The Good Ole Days

[Eric Queen]

I was going through some of my old photos the other day and came accross this photo of my first camo para helmet. At the time ( about 22 years ago ) it cost me $300 which I thought was outrageous.

I am wondering what a lot of you guys think about prices in the hobby now, especially of this stuff ( is a SD jump helmet really
"worth" $3500 ) They are not now, nor have ever been, rare ( just popular ). Helmets seem to have leveled off ( especially camos ) but other things keep climbing ( I don't think paper has come in to its own yet ).

Is there really the clientel base out there to support the price of this stuff? I realize that everything has gone up over the years, but this stuff doesn't seem to be proportional to everything else. ( even to collectibles as a whole )

Will there be a collector base in 10-20 years to buy this stuff ( at these prices )
Have we gravitated from a blue collar hobby to white collar one. Are most people being priced out of the hobby?

Thoughts?



[ 08 January 2002: Message edited by: Eric Queen ]

[camopara]

Eric,
Good FJ stuff does bring the big dollars! I think it may be proportional though, for if you take what you made 20 years ago when you bought the helmet and what you make now and the new cost of the helmet, they would probably be in proportion, or close to.
But yes, will there be someone there to buy it from us, the collector, when we go to sell? I don't know and I think about it often. Big dollar purchases always have a way of doing that to me. Usually I think that there will always be a buyer for clean high end items. Or at least I hope so! I don't see a lot of younger collectors out there putting out the big dollars. Most helmet collectors would want only one para helmet because of the cost.
Prices seem to have plateaued on both regular WW2 German helmets and on para helmets. There was a mad rush a couple of years ago where it would cost $1200 for a decent camo 35,40 or 42. Those have dropped to nearly half that. Para helmets haven't really dropped but have kind of flatlined.
I do love the camo para helmets and will probably pick one up at whatever the cost, when I can find one.
Leif

[Eric Queen]

Leif,

Thanks for the comments. I think I have disagree though about the cost remaining proportional.

Here is one "non-scientific" example. In 1965 my father made around $200 a week which I guess was average for working class people. At that time you could by an original SD jump helmet from Martin B.Redding for around $40 ( the first one my dad bought from him was $22 ) So, my dad had to give up one days pay to buy the helmet.
What does the average person make today. Let's say around $1000 per week. This person is going to have to spend ( at least ) 3 or 3.5 WEEKS ( not days ) pay to buy the same helmet.

Don't get me wrong. The purpose of this thread is not to cry the blues about what used to be. I just wanted to raise what I feel is a legitimate question. Why have prices risen so diproportionately? Is it as simple as supply and demand, or is it something else. One reason could be the influx of "invester/speculator" types who don't know the first thing ( or care ) about this stuff, but have a lot of $$$ to invest in it becuase they, for some reason, feel its safer than conventional commodity investments.

I don't know. I could be off base. Just a personal opinion.

[Willi Z.]

Leif and Eric,

Good to see you again Leif. Where have you been??

I have also given much thought to the value of FJ helmets and to whether they have gone out of control. In my opinion they are completely out of control.....but, I still buy them!! Everyone wants one FJ helmet and that keeps the prices up. But, I do agree that prices have fallen and some helmets are now tough to sell. There are now plenty of camo FJ helmets on the market and they don't all sell, even at reduced prices. At shows like the Max and SOS you can see camos selling for less than they did 2 yrs ago, and they remain on the table. A few reasons in my opinion; a few guys (and I do mean 2 or 3) inflated the camo market by paying "crack money" for camos, now after many see what people paid for them others are bringing them out of their collections to sell...now there is a glut. But here is the key. Camo FJ helmets are not rare by any stretch. It is the common ones that are coming out. Unusual helmets such as ones with wire or nets (ones that have clearly been on the helmet for 60 yrs) will sell with a phone call, and for almost any price the buyer asks. I think the future is sound if you have quality and something truly unusual. As the prices continue to climb for the truly rare stuff, the air gets thinner at the top. Those with the money will (and already are) be more selective and discriminating in what they buy. They want the best and will not just buy what comes out. True, some people buy things are like for an investment. But, I watch these guys buy common ones which are already tough to sell. I buy them because I "love" them, but I also consider the fact that I will have to sell them one day. So, I buy on condition and rarity. If everyone brought out there camo to sell, alot of us would be learning how to eat leather!!

On the issue of proportionality, they are out of control!!! All Fallschirmjäger items are. Check out the prices of mint, or any, splinter FJ smock that is intact. You can ask almost any price if a guy needs one. To add to Eric's time warp; my dad paid $175 for an all matching K43 with scope, mount and all the bells and whistles, in 1963. If a camo FJ helmet was bringing $30 then....todays prices would bring about the same for that K43 and a really sharp camo. I remember in 1974 (I was 17) when my dad found a FJ camo with heavy zimmerit covering the helmet for $200. I talked him out of buying it because I thought it was too much and that it was "ugly". Now I think these things are "gorgeous" and would pay $5000 or so for that helmet (if I can ever find that damn thing, it is only in a 20 mile radius of my home). Times have changed. Things that people years ago, many new collectors walk right on buy. I guess my point to all this rambling is; you can't worry about the future, buy what you like and buy smart.

On that note, here is a picture of my Sturm Regiment camo para....flanked by two of my favorite wire paras. The photo did not come out that well, as I could not avoid the flash reflecting off the camo on an indorr photo.



Willi

[camopara]

Hi Willi,
I've been busy in my own little world!! Still stuck on US paratrooper items, mostly Paramarine. I have not done much FJ lately.

I agree. Good or unusual items will always be in demand. I think helmets are cross collected, ie. helmet collectors, FJ collectors and so on, and that helps the popularity and the pricing, and makes the search for something good a little harder. I too, will keep buying for I am addicted!