Collectors of Militaria (1 Viewer)

[Isandlwana]

Does anyone collect militaria as well as toy soldiers and if so what do you collect and do you possess any pieces of note?

I've moved into WW1 and own three Lee Enfields (two BSA made and one Enfield). The 1915 Mk III is my pride and joy together with its Gloucestershire Regiment 1915 dated Wilkinson bayonet. I've got WD stamped trench whistles from 1915 & 1916 and a set of three medals from a Sergeant of the Manchester Pals injured on 1 July 1916.

However, I suppose my best piece comes from the AZW. I own an iklwa that is believed to have been carried by a member of the uNokhenke regiment at the Battle of iSandlwana. You can never be 100% certain but I did buy it directly from the subjects leading historian with documentation and photos showing Ian with the decendants of the original owner, so it's about as good as you are going to get in that respect.

Over to you.

 

[DMNamiot]

Thats some interesting items! I have seen a lot of Assegais in museums but have never held or owned one. Very cool.

I own some militaria as well, my objects are mainly Armor and Cavalry oriented, I have my CVC from my time in Tanks, as well as some odd bits and pieces from the Abrams I road for several years. I also have American Armor and Cavalry insigina going back to the ACW (all real) I even managed to find a very nice proto type Tank Corps insignia from the 1950s as well as nearly all the Armored Divisional, Corps and Training Patches from WWII. I have some other countries insignia as well. I also have a very nice pair of pistols from before the ACW one of which is a Colt Navy with very low numbers. The other one is a single shot Dragoon pistol from the 1830s.

Dave

 

[Isandlwana]

Goodness me. The Colt Navy is a very nice gun indeed. A classic. Which item is the apple of your eye?

 

[DMNamiot]

Now thats a tough question. I would say its a tie between the Colt and the first version Armor Branch insignia from WWI.

Dave

 

[Martin Tabony]

Thats some interesting items! I have seen a lot of Assegais in museums but have never held or owned one. Very cool.

I own some militaria as well, my objects are mainly Armor and Cavalry oriented, I have my CVC from my time in Tanks, as well as some odd bits and pieces from the Abrams I road for several years. I also have American Armor and Cavalry insigina going back to the ACW (all real) I even managed to find a very nice proto type Tank Corps insignia from the 1950s as well as nearly all the Armored Divisional, Corps and Training Patches from WWII. I have some other countries insignia as well. I also have a very nice pair of pistols from before the ACW one of which is a Colt Navy with very low numbers. The other one is a single shot Dragoon pistol from the 1830s.

Dave

I've got a loft full of "buckshee" kit. Everything from water bottles to sword hooks. What's sad is, you know you'll never need them again but they took so long to get you don't want to let go. It's unlikely I'll ever go shopping in my best ammo boots!^&grin Oh, and I've got a Chieftain track link as a garden ornament!
The only militaria I ever set out to collect are, every version of The Life Guards cap badge, a shoe from every guard horse and cap badges from units I've had friends in. (Not to mention anything that wasn't nailed down, but that's tradition)

Martin

 

[trooper]

I have a collection of British campaign and commemorative medals, (by no means complete), and a series of weapons as used by the family over the years. I started with a Lee Enfield no 4 and a o.38 Smith and Wesson "Victory" pistol as I myself carried, then an Enfield pistol as carried by my brother (2nd Dragoon Guards), a Lee Enfield no 1 and bayonet as used by my father (Norfolk Regiment and Royal Fusiliers), a Martini Henry carbine, (Great uncle Essex Yeomanry), a three band Enfield ( a rather shadowy gg uncle who apparently ran away and fought in the ACW, don't know on which side) and a sabre as carried by gggg grandfather in 1801 in Egypt with the 12th Light Dragoons. I also have a small collection of cavalry carbines, various bayonets and edged weapons, a selection of Uberti percussion Colts, (can't afford the real ones) plus the Franklin Mint collection of historic pistols. Have just managed to add a Lee Enfield cavalry carbine Mk1, a weapon I've been searching for for nearly 20 years. Trooper

 

[DMNamiot]

Trooper those are some very interesting pieces. @Martin the tank bits and bobs are great fun! I have some track pieces as well a broken torsion bar end that was a muther to remove when we broke it...

Dave

 

[Martin Tabony]

Trooper those are some very interesting pieces. @Martin the tank bits and bobs are great fun! I have some track pieces as well a broken torsion bar end that was a muther to remove when we broke it...

Dave

Horses are easier, but you can't lock them away at 4 o'clock!^&grin

Martin

 

[Napoleon1er]

Interesting collections! I have a number of Napoleonic buttons, bullets, buckles, pipes, and coins. I also have a (French or British?) Napoleonic bayonet that is very rusted and broken in two. I have a number of WWI French British and American postcards- most with writing on them. I have some stuff related to my reenacting unit (an original button, etc...), a number of interesting St. Barbara's Medals, and, best of all, a WWI Legion of Honor and a St. Helena Medal.
-Sandor

 

[johnnybach]

I too - have one or two bits and pieces - picked up from here and there.

