Covid-19 & the Soft Headgear Market

[R.Beck]

Collectors my age, older and younger collect original items from, for example the Roman Empire or Napoleonic headdress and uniforms. However, today you could question how much actual "embodied attachment to this part of human past" they personally have except for what they read, watch, research or know. Some may still have a family connection but probably not the majority of collectors of Roman/ Napoleonic in the 21st Century.

The real challenge of collecting beyond doubt original Roman or Napoleonic headdress today is finding it and then being able to afford it when it does come on to the market. Unless ridiculously over-priced, it does not hang around. The other challenge is that each year that passes, a certain percentage of original items are lost forever and the number of original items becomes less and less. Thus over time, there might be less collectors but this is being balanced by less beyond doubt quality items to be able to collect.

The same applies to Third Reich Militaria. Collectors today take supply for granted. The internet added to that illusion and was one of the periods of increased supply, like when the veterans disposed of their items. Today, it is when a collection comes onto the market but that is not a constant and many items change hands without ever being listed. However, many seem to think these sources will go on forever. They will not and some are already challenged and nothing like they use to be.

Even the so called common items which are often quoted as likely to be worth nothing in the future. Try selling an EK2, Gott-Mit-Uns belt buckle or a WH breast eagle in good condition at a fair price. They always sell. At the other end of the scale the rarest of the rare, some items are already almost impossible to get or a once in a life time opportunity, even now today in this period of global abundant supply.

As far as the prospect young collectors and those not even born collecting, I can but quote Steiner from the film "Cross of Iron";

Sargeant Steiner : "Do you think that they will ever forgive us for what we've done?"

Sargeant Steiner : "Or forget us?"


Whether it is from computer games, kit-sets, neo-politically-correct history classes, media, big screen productions, fashion studies, politics, family tree connection or what ever. Third Reich headdress will be recognized for what it is, have a collector/ curiosity following and command a price. The question is, how popular/ fashionable/ politically-correct will it be ?

But the real question, how fast will beyond doubt items be lost forever/ destroyed and how high the prices for what remains will be a 100 years verses 1000 years from now ?

Chris

enjoyed you're post especially in regard to Napoleonic era uniforms. I transitioned over from TR a few years ago and probably took me 2 years to find my first pre 1815 uniform. Unlike TR visors/uniforms where for the right price you can find virtually anything you want, not so with Napoleonic ...Patience is the key