Quantity v. Quality!!

[Doug See]

Originally posted by Johnny d
It's simple buy quanity and when & if you can afford it buy quality.

If you bought collectable militaria and never thought of the resale (investment) angle then your simple minded and need go no further with the hobby than a few items.

I look at cost as one of the main determining factors when I buy. Not the amount but if it's within the market value. Always with an eye on the resale for my inheritors.

Quality speaks for it's self and always will have a market. Where as common things have a market also just not as good. This holds true in all collecting fields.

Which sells faster one RK or 90 EK 1st?

Mine is mostly quanity with a little quality..no guts no glory.

I think high quality quanity items are the best of both worlds.

You can see Johnny's quality items on eBay by doing a seller search for "the82nd". He sells more quality items on Epier as "Charbador".

[Spanky]

my 2 cents

If you think prices are too high now you will probably like them even less in a year or two. While I tend to agree that certain items like RKs and paratrooper helmets are priced beyond reason there are still people willing and able to pay the price, so more power to them I guess.

As far as more common items like SS daggers being over priced I have to disagree. My dad has been a militaria collector since he was a kid during WWII. He never went after German stuff too much though because to him the prices were too high, even back in the 50s' and 60s'. He just couldn’t see paying $100 for an SS dagger and he was also worried about fakes (sound familiar?). He was more of a gun collector anyway but wouldn't spend $200 for a G.43 rifle when nice matching K98ks could be bought for $100! Dad was an engineer with three kids and a stay home wife so his situation is not all that different from many of us today. Fast-forward to today and the SS dagger sells for $1500 or more and so does the G.43, and this still looks like a lot of money to someone with a family.

A lot of this can be explained by inflation. Johnson's first book on German daggers published in 1977 values an excellent 1933 SS EM dagger at $250. If the same dagger is worth $1700 today it has appreciated about 7.6% compounded annually. At least 3% of that is inflation so the actual appreciation in value is more like 4.65% compounded annually. Not a bad return but not the 10% a year some people claim on 3rd Reich collectables either.

My conclusion is that people of about the same socio-economic status are buying this stuff today as were buying 25 or 30 years ago, and that the same will be true 20 or 30 years from now too. If you think new collectors won’t come into the hobby because people will lose interest in WWII history, or because the prices are too high then check out 19th century Colt pistols, Winchester rifles or genuine civil war military, which are all as popular as ever (and expensive!).

[John P]

I have a Hypotheyical for all you KC collectors and Cross enthusiasts. I am an SS Officer Uniform guy,another ridiculously priced high end item. Supose I had a Junker KC and wanted to sell it to the highest bidder? What would the highest price paid on such an item be from members of this forum?That would be my way to determine true Value vs. Dealer price.Also how long it took to sell and was it a full price paid or monthly payments made.Alot of factors in these things.

[Bruce Simcox]

Greetings......

This post has been edited because of John P.'s aggressively bad attitude exhibited since my original post.

This person who signs himself as John P. is nothing other than a wreck looking for a place to happen.

Welcome to the destruction derby.....pal!

For those of you interested in my reasons.....I can't show because the original thread has been derailed for now (5:45PM PDT, 6.23.2003)

-------------------------

Bruce

[John P]

Bruce my spelling is off but Ive been around the forum a few years.Thanks though

[Leutnant G.M.W.]

Very true.

I dont understand these prices either.

[Bob Hritz]

I collect for the joy of collecting and the pleasure handling these trinkets brings to me.

I am also aware that I have built a considerable collection, in my lifetime, and hope to have a decent value for my family, when I pass to the Void. It would be naive for me to say I don't care.

However, I am a firm believer in buying the best of anything you collect. The average and mundane will always be available. If I want to collect 2nd Class Iron Crosses, I would want the best examples of those makers.

I do take the same pleasure from an item that costs $75 as an item that costs $75000. it is the item that interests me, not the dollars they represent.

Given my choice, I would rather have 10 fantastic items than 1000 mundane items. But, each collector is correct in following the path, in collecting, that brings them the greatest satisfaction.

Bob Hritz

[Hank C.]

It's also interesting how true this thread is, even though it's 4 years since it was written. Not much change...

Hank

[ekhunter]

It's also interesting how true this thread is, even though it's 4 years since it was written. Not much change...

