How's the SS market?

[Justin]

Hello to all,

I have been out of the collecting market for awhile now and am thinking about selling my SS cloth collection. Are prices still outrages or have they came down in a little in the past couple of years? I have looked at some of the dealers sites but there always outrages any way.

Thanks in advance. Justin

[Donald Abenheim]

Hello to all,

I have been out of the collecting market for awhile now and am thinking about selling my SS cloth collection. Are prices still outrages or have they came down in a little in the past couple of years? I have looked at some of the dealers sites but there always outrages any way.

Thanks in advance. Justin

Greetings to the front! I think outrages or outrageous well describe the prices for SS material. The others here will generalize, as well.

[nutmeg]

Much of the highly priced material has been sitting on some of those sites for a LONG time. Also when it leaves it does not mean it is sold, it may have been returned to the consigner or used in a trade at a lower valuation or sold for less. When I have things for sale I usually can't get more then about 65% of what the big dealers ask for the exact same thing. I call it "the real world price".

[SScollector]

Well, I don't know anything about cloth items, but I don't think that the prices of any SS regalia have ever went down at all, have they?

Best, Chris

[Bob Hritz]

I would say the market is very strong. However, if you wish to sell a collection, in its entirety, you may have to include a discount. The best material will always bring the strongest prices. Material that is often available will sell, if priced competitively. You will be pleased that quality SS insignia is always in demand.

Bob Hritz

[phil1942]

prices will never come down.
Prices of any kind of decent militaria that can be proven genuine only go one way and that is upwards.

[Justin]

BoB

LOL how is it goin man, you probley dont rember me but i talked to you at a couple of shows in chicago before you moved to arizona. I bought a couple of my items from you. Its funny becuase before i left for Iraq i put your number with my stuff in case my wife needed to sell it. (just in case).

[bwanek1]

Justin,

I am sorry to report that the bottom has fallen out of the SS market since you left. Prices have been on a steady decline. However, I feel bad for you and I don't want to see you lose your shirt. So, I will be glad to buy your items from you for what you paid back then so that you can at least break even.

Brad

[Mr.Jerry D]

While I like Brads thinking, I do think there is a certain ebb and flow to the SS market. Prices are always steadily on the rise, and Bob is certainly correct in saying good stuff sells for more and faster than common stuff (if there is such an SS animal)

About a year and half ago I noticed a spike in SS cufftitles for some reason, they never sat on the e-stand for more than few days, at any price, but that has since cooled down a bit. Maybe its the world economy, I know I can't affort to drop $2-5K on a somewhat 'common' cufftitle. But you will always find a some guy that will pay tons of money for somthing they need, but I don't think these prices can be used as a guide.

Overall, if I was collecting for "investment" puropses, I think SS has outpaced everything in sheer % of increase.

Stay safe!


PS -Got any Iraqi souvanirs?

[John Pic]

I think the market has hit a stabalizing point ,lots of items not moving such as Collar tabs,some tunics,Allgemeine visors seem to be selling very well and I think many into the SS like that black stuff best. Chained Daggers are doing well also. It varies and I agree that a collector never ever gets what he paid unless he keeps it a long time before selling.

[bwanek1]

All joking aside, I have seen just about all SS items going up over the years, but the fastest rise is (not surprisingly) in items with universal appeal. There are a lot of people out there who are not SS collectors (or even anyone we might call militaria collectors), but who are military history buffs and just want a few pieces to own or display on a bookshelf. In the past, a lot of people who fell into this category might never have satisfied that interest, since they were unlikely to travel to a militaria show or even to go out of their way to find a dealer's shop. However, now, with the internet, they can scratch that itch from home. In my opinion, that is why we have seen greater increases in the demand (and prices) for items like TKs, collar tabs, caps, helmets, and daggers which have that universal appeal, while full tunics and items like cuff titles, which are really only for the serious collectors have seen less dramatic increases.

Regardless of what you have, you should have no great difficulty selling your items at a good price, so long as you are willing to take the time to sell them off individually and wait for the right buyer. A consignment dealer might be right for you. My recommendation is not to be in a rush to sell.

Get home safely. Godspeed!

Brad

[Antiquefrog]

I think colleague Bwanek states the situation very well. Visors in particular are ideal shelf display items; A-SS EM caps, especially later versions, have fairly narrow identification parameters and are easy to find - there must be literally thousands of them extant, stored away before the war - and so they are the entry point to the "elite and sinister" black SS collecting field, where value depends, seemingly, more on popularity than rarity in many cases. Ironically, a buyer of such a cap 2 years ago could easily make a nice profit at today's prices - I note one going at 5.3K on a popular webiste.