I've collected militaria for over 40 years, but have been disheartedned so many times over the years due to the fraudsters and con men, it really is rife. I still write a monthly column in the Armourer magazine (UK) and sort of stick to German belt buckles.lmcq11 wrote:Welcome to the forum. I think the decline in militaria collecting is due to the abundance of replicas. It takes an expert to notice the differences. My father was a collector of WW2 uniforms, caps and other regalia. He was purchasing left and right, many from firms advertising authenticated items from veterans, widows, etc. When my father passed away, we decided to sell his collection. I sent the stuff to a specialized firm dealing with medals and uniforms. It was shocked when 95% of it was sent back to me as "fake". Although they looked really old and worn, most of the uniforms were old war movie props worth nothing to the expert. So, instead of trying to resell the stuff as if i did not know, we mostly give it away. Sadly, that was my father's experience with militaria collecting... Something we should stay away from if we are no expert. Too much fraud out there.Lenny Warren wrote:Thanks for the warm welcome, glad to see the forum busy. I've ran and admin'ed forums for over 20 years (militaria collecting) and sadly they seem on the decline, youngsters seem to prefer Facebook etc
I've always loved museums, so spend more and more time visiting them, Bovington being my favourite....