Friday, May 17, 2013
I came into contact with Rick Norris, son of C.F. Norris through a online WW2 flight simulator on the iPhone and iPad. We have been friends for over a year and he recently shared his Dads medals and story with me.
Here's my Dad's service ribbons from being in the Navy -1944-1946 - he was stationed in Saipan , working in the mail room, and driving the General's jeep, on the American side those years, and told me that P-51s and P-38s were landing and flying back out , 24/7, after being re-armed with bullets, rockets , and bombs. ;-D
He's had em in his footlocker for years, had never taken them out of their little bags, I guess he thought it was time to show em on the wall now. He'll be 87 yrs old on 7/2/13 !! My brother & I ordered his cap online with the ship he served on goin to Saipan. It was originally an Italian luxury liner, lights and ornaments, big ball rooms, and all modified to be a troop & weapons carrier. LST stands for ,"Land / Sea Transport " . It had an anti-aircraft gun under a collapsible building on the front and rear of the ship, just in case of an air attack , and bow doors were installed to open up to pick up and deliver troops, tanks, munitions , K rations and supplies. That USS ARTEMIS LST AKA-21 ship was supposed to go back to Pearl Harbor, and he was supposed to be on it, but last minute plans were made to stay on Saipan a while longer- but it got sunk in the Phillipian Sea by a Japanese sub !! I'm glad he didn't get on that ship !!!
CLINTON FOSTER
www.MEDALMULISHA.com
Friday, May 17, 2013
The collecting "food chain" typically follows this pattern:
Garage sales, estate sales
Items may be under-priced, attribution may be possible. Time intensive, primarily for
full time dealers willing to spend the time.
Flea markets
Where many full time dealers flog what they don't list online. Unless you have unlimited free time,
more effective to pay these dealers a reasonable profit than to beat the bushes per 1. above.
Online sales
Including auctions and fixed price sales, relatively few bargain prices are offset by virtually unlimited
inventory, new pieces constantly being added. Ability to tap into international sources.
Collector shows
Expect to pay top dollar with few exceptions. Pieces not infrequently tinkered with to boost
prices. Travel expenses, meals and lodging, may be factors. Few if any bargains.
Generally prices naturally increase from step 1. through step 4, as pieces work their way up the food chain. The trick
is to define the venue(s) which best serve one's collecting needs and concentrate on those areas.
"If you collect anything long enough, sooner or later you'll become a seller/dealer too."
- taken from Tim Sloat with many thanks!
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
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Ymca Victory Liberty Loan Bond Posters is a really neat World War II item. This poster is a representation of the Second Liberty Bond between the people of United States and the government. The liberty bond is the investment any American can contribute for the freedom of the United States during the times of conflict dating back to the early 20th century. It is a war bond that supported the men who were fighting for victory in the war and at the same time a symbol of financial security among the citizens. The loan offered a four percent interest which was redeemable for ten years. Subscribing to the war bond is a sign of patriotism.
Another item which is also of great value is the US WWII M1 Helmet - Original Medic Helmet! It is a one of the historical relics which is very difficult to be found nowadays. This medic helmet is approximately thirty years in age. It is one hundred percent original and untouched battle field relic. This historical piece has been found in Arlon, a Walloon Municipality under the Province of Luxembourg, in the country of Belgium. The M1 fixed bails steel helmet contains the desirable Geneva symbols of the US Medical Corps. It also has a symbol of Red Cross in uncommon white square. Another extraordinary feature of the said helmet is the chinstraps stitching that had been cut. It contained a liner which is sea man paper mid war production with only on laundry. No wonder this item got the highest bids in the list!
One more memorabilia of the World War II Hot Items that is difficult to find are the ones used with Navy Seals. The whole kit contains items which are very rare yet, in excellent condition. The kit has an MLCS deployment bag, Rhodesian Reconnaissance Vest, H-Gear, and Plate Carrier Vest with black buckles, M9 Double Mag Pouch, M9 Double Mag Pouch with inserted kyndex, Butt pack - Black Buckles, Medical Kit Pouch, Gas Mask Container, Utility Pouch, High Ride Holster SIG, Admin Pouch, MAP Pouch, and a small backpack. It also contains two pieces of M4 Single Mag Pouch, M4 Triple Mag Pouch,M9 Single Mag Pouch, M9 Single Mag Pouch with inserted kyndex, Double Frag Grenade Pouch with Black Buckles, Double 40mm Grenade Pouch, Triple 40mm Grenade Pouch, Saw (M249) Ammo Pouch, Shoulder Pad. It has three pieces of M4 Double Mag Pouch, Pop Flare Pouch - Black Buckles, a rare MBITR Radio Pouch with black buckles. It also has four pieces of1 Quart Canteen Pouch, Single Frag Grenade Pouch - Black Buckles, M60 Ammunition Pouch - Black Buckles, and M14/SR25 Double Mag Pouch.
Be sure to check out the rest of the featured items below.
