Erel at a steal

[jacquesf]

Nick, here is one for you. I came across a nice vented erel infantry schirmutse in Sandwich, Cape Cod. If you can swallow this, only $2195. I nearly choked on my bagel. Jacques

[NTZ]

LOL, I seen a Cav I wanted at the SOS but that one was $2,200. Do these people think they are propaganda or chaplains? Well good for them, I hope someone buys them. They are going to double the value of my collection if this keeps up. The funny thing is one of my fav's is a Inf Erel privat and I picked it up from a dealer for $900 not too long ago. Good thing I buy a lot of Erel's. Now lets see if we can get the price of Schellenbergs up.

[Chris_Werner]

Erels are already getting pricey as it is. I'm still waiting for that Erel double marked Panzer or flight to fall into my collection for a bargain price. Hasn't happened yet! All visors are going through the roof.
I bought my SS EM about 3 years ago for $1800.00 From what I've seen lately, today that would be a bargain.

[stonemint]

Yeah, and I guess with all my drooling over Argo, Marke Standard & Odd, all those are going to go thru the roof as well....

[REMUS]

Prices going up,but aren't you guys afraid that one day the prices will be that high,that noone will buy them no more,let alone new,young collectors.
I'm 30,have a good job,but live alone,so I know that I will never own an SS visor,or a general's visor. and I really want one...

Do you guys think the value of visors continue getting up?

[Vaughn O.]

It does seem that the prices are climbing pretty fast. Just check-out the dealer's sites. My Soviet WWII caps and uniforms and going up quickly too.

Best,

[stonemint]

I agree, prices are rising, but then again, they always have--but,this hobby is basically recession-proof. I think that the dagger, medals, and helmets prices are insane--the visors have not skyrocketed like them, and I think they are still under-appreciated (with the exception of SS and general rank visors).

The real-estate market is tanking, the stock market is having wild swings, but this hobby stays the course, and I get more enjoyment out of it than I do in the stock market--all that gives me is .

Further, you have to put this hobby in perspective--what are muscle cars going for these days? Stamps/coins? Artwork? Sports memorabilia? I believe that our hobby is a relative bargain compared to those (plus I get to use the old excuse to the wife, "its not just a hobby, its an investment!")

[Chris_Werner]

My other half has a snappy come back to the "same old" investment excuse: "You can't make a profit if you never sell the product."
Everything "old" is going nuts. People are so dissatisfied with so many things in the present that they buy antiques for the quality, and a ticket back to times when there were real craftsmen, and people took pride in the items they made with their hands.
Even if the items are for warring with your fellow man.

[REMUS]

Ok,so you guys are confident that we never loose our money if we sell our visors?I mean,I do not collect with the meaning to make profit,I just like the hobby,but I'm not gonna live forever,so one day I will have to sell them.

So what about fakes?Aren't you guys worried that in 10-20 years the fakes will be that good,that new collectors won't buy visors no more,just because they do not believe that the visor is real,because you just can't tell anymore,the diffirence between a good and a fake?

I'd like to hear some opinions on this.

Should we be worried,or am I just getting paranoid?Don't worry,it happened before

[NTZ]

This is exactly why the prices will never go down. A nice one-looker will still be a nice one-looker 30yrs from now. The more junk that floods the market along with more idiots coloring piping, piecing together SS visors or otherwise destroying “real” artifacts just drives the prices of true pieces even higher. When I started collecting visors if I had a clue what they would run today in price I never would have bought a house. It seems with visors the ultra mint ones by your high demand makers; Erel, Schellenberg, Clemens Wagner, Pekuro and Holters are skyrocketing in price. Even today these visors are hard to find. Imagine how hard they will be to find 30yrs from now. I say keep making fakes boys you’re driving up the demand for my visors. I think most of us visor geeks are pretty well in tune with what it original, fake or messed with. This is not to sound cocky or arrogant but I don’t think the fakers can make one that will fool me or anyone else serious about visors. Now the Frankenstein’s are where it gets scary. I have seen some pretty good ones. Still when handling them if you are not spotting irrefutable evidence it has been messed with, your gut at least tells you to stay away. In my opinion 30yrs from now there will be guys just like you and me. Doing the same thing, sharing information and exposing the bad. We will always be one step ahead of the fakers, today and 30yrs from today. The fakers are just not that bright. My advice it to follow the threads we post everyday sharing detailed info on different makers and you will be safe, at least with the lager makers. In all honesty I like the fakers, it makes looking for that right visor more fun.

