Adams-Graf - Warmans World War II collectibles : identification et price guide

AUTHOR DEDICATION
To my sister, Celine Lauermann.
May you always experience peace and contentment. During the nearly seven decades since the end of World War II, veterans, collectors, and nostalgia-seekers have eagerly bought, sold, and traded the spoils of war. Actually, souvenir collecting began as soon as troops set foot on foreign soil. Whether Tommies from Great Britain, Doughboys from the United States, or Fritzies from Germany, soldiers eagerly looked for trinkets and remembrances that would guarantee their place in the historic events that unfolded before them. Helmets, medals, Lugers, field gear, daggers, and other pieces of war material filled parcels and duffel bags on the way back home. As soon as hostilities ended in 1945, the populations of defeated Germany and Japan quickly realized they could make money selling souvenirs to the occupation forces.

The flow of war material increased. Values became well establisheda Luger was worth several packs of cigarettes, a helmet, just one. A Japanese sword was worth two boxes of K-rations, an Arisaka bayonet was worth a Hersheys chocolate bar. Over the years, these values have remained proportionally consistent. Today, that two-pack Luger might be worth $5,000 and that one-pack helmet, $1,500. The Japanese sword might fetch $1,200 and the Arisaka bayonet $95.

Though values have increased dramatically, demand has not dropped off a bit. In fact, World War II collecting is the largest segment of the miltaria hobby. Surprisingly, the values of items have been a closely guarded secret. Unfortunately, the hobby has relied on paying veterans and their families far less than a military relic is worth with the hope of selling later for a substantial profit. This attitude has given the hobby a bad reputation. The advent of the Internet, though, significantly leveled the playing field for sellers and buyers.

No longer does a person have to blindly offer a relic for sale to a collector or dealer. Simply logging onto one of several Internet auctions will give the uninitiated an idea of value. But a little information can be dangerous. The value of military items resides in variation. Whether it is a difference in manufacturing technique, material or markings, the nuances of an item will determine the true value. Dont expect 20 minutes on the netor even glancing through this bookto teach you these nuances.

Collectors are a devoted bunch. They have spent years and hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to establish the knowledge base that enables them to navigate through the hobby. Use the basic information that you will gain from this book to begin the foundation of your negotiations.

This book was not written for the hardened or veteran collector or World War II memorabilia. Because of their years of handling objects and study, they can pick up a piece of militaria and generally recognize its value. They will not benefit from this book.

In fact, they may actually dislike this book! Why? Because Warmans World War II Collectibles is for the person who is not an ardent collector of military objects. Using Warmans World War II Collectibles, the non-collector will be able to evaluate military objects that he or she may find in attics, closets, flea markets, garage sales, or thrift stores. This book is also for the families who encounter a box or trunk in an attic filled with the souvenirs and remembrances of a relatives service to his or her country. Often, they just want to know what Dads old army stuff is worth. This book will answer those questions. This book does not attempt to be an identification guide.

The more than 1,800 images of artifacts dont begin to scratch the surface of the vast mounds of relics that are available. The World War II collectibles field is vast; there are thousands of titles dedicated to a variety of subsets ranging from bayonets and hand grenades to machine guns and Nazi Party membership badges. World War II Collectibles will provide a basis of pricing information for thousands of items, but apart from the images included in this book, the reader will have to dig further for identification purposes. This book will make the non-collector or the novice collector a smarter consumer. It will provide the information that will protect you from making a financial mistake in buying or selling a World War II object.

Warmans World War II Collectibles does not attempt to be comprehensive in listing all of the uniforms, weapons, insignia, and accoutrements worn by the millions of men and women in service between 1939 and 1945.

Rather, it does list the items most commonly encountered in the 21st century, whether in an antiques shop, at a flea market, in a long-forgotten trunk, or in an online auction. In each of the eight chapters, items from a variety of nations will be presented. The majority of the items originated in the military formations of the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Japan, though the reader will find items from other nations as well.

While it is true that the occasional soldier grabbed valuable artwork or pieces of some notables silverware to take home, they were, by far, the exception. Of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and sailors who returned to their homes at the end of World War II, most wore their uniform and carried a duffel bag of personal belongings and, perhaps, some mementoes for families and friends. They werent art critics, looters, or investment speculators.

In fact, most never considered the monetary worth of the objects they carried as souvenirs. The objects they brought home were simply reminders ofand perhaps some sort of compensation forthe extreme sacrifice they had made to their country. For some veterans, the objects represented a deep, personal meaning that could never be quantified in a dollar amount. In the following pages, the reader will find a catalog of a wide range of World War II militaria that is typically found in veterans estates. This book does not attempt to identify all of the great rarities or one-of-a-kind items that tend to cause a seasoned collectors jaw to drop.

The person who will benefit the most from this book is one who probably isnt a militaria collector. The person who will benefit the most from this book is one who probably isnt a militaria collector.

A lot of the listings may appear to be gibberish. For example, how is the uninitiated to know the difference between a Shirt, OD, flannel, enlisted man and a Shirt, forest green, wool, USMC, enlisted man? Warmans World War II Collectibles does not attempt to be an identification guide. The scope of the uniforms, weapons, and equipment of nations involved in World War II is beyond what one book can cover. A variety of excellent references exist (and are listed in the bibliography of this book) that will help a person identify a particular object. Once an identity has been established, this book will help assign a value. The nomenclature used in this book tends to emulate what a particular government or army called an item.

Collector-determined names will often appear in parentheses however. For example, most collectors use the name Model 41 jacket or Parsons jacket (a reference to the officer who popularized this garment) to refer to the khaki-colored poplin field jackets that U.S. Army soldiers commonly wore in combat in both the European and Pacific theaters. The Armys name for these garments, though, was Jacket, field, OD (second pattern). The listing in this book will combine both the official nomenclature as well as popular collector terminology. In the case of the field jacket, the listing will appear as Jacket, field, OD, cotton poplin (second pattern, often referred to as an M1941 jacket).