Monday, October 22, 2012
For a hobbyist and a collector of WWII pieces you will want to see these big sellers in the WWII category from recent sales.
Check out the remaining top items from last week's completed listing.
ITALIAN DAGGER, ITALIAN KNIFE, MVSN, FASCIST
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The 1946 Military Jeep CJ2A MB was manufactured by Willys-Overland Motors Incorporated of Toledo, Ohio in January 1946. That year was the the first full year of production for civilian jeeps (CJs).
During World War II (1941-1945), Willys Overland and Ford Motor Company produced about 600,000 military jeeps 
(known as the “MB” and “GPW” respectively). Willys marketed the first CJs to agriculture and industry as a “do-it-all” vehicle. The versatility of the vehicle prompted Willys to call it “The Universal Jeep”. Of course, the “Universal Jeep” is more commonly known as the “CJ2A”. According to marketing literature from 1946, the “Universal Jeep” (which was geared lower than its military siblings) could tow a 10,000 lbs trailer. A CJ2A weighs about 2,200 lbs and was rated to get about 20 miles per gallon (driving at 35 to 40 mph). In 1946, a new CJ2A cost $1,195 (a price set by the Office of Price Administration; a government organization created to prevent inflation during the war). It was recorded that Willys produced over 70,000 CJ2As in 1946. Right now, the jeep serves as a “time capsule” of American engineering, and a very entertaining weekend ride. It never fails to generate a smile, or a story, from the people I meet when I go for a drive. It is, more than any other vehicle, a true American icon.
Also making the list this week was a Russian Soviet Order Medal group with document Suvorov Nevsky, earning almost 30 bids and placing 7th on the Top 10 list. It's interesting that the total number of persons who were awarded this title is 12,755 (twenty people have been stripped of this title due to various circumstances). The great majority of them received it during World War II (11,635 Heroes of the Soviet Union, 101 twice Heroes, 3 three-time Heroes, and 2 four-time Heroes). Sixty-five people were awarded the title for actions related to the First Afghan War, which lasted from 1979 until 1989. When it comes to collectables in the Russian category medals are on tops.
Check out the remaining top items from last week's completed listing.
ITALIAN DAGGER, ITALIAN KNIFE, MVSN, FASCIST
Thursday, September 27, 2012
It's pretty neat that WWII top of the line auction in this rundown is the Unertl USMC Sniper Scope that has been sold out at $3.3K. The
seller described this item as either purchased unissued from U.S Government or was returned to J. Unertl Company and refurnished.
Gun brokers and collectors know that anytime you see a J. Unertl scope, it gets their attention. If it's on a military rifle original to it's period, the interest goes up exponentially. The USMC had their own sniper rifle based on the Springfield, in addition to the M1903A4 Springfield Rifle for snipers adopted by the Army. Building on successful experience with modified M1903 Springfields during World War I, the USMC adopted an M1903-A1 mounted with the Unertl 8x telescopic sight for sniper use in November 1943. The scope was marked "USMC SNIPER" and serialized from 1000 to 2775. This item has a serial of 1658. The scope came with a Micarta carrying case.
BSA Airborne paratrooper bicycles have become quite sought-after in recent years, and this one is in good operational order. If you fancy a genuine World War 2 vehicle, this model must surely represent the cheapest option. Military interest in bicycles arose in the 1890s, and the French army and others deployed folding bikes for bicycle infantry use. The British WWII Airborne BSA folding bicycle was used from 1939-1945 in the Second World War by British paratroopers. A folding bicycle was developed as a small size was needed to enable it to be taken on parachute jumps from aircraft. The bicycle was used by British paratroopers at the D-Day landings and at the Battle of Arnhem.
Check out the remaining top items from last week's completed listing.
ITALIAN DAGGER, ITALIAN KNIFE, MVSN, FASCIST
Anytime you see a J. Unertl scope it has HIGH INTEREST. If it's on a military rifle original to it's period, the interest goes up exponentially.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Sometimes the hottest item for last week’s completed listings in WWII isn't even from that era. Of course sellers try to list other items in the category to boost their exposure. That explains how an 18th C. Scottish English Ribbon Basket hilt Broad Sword/Massive German Blade ended up #1 for the week recently. This type of sword is characterized by a basket-shaped guard that protects the hand and one of the world’s most identifiable swords during the Late Middle Ages. It is also known as the “broadsword,” the basket-hilted sword was a military sword, termed "broad" in contrast with the rapier, the slim dueling sword worn with civilian dress during the same period.
The Scottish Basket Hilt Broadsword was the traditional weapon of the highland clansman. This sword was used in battles against the English for a few hundred years and it was an excellent cut and thrust weapon. The blade length of the backsword was 32½ inches with a 6½ inch handle that gave an overall length of 39 inches. The sword was quite easy to fight with in combat as it was well balanced and a reasonable weight of 2.8 lb.
German Steel Army Helmets are always one of the hottest items in eBay’s WWII category. Every week in the top 10 completed listings I post,
you will always find helmets in my rundown. The markings and the scratches are unique to each helmet and show how these items really saw action during the World War II. This featured Original German Steel Army Helmet had a shorter skirt than the WW-1 models, and the vent lugs were reduced significantly in size. The vent piece continued to be a separate piece inserted into the shell. This helmet utilized the 1931 model liner system made of aluminum with the noticeably square cast aluminum missing chinstrap rings.
Feel free to click on the best selling auctions from eBay completed listings for last week. The number of bids tell you how much interest there was in the item and of course the ranking gives you an idea of how much bidders were willing to pay for each of these top sellers.
ITALIAN DAGGER, ITALIAN KNIFE, MVSN, FASCIST