[Kreager]

[quote=REMUS;1882705]
I'm 30,have a good job,but live alone,so I know that I will never own an SS visor,or a general's visor. and I really want one...
quote]

I'm in the same boat as you are. I know I'm never going to have certain visors that I may want (at this time of my life). But I look at it this way. Look at all the serious collectors, who know their stuff and plunk down tons of money like it's pocket change to get those visors you and I drool over. Now look at their age. I bet they are now the "baby boomers" who are much older then us, and who have been in our shoes at one time or another (not saying all are baby boomers, so just relax). Now these "baby boomers" are now finding themselves established in life, having money in the bank, and able to spend it on a hobby they enjoy , whether thats militaria, cars, boats etc. So as you can guess we will see an increase in the price of items within our field (as well as others) because now the demand is great but the supply is decreasing.

One thinking we also have to remember is that one day we too will be in the position these "baby boomers" are in now. We will be established, would have been in the work force for 30 years, would have excess money in the bank. Able to spend money on our hobbies. Yes the prices will be higher (of course) but we will also be making more money.

Now, what could make our hobby lose it's value, is if and when (and this is a big maybe) the population of collectors starts to decrease because the older collectors start to pass on (just a part of life) to the big battlefield in the sky. There may not be enough collectors from "the generation X" era, to keep up with the demand needs associated with the higher influx of collections that will be liquadated by families of the deceased (we all know this will happen to alot of collections unfortunitely). Meaning a higher supply but less demand. Now in turn we will have oportunities to buy visors that we could only dream about, but the realization is that our collections will probably decrese in value.

Now that I've rambled on, I hope my scenario does not unfold like this, and I'm still going to spend the higher premiums associated with our hobby, because I love this hobby and it's people like me and all of you who show others how much fun you can have in a hobby like ours.

Sorry if I offended anyone in this post. I just wanted to put another spin on the question.

Edited - my reference towards "baby boomers" is a U.S. term and may not be (i don't know) identified by other countries.

[Ernst-H]

So what about fakes?Aren't you guys worried that in 10-20 years the fakes will be that good,that new collectors won't buy visors no more,just because they do not believe that the visor is real,because you just can't tell anymore,the diffirence between a good and a fake?

I'd like to hear some opinions on this

In every area of antiques, fakes are being made. Today, and in the past. Antique furniture, for example from the 17th or 18th century was being "faked" in the 19th century (and sometimes even still today).
It is often hard to tell the differences between what is really 300 years old and that what is only 100 years old or brandnew.
That is why there are antiques-dealers and expert collectors of that stuff. They know their business and pay top-dollar for that one piece that is actually 300 years old.

Are the prices in such a market going down because there is so much fake and replica available? NO. Prices for the original stuff is going up and up.
Of course, as in every market economy everything hangs from demand and availability. If there is lots of original stuff that nobody wants...then prices go down. If there is little and many people want it.....prices go up. Fluctuations happen, as it does in the stockmarket.

I think though that there is a ceiling in price for some Militaria. For example:
Will an ordinary original Kyffhauserbund cap ever be worth 10.000 USD in todays money-value........just because it is from that period?

[NTZ]

. For example:
Will an ordinary original Kyffhauserbund cap ever be worth 10.000 USD in todays money-value........just because it is from that period?

God I hope not, I just passed on one for $125

[stonemint]

You know, in the collector car industry, there has been somewhat of a disturbing trend. If you went to Barrett-Jackson auto auction 10 or 15 years ago, it was row after row of pre-war classics--Auburns, Cords, Duesys, Packards, Horch, Mercedes, Maybach, etc--the cars I love, but cannot afford. However, the baby-boomers have almost no interest in these cars, and if you go to B-J now, you hardly see any of these beauties--the people that collected them are dying off, and the prices for a lot (not all) are flat, and they are even depreciating--everyone wants 60's muscle, or exotics.

Personally, I see people moving away from civil and political (except for SS) and gravitating strictly towards Wehrmacht and SS--both in headgear and uniforms and insignia (with the exception of the dagger guys)--so, for the moment , I think civil and political is a bargain, but there is the risk that prices may go down (and thus the value of my collection)--just like the pre-war cars--only time will tell....

[Kreager]

You know, in the collector car industry, there has been somewhat of a disturbing trend. If you went to Barrett-Jackson auto auction 10 or 15 years ago, it was row after row of pre-war classics--Auburns, Cords, Duesys, Packards, Horch, Mercedes, Maybach, etc--the cars I love, but cannot afford. However, the baby-boomers have almost no interest in these cars, and if you go to B-J now, you hardly see any of these beauties--the people that collected them are dying off, and the prices for a lot (not all) are flat, and they are even depreciating--everyone wants 60's muscle, or exotics.

BJ is the visual proof that the baby boomers are controlling the market. Put it this way, I own a 65 mustang fastback, that has now gone up in value so much that I would never be able to replace it because I couldn't afford the high muscle car prices anymore. Guess I'm stuck with her for now, Darn