Friday, October 30, 2015
The Sugamo Prison patch is amazing and with 24 bids it's approaching the very impressive $2,000 range. Also check out the wonderfully preserved paratroop helmet below that has 31 bids and is over $600 in aggressive bidding.
One of the really cool auctions in this block is the gas mask container that includes it's contents. You can easily imagine a soldier carrying this on them as they went into battle.
I guess there will be some crossover bidding from collectors that like Royal Doulton pieces. I can't imagine it's very often that those collectors spend time in the WWII category but that bulldog has more than a dozen bids.
If you want to see an impressive collection click over to see the German Imperial hat. The seller includes a picture of his glass frame at home that is just filled with him. It's a good thing he doesn't give out his home address because that frame has got some money in it.
Friday, October 30, 2015
The cactus patch is not very sexy - it's from the 103rd Infantry. Maybe the coolest piece in this block is the classic crypto machine. What boy would not want to try and create some secret messages with this one. But at nearly $2,000 it's probably out of most people's budget.
The bids for that German helmet pictured below are coming in strong. So far 16 bids and nearly $400 and it's still got time left.
I don't know how a pick axe can be a military issue but the Italian piece below is ending soon if you want to catch it.
This block is filled with some pretty cool WWI picks that are 100+ years old in some cases.
Friday, October 30, 2015
I wear a class ring every day from my alma mater as a habit. The nice gold ring here is a Naval ring that was probably worn for years by a vet. Some of you will really want to jump on that great M1 helmet pictured below.
It is ironic on eBay that you can sell just about everything that goes with a pistol such as the holster but not the gun itself. The nice German jacket pictured below has 33 bids
and I expect it to get even higher.
There are lots of blades in this block and a few uniform pieces that are getting lots of bids.
The closing block in the email has auctions featured from WWI which places many of them at 100+ years old.
Friday, October 30, 2015
When it comes to patches the best ones bring a big premium. So for example in today's issue this 419th Night Fighter patch is over $300 while the huge lot pictured as well is less than half that. I am a patch collector myself so I totally understand the logic - it either fits into your collection as a need or it just adds to the pile of dupes.
It seems like there must be an endless supply on eBay of German helmets, binoculars and firearm accessories. Or perhaps every few years they just keep getting recycled through the auction boards.
The take home flag pictured on the left is a great example of a tradition that may resemble trophy taking but nevertheless preserved some terrific pieces from this time period. I'm sure a good number of the auctions on eBay could fit into the category of take home items.
The Boer War medal has a neat connection for Scouting collectors because the founder of the world-wide movement made a name for himself at the turn of the 20th century. Robert Baden-Powell was a British commander in that war and held out during a siege where he kept the town together. After the siege was broken he returned home a hero and propelled his fame into founding a movement we now know as the Boy Scouts.
Friday, October 16, 2015
The uniform lot in the left hand navigation is almost at $1,000 and still has more than a day before it finishes. It's always nice to see nearly complete groupings on eBay and they demand a high price!
Auctions that also include a buy-it-now option are interesting. It can work as a way for the seller to stake claim to the value he wants out of a listing while letting the bidding process play out. Check out the German knife/sword below and you can see this strategy in action.
The Italian officers fighting knife below is ending very soon. I always try and include lots of pointy auctions as I like to jokingly call them because I know how many collectors like blades.
Who knew that dog tags were so sought after? The auction pictured bottom right is going for over $200 in a competitive auction - go figure!