Are any of you collectors of WWII memorabilia?

I love to study, learn, and collect anything and everything about the Second World War, especially the Axis Powers.

I just picked up a pair of these. Authentic Waffen SS cap shields, still on the cardboard cards they are issued on.

I would if I had money. I want to get a stock of fully operational WWII era weaponry but I need to get out of pharmacy school first

WWII collecting can get crazy expensive when you're dealing with authentic items. I am fortunate to have easy access to a wide variety of items, but I am very limited in what I can afford as I don't have a large disposable income. The pair of SS cap pins I just bought are worth a ton ($300 each) but I got them for an incredible deal.

Have a Japanese flag and a Nambu pistol that an uncle "acquired" during the battle for New Guinea.

Oh, I almost forgot! I have a Japanese sword my grandfather brought back from the Pacific theater. I want to get it restored one day.

(07-04-2012 10:49 PM)Tiguar Wrote:  Oh, I almost forgot! I have a Japanese sword my grandfather brought back from the Pacific theater. I want to get it restored one day.

NO!!!! don't let anyone touch it my friend. keep it as is, once someone messes with it to pretty her up the value is destroyed. Have it framed up nice and enjoy it just as it is.

Can I get the hilt worked on? I don't care much for keeping its "value" as I never intend to sell it and some arbitrary number doesn't mean much to me. The handle is just a 1/4" piece of metal and if you pick it up it hurts your hand. It needs a grip of some sort.

Hey man it's your sword, you can do anything you want to it. I was just trying to warn you that messing with items like WWII memorabilia can change their value.

Collectors are very anal about original authenticity. Someone has an item and they shine it up or add something to it for aesthetics, and boom, there goes the value.

Hmm, I see what you mean. Well, I'm not really a "authentic" collector, I like functionality. Like when I get my arsenal of WWII weapons I expect to shoot them occasionally. Likewise, I'd like to at least be able to hold my sword, lol, but I don't want to commit some heinous act and ruin a good piece of memorabilia. That was my only concern.

Buddy of mine has a German helmet and an old Mauser.

Been wanting to shoot it for a while, but he lives in FL.

For anyone who is interested in purchasing silver coins from the Third Reich, here's a website that sells them. These are great for both their value in fine silver and their historical value. Also, they are a good deal price-wise.

http://luckylukeonline.com/Silver.html

I own a few of these and they are absolutely beautiful coins. Some of the finest I have seen, despite the fact they were produced by the Nazi regime.

does anyone own any of these silver Reichsmarks?