Hank

This was one was definately retrieved from 'moth ball' status, but how true it still rings. Even though I believe the words 'mint' and 'minty' has been diluted a bit over the years, In a perfect world, I would everytime much rather have one 'mint' piece over several average pieces, but in a real world, and a second thought, I'd rather just have both. Oh yea! Both!

[all1knew]

Hello all,

I'm a Senior at Western Illinois University on meager funds so let me ask you guys......do you know how hard it is to enjoy this hobby? I mean seriously, I can't even keep up with 95% of the members on this forum as I started with no money to invest (something that works in this field, buy something cheap, and sell to get more items; a snowball effect)

I always enjoyed the battle-worn badges and don't collect a specific area. I think it is silly and laugh hard when I see people shell out a crazy amount of money for a mint example of an award that has no real history.

Everyone has their own view on quality; mint or relic but the prices in this hobby are down right silly.

William Kramer

[ekhunter]

Hello all,

I'm a Senior at Western Illinois University on meager funds so let me ask you guys......do you know how hard it is to enjoy this hobby? I mean seriously, I can't even keep up with 95% of the members on this forum as I started with no money to invest (something that works in this field, buy something cheap, and sell to get more items; a snowball effect)

I always enjoyed the battle-worn badges and don't collect a specific area. I think it is silly and laugh hard when I see people shell out a crazy amount of money for a mint example of an award that has no real history.

Everyone has their own view on quality; mint or relic but the prices in this hobby are down right silly.

William Kramer

You are right, prices are pretty silly, but I don't think you've seen the worst of it yet. Mint pieces, whether it's cars, guns, stamps, coins, medals, whatever, will always draw a premium. Just the nature of the beast! Now to answer your question about how hard it is to enjoy this hobby on a meager budget. I enjoyed the hobby for years as a kid with having just one ek II. It was all it took for the addiction to take over. Look at the forum as a kind of support group where you can address your addiction. Good luck!

[Gary B]

Dear William,

I know where you are coming from, albeit 3 decades removed I too collected as a high school and college student and barely had 2 nickles to rub together. My collection back then comprised of a hodge podge of items; American, Italian, British, German (WWI and WWII) etc. Following graduation, and with the "increase" in the nickles I had to rub together I began to expand my collection. As I grew older and made more money I began to focus on certain areas and also began to sell off some of my other pieces that had been the staple of my earlier collection. As other commitments of life took priority my collecting took a back seat. Now I have a nice collection of mint items and, what some would call, quantity. What do I mean by that...I have some super pieces but my love of completing sets and looking for that odd maker has kept me in the game of what the hobby is all about. I have a nice collection of "cheaper" items that give me just as much, if not more, pleasure than the mint items. It is not that hard to find mint items, just go to the big dealers and be prepared to pay. But for me the real thrill of going to a show or an antique shop is finding that rare maker marked IAB, or that pair of elusive Luft Flak reserve tabs. So I guess what I am saying is to be a part of the hobby you dont have to buy the Knights crosses or $500 cased EKs. When I was your age I found things that were of interest to me that others were not really collecting. I had a top notch stickpin collection, which I still have.

Hope my opinion has provided some food for thought.

Gary B

[Jody]

I always enjoyed the battle-worn badges and don't collect a specific area. I think it is silly and laugh hard when I see people shell out a crazy amount of money for a mint example of an award that has no real history.
William Kramer

Hi William,
I agree with your comments for the most part. However, keep in mind it is really hard to tell if the wear on the item is true battle worn or some kid playing with it in the backyard in the 50's, 60's and early 70's.

Regards,
Jody

[all1knew]

Hi William,
I agree with your comments for the most part. However, keep in mind it is really hard to tell if the wear on the item is true battle worn or some kid playing with it in the backyard in the 50's, 60's and early 70's.

Regards,
Jody

even if it was that kid......it still has history

[Jody]

Battle Damage

even if it was that kid......it still has history

Hi William,
I sure did some battle damge to a few German helmets. BTW, I replied to this thread 4 years ago. Then, I said HJ knives are $400+. Now I have seen some HJ knives hitting the $1,000 mark.

That being said, always collect quality over quantity (I learned that from my mother and grandmother who were in the antique business). If you ever have to sell something in a hurry it is a lot easier to sell the mint Aux Cruiser badge with Schwerin hallmark over a box full of zinc 2nd class War Merit Crosses.

Regards,
Jody