in euros, plus the higher overseas shipping costs. I'm ok with that, because the only 57ers you see changing hands in the US seem to be collector to collector...limits your options a bit

That said, aside from certain scarcer badges, I don't think the prices have gotten too crazy yet. Of course, I collect USMC EGA's, which are often made with real silver and gold, so maybe I got use to paying more than your average joe for some stuff. However, I have noticed that RK's are going much higher than I hear they went for a year or two ago. I chalk this off to a couple of things, though. It seems the the highest award in a country always has a small band of guys who worship it and the recipients. There are guys who practically worship anything Medal of Honor on the US side, ironically, since it is illegal to buy or sell any part of the medal in the US. I've noticed that some weeks new RK topics outnumber the rest 2:1, that medal is always going to have a high demand and command a premium. I'd love to own one someday, but I'm not going to pay a grand to do so.

[Unfront]

All I can say is WOW. Demand is up, so is the dealers eye for profit. Since TR items seemed to have plateaued (at the high end) over the last few years, many interested in TR are looking at 57er's to satisfy their collecting desires. Dealers are seeing an uptick in interest, and are pricing their wares accordingly.

Ebay? (a joke for authenticity)

Dealers? (They know that the value is going to go up... so they go ahead and price high, thus artificially inflating the value - one person buys, then dealers follow suit.)

I am just glad that I managed to pull down a hand full of nice 57er's from right here in our small corner of the forum.

[Borzadow]

Guys,

we may complain of course, but we have got (and will never have) no cure to the stupidity of some dealers. That's normal that some of them are trying to get an extra $ - it's business.

But IMO it's not so bad yet as you've stated.

As Goethe said:
Irgend jemand stille suchen dieser unter sturm fand. Irgend jemand wahreit suchen dieser unter luge sucht muss.
--> whoever is looking for a silent, he will find it in a storm. Whoever is looking for a true, he must look in a lies.

There are still a LOT of occasions between those tons of fakes and sick prices. If you will be patient and will search well, finally you will find what you need for a good price. I'm a "living proof" for that.