The good old days...

[tgn]

I was looking through some of my dad's old Gun Report magazines and came across this ad - the start of my collecting. I purchased the Lane "DOUBLE CROSS" and still have them today...

Tom

[George Stimson]

Can we see them?

[streptile]

Unbelievable prices. 75¢ per EK2 (mint with packet) if you buy 300. Sheesh.

Let's say you bought 300 of these, and sold them today for the very low price of $100 each.

On an investment of $225, you'd make $29,775.00 profit.

[Paulus_Gun]

Unbelievable prices. 75¢ per EK2 if you buy 300. Sheesh.

Let's say you bought 300 of these, and sold them today for the very low price of $100 each.

On an investment of $225, you'd make $29,775.00 profit.

Don't forget the inflation + 75¢ isn't 'the same' amount of money as it was back then (You could buy more with less).

[Bob Hritz]

I used to buy from Ken Lane. 1000 pieces for $600.00. That paid much of my expenses through high school and kept gasoline in my 1947 Pontiac Streamliner.

Bob Hritz

[streptile]

I used to buy from Ken Lane. 1000 pieces for $600.00. Bob Hritz

Bob,

Do you recall if the EK2s were marked, and if so for whom? Also, were the packets marked? I'm really just curious. If you've still got one of those pieces, please show us.

Thank you,

[tgn]

I'll post mine as soon as I get a chance to dig them out. The EK2 is marked "27" and the packet had the flap cut off.

Tom

[Johnny R]

If you look on the left he indicates he has a Knights Cross for sale at $20.00 and a DKiG for $19.00? This was one of the guys that was selling Flochs at one point is it not?

[Dennis GT]

$300.00 in 1960 had about the same buying power as $2,145.20 in 2009.
Annual inflation over this period was about 4.1%.


Dennis

[Johnny R]

This is a before my time on the sceen but I seem to remember later he was exposed for selling large quanities of fakes in the 70s.

[streptile]

$300.00 in 1960 had about the same buying power as $2,145.20 in 2009.
Annual inflation over this period was about 4.1%.


Dennis

Thanks, Dennis. That's pretty astonishing... but we're still talking about a big difference.

$2,000 (in 2010 dollars) compared to $45,000 (in 2010 dollars), which is what you could sell 'em for today (@ $150 for a packeted EK2 if they're real).

The difference, then, is simply attributable to the rise in value of TR-era German militaria.

[tgn]

If you look on the left he indicates he has a Knights Cross for sale at $20.00 and a DKiG for $19.00? This was one of the guys that was selling Flochs at one point is it not?

This was before Floch even came on the scene with real items, let alone his later manufactured fakes...

I suspect the RK's and DK's were early post war made by companies like Steinhauer and Luck - pieces that even today command good prices...

Tom

[Johnny R]

This was before Floch even came on the scene with real items, let alone his later manufactured fakes...

I suspect the RK's and DK's were early post war made by companies like Steinhauer and Luck

Tom

I saw the date of the flyer, I mean later he was "outed" and accused of selling Flochs or other fakes etc. , ie. the 70s when I started going to shows. Souval was making DKiGs in the early 60s as well. I remember this guys name being associated with selling fakes but not more than that etc.

[tgn]

I saw the date of the flyer, I mean later he was "outed" and accused of selling Flochs or other fakes etc. , ie. the 70s when I started going to shows. Souval was making DKiGs in the early 60s as well. I remember this guys name being associated with selling fakes but not more than that etc.

You are of course correct. Ken Lane did not sell original RK's and DK's at this time. He did have a good supply of original EK2's, cased EK1's and Mothers Crosses, as well as various WW1 and Austrian medals. He also sold a lot of nice weapons and parts. I think, just like Floch, he initially sold originals, but when they ran out, he had new "originals" manufactured. He was closely allied to the Rudolf Souval factory, which also had a lot of original items as well as post war manufactured items at this time. Come to think of it, Ken Lane probably sold the early Souval RK's and DK's.

Tom

[Mike Yokum]

This thread reminded me that I bought my first German helmet out of the back of a comic book for around $12 or $15! That was around 1970 if my memory serves me. It was 100% original. If I recall, it was a single decal KM helmet with a decent liner but no chinstrap. A couple of friends and I all got them and wore them while "playing war." I have no idea where it is now and regret it deeply!