Tuesday, April 7, 2015
I just said goodby to the in-laws who were visiting for Easter. The best part is that they took my kids for a visit grandma and grandpa's house so I can really get some work done. I hope you enjoy today's newsletter.
Going through the biggest military category on eBay can be like a history lesson. Take for example the uniform that is first up below. I didn't know about the "Donut Dollies" until I read about it and did some further research. I'm not sure that helicopter squadron patch would make it through the politically correct sensors today.
The seller of the Luftwaffe tunic below shares that he recently purchased it from the Historical Museum of Military History in State College, PA. I'm sure that there are some opportunities out there to purchase from museums and this looks like a fine piece.
Many times in this block I can find a nice RAF item to highlight. Today it's not a significant listing but I do have one included for collectors that appreciate those aviation themed auctions.
Uniforms that survive in good condition from WWI usually demand a premium on eBay. The one I have pictured below is a captains tunic from the 30th Inf Division Engineer. It is in excellent shape.
I will be busy this week getting items cranked out on eBay. I hope you have a great one. I've updated my ad below since I now have two antique mall booths on I-95.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Yesterday was my birthday - no joke! When you have a couple of kids the adults don't always get a lot of attention and that was the case for me. But at least my mom sent me a card. 🙂 We are going to plan something a little more special next week when the kids go to grandmas house for a spring break visit.
I really like unit patches and a few listings in today's block are on my watch list. The nice jacket pictured below is for a Naval aviator but I'm not quite sure why there is a submarine patch on the pocket. The gunning bunny is from a fighter squadron assigned to the 8th Air Force.
I looked a little deeper into the pith helmet below. The seller is out of Russia and only has a feedback of "2". Hmmm... I think I'll pass on that one.
This block contains a lot of swords and helmets. Since military collectors generally like those two pieces I don't have a problem stuffing it so full.
I enjoy camping and it looks like you could use the Swiss pioneer sword in the outback. I don't know how the Scouts would react to you carrying a saw back sword but it's way cool.
I hope you have a Happy Easter and I'll see you again Monday on the other side.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
I don't know if you've paid attention but starting May 1 eBay is going to give sellers free listing fees on auctions that result in a sale. They are also pushing for longer auctions by making the 10 day duration available at no extra charge. We will see what these changes have in store for the category.
There are a couple of nice patches here that are hard for me to miss. The best one is the Marine VMR jacket patch. I don't know that I've ever had that one in the Hot Finds. The other unit patch is not quite as exciting - for a QM.
I am usually wary of putting a German ring in this block for fear of promoting a fake. However, the one that leads off this German group looks like it might be the real deal.
It is easy to spot a true bayonet versus a fighting knife. The English version below has a metal hole bored into it for the riffle muzzle to slip through. It also has a sliding piece for the butt of the knife to attach to the weapon. That will be a nice pick up for some collector.
I've teased about pointy helmets in this block many a day. However, the Italian helmet in the far right pictured below is putting up some impressive numbers at auction. Over $500 and still going - not bad at all!
I have this issue out extra early in the morning - I hope it gives you more time in your day to explore what I've turned up.