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Well I feel for the guys who post things and only get a few replies. Hey many of these guys scrimp for months to share their new found treasures.
Take a second and provide some encouragement!! smile
Not so much here, but on another forum seems folks take a sick pleasure in trashing the next guys collection.

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Good points, lakesidetrader. And you know, there really are some great guys on this forum who have some incredible stuff. It's an education just to look at it! And I agree, this is a great forum. Let's keep it encouraging and positive! I think you may have hit on a key point to keeping the hobby going...the joy of sharing your finds with friends!

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Originally Posted By: lakesidetrader

Not so much here, but on another forum seems folks take a sick pleasure in trashing the next guys collection.


Really? That says so much about the type of people who lurk around collector forums. I have signed up for several but I rarely look and even less frequently post on them.


War is when your government tells you who the enemy is.
Revolution is when you figure it out for yourself.
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#3 spot on assessment
Originally Posted By: lakesidetrader
I know I have bias because I do this for a living but a few things to consider:
1- The Russians have exited. The Rubel is down 20%+ vs the US$. There are a huge # of Russian collectors so demand has been affected. There is demand being pent up and when the geopolitical thing settles down they will be back with a vengeance.
2-The US$ is also up significantly against all other major currencies, AU$, CAN$. EURO. This too has delayed purchases.
3- Lets face it, show attendance is down, not just in militaria but coins, stamps. Bennie babies etc. The hobby is now on-line that's where the action is. Major shows are now mostly dealer swaps.
4- No new young collectors, well you are right most young people do not have the $ to get into this. IMHO as people age history becomes more important to them and that draws people in... as well as later in life they start to have some disposable funds to even consider such a purchase.

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Good stuff in MINTY condition will always sell. As a young collector of 10 years…. I have bought and sold 100’s great items. Buying and selling has allowed me to keep the best stuff and keep the hobby exciting. I have got to meet many great people and have established broad reach of networking. Here are some points that have not been mentioned on this topic.

1. Generation X, Y (20-30’s) have typically don’t have the expendable income as older more established people.

2. Some older collectors take advantage of younger collectors. (I have a list of name of well known dealers/collectors with documentation to prove it!) Once you burn someone it tends to make them run away from the hobby.

3. Each generation collects their past. My generation prefers Pop culture, electronics, star wars stuff, sports, electronics, big TVs etc etc. Younger people can’t relate to WW2 and when they see an SS Generals visor they say “cool skull” and could care less at about the artifacts. If it was a minty Darth Vader or transformer they would say WOW I had one of them when I was a kid. How much is it worth? Etc Etc


4. Younger people have little kids, car payments, mortgages, collage debt. Many younger people have to borrow money for all major purchases. Cheap credit is the only way our economy is running.

5. The key factor is too much DEBT. Debt the new “master” that has enslaved many in our culture. (a topic in itself)

6. Raises don’t keep up with inflation. Many of my friends haven’t had a raise in years. This adds to my point in #4

7. Food cost is up 25% on average vs a few years ago.

8. WW