almost 600$ high seas fleet

[nick]

so conclusion after XX years nobody (next generation) will collect german items because the price is to high. And then you will get a Knight cross for free with a german cross .
All the fine badges will rust in peace.
Indeed a Knight cross "6800$" come now let us be sensible, much to much money. I'm dying to get one, but that to much money for me. Where will this end. The ones how have an Knight cross in there possession will be multi-miljonair between now and 20 years. Is that normal? Ok I agree It's the top of the bill, but an EkII is about 60$ and not much differend to an Knight cross (making).
Please don't shoot me if I gone to far, but it's just an opinion.
Life is expensive enough.

Nick

[nick]

Hello.

It seems that nobody has an opinion about I've said
Greetings Nick

[Dez H]

Hello Nick

Don’t get too worked up or depressed over the rising prices, it also means everything you own is WORTH more. Personally I don’t let prices get to me too much, sometimes I get a bargain sometimes I don’t, it’s just the way it goes. From a manufacturing point of view an EK2 is not allot different from a RK, but that is where it all ends. RK recipients were the best of the best, brave soldiers who selflessly dedicated their lives to serving their country. So Nick enjoy the collecting world, you get to meet great people, talk about history and learn, to me that is the best part that money cannot buy.


Regards

Dez

[Gary B]

This is my first time writing into this site so I hope it gets through. As for the $600 High Seas Fleet badge, the price seems almost 2 times what the "normal" market is asking. I say seems high because, as some of the other contributors have indicated, the market price is established by what people are willing to pay. There are a few dealers, in California, who regularly sell their items at 2-3 times the normal asking price of the market and yet never seem to have any problem selling out all of there items. In particular, I recall a few years ago, one of these dealers sold a High Seas Fleet Badge for $850. It was a nice piece and someone was willing to pay that much for it. I have seen these dealers at shows and there table are always crowded with people buying. I would also assume that many of their clients are people with unlimited funds who dont go to the show and pay the premiums to have "someone" find pieces for them....price is no object.

[Mark S.]

7 pages of overpriced original items...and 1 bid on 1 item.

Maybe if he wasnt trying to play the 'how bad do you want it' game, he actually would have sold some of it. Too bad too, there are some nice peices there....but I dont need any of it bad enough to bend over for it.

[Frank Mills]

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[mott5ranch]

I have seen some collections hit the scene when the stock market takes a plunge. Silly as that sounds it is true. Some people will part with a collectable when times are tight whether it be furniture, art, or medals. As far as price goes, someone already said, "It will never go down." I tend to believe it is all revelant.

Example, My Dad born in 1916 was given an ounce of gold in jewelry when he turned 18. It was worth somewhere around $25 to $30. With that money he bought a new suit for job interviews, paid for a room for two weeks, had one good meal a day, and had bus fare to and from the job sites.

An ounce of gold today will do about the same.$300 If someone is thrifty they could survive a few weeks on an ounce of gold, get a new cheap suit, and have money for the bus to look for a job.

[DonC]

"Buy up now because in 10 years your dollar will get you even less."

Dez, I try to use that argument on my wife every week to no avail!



Don

[Sebastian Bianchi]

I have seen this argument before, and I firmly believe that there IS a limit to prices very simply because there is a limit to how much we as collectors can afford to buy. Most of us I would venture to say are comfortable, I would confidently say even above average (can’t see spending money on Militaria if you can’t pay your bills, no matter how much you love it). So we have some disposable income that can be funneled toward this hobby, and while some have more than others, in all cases the funds in question have a limit - there is a roof to how much the budget can be adjusted to account for higher prices. When you reach your roof, you’ll be forced to spend the same x amount of dollars per month on a lesser item, or you will be forced to save longer to get that piece you want. As you space out your purchases, demand will decrease. As this decreases, items will sit on shelves longer, and because dealers are in the business of selling (not accumulating) militaria, prices will stabilize and possibly even decrease. This is the basic beauty of supply and demand. There will be the usual inflation-driven rise, but the bubble we see now will burst (just take one look at your investment accounts, or 401k plan).

Last week was the first time (that I can remember), I passed on an item on Detlev’s site because of price. It was an EK I for $400.00, yes it was cased, yes it was mint, and if I <b>really really</b> wanted it I may have bought it - but I have seen them for far less and in this case, I just passed. It was nice, but not one of a kind. As I temper myself and set limits, so will others.

There was a surge in collecting activity due to the internet – all of a sudden collectors that could only get items once every two months at a show or through the mail (sight unseen mostly) can now shop daily through the color catalog of the most prestigious dealers. The combo of the internet and the booming economy was the jet fuel that propelled the climb in prices – but don’t worry, it will reach cruising altitude sooner than later.

Seba