I have my Dad's medals from WW2 - and a French Lebel Bayonet - picked up in the Metz forest by my Grandfather - which I treasure for their family connections - but probably the ONE piece that I treasure most - is a Physical Training Instructor cap badge (with kings Crown) - that was given to me by a great friend - when I succesfully passed the course. I wore it now and again, and no-one ever picked up on the "wrong" crown - as I should have been wearing the "Queens crown" version of course.
Mine looks a bit like this - but with silver sabre blades:

Seems a bit silly now - but gave me a great deal of perverse pleasure at the time.jb

 

[theBaron]

I have a small collection of items, some from relatives who served (USAAF patches, uniforms and gear, insignia), and some acquired (like a US Army-issue wool overcoat, very warm in the winter), some WWII German items (helmet, bayonet, mess tin), some Bundeswehr gear (water bottle, mess tin, some caps, a Grenzschuetz field jacket), some medals, genuine and replicas (anyone remember the mail order seller Der Dinest?), an Imperial German hussar's Attila, and a stoneware regimental stein from a Bavarian airship detachment circa 1911. I haven't really ever collected those things with any kind of plan. It was usually something that caught my eye.

Prost!
Brad

 

[lancer]

I have a small amount of things that belonged to my father when he was in the USN, Pacific Theater, WW2. He was with USN Intelligence and was based in such places as Bougainville and later in Manila, PI. I have his issue 1911A1 and the holster with web belt. The pistol is in excellent operating condition, with about 90% of it's parkarized finish still intact. I also have his rank badges as he promoted from ensign to Lt. Commander. Unfortunately, he threw out all his old uniforms while I was in college back in the early 70's. I used to have quite a bit in the way of other militaria, such as a 1903 Springfield, a Mk.III Enfield (both dated to WW1), along with a Mk.4 Enfield (WW2). I owned a Walther P-38, along with some other German stuff. All of that stuff was sold quite awhile ago. I do have a Luger that my uncle gave me. He was in the Wash DC area with the US Army MP's right at the end of WW2 and traded (or purchased, don't remember which) for the Luger from a GI coming back from Europe. I also used to have several sets of the British 1914 Star (the Mons Star), complete with the campaign and victory medals, but sold all but one set, which I have kept. The set is IDed to #41318 Gunner J. Jones of the RFA. I have no further info on him. -- Al

 

[Rediarmor]

Hmmm, let me think, cap badges, couple of button sticks, an old "Pigsticker" bayonet, a Norwegian Ensign off a Submarine (purloined souvenir from my Navy days). I suppose my best is a Brown Bess!

 

[Dragoon]

Well it's not quite militaria, I have a 20 franc gold ''Napoleon'' dated 1812, and a vile of earth from Napoleon's gravesite brought back by a friend who visited the Island of St. Helena.

 

[Napoleon1er]

Well it's not quite militaria, I have a 20 franc gold ''Napoleon'' dated 1812, and a vile of earth from Napoleon's gravesite brought back by a friend who visited the Island of St. Helena.

I only have a 5 franc (and a 1, 1/2, 10 cent, 5 cent)! Those 20s are so $$! I also have a lot dirt from various Waterloo places....
-Sandor

 

[Martin Tabony]

I forgot to mention my West German flag from Hohne ranges. "Some one left it hanging on a pole in the rain, so I took it in to keep it dry Sir".^&grin

Marti

 

[ccdc11]

I have ww 2 bayonets fron US and German and asst medals . I also have a Vietnam era flag from my uncle that his division flew in the Mekong Delta ( I guess sgt majors get to keep those !!)
The sad thing is I ran around playing army wearing my grandfathers ww2 uniforms , wearing my uncles purple harts and silver star as a kid .
Wish I had those now.
Chuck

 

[GICOP]

Some WW2 USMC and USN bits and pieces:wink2:

Cheers

Martyn

 

[theBaron]

I got a request from Joe for a look at the regimental stein I mentioned, so I took some pictures and here they are.

This is a half-liter Reservistenkrug, a reservist's stein, for a soldier who served with the Munich Airship Detachment from 1899 through 1901:

At that time, the airships were organized as a company in a transport detachment ("Luft- und Kraftfahr-Abteiling"), separate from the aviation detachment founded later.

The side panels show an airship:

and a balloon:

The soldier's name was painted on the body of the Krug, under the handle:

It's a little worn, but this one belonged to a Corporal (Gefreiter) Rudel, as far as I can tell, the letters are still relatively distinct, except for the fifth, which I'm guessing to be an "e".

The lid is relatively plain lid, as opposed to the more ornate lids with crystals or three-dimensional helmets, but it is molded to show the shako that the airship troops wore:

The thumblift is also shaped like a soldier in field uniform, though the same lid and thumblift could have used on the stein for soldiers serving in other units that wore shakos, too.

Here is a look at the base of the stein, for those of you who might also collect these:

The marks identify the manufacturer and the mold numbers. The maker is Merkelbach of Hohr-Grenzhausen, who used the six-pointed star mark from 1870 till 1933, when for obvious reasons, they changed it to a text mark. As an aside, the six-pointed star shows up in brewing images, because King David was the patron saint of brewers in medieval times.

This Krug is also a little unusual in that about 95% of reservists' steins were made of porcelain. Another 4% or so were made of stoneware, as this one is, and the rest were made of pottery, glass, pewter or other materials.

Thanks for looking, prost!
Brad

 

[johnnybach]

What a beauty Brad - and full of history. Bet the beer tastes good from it! jb:wink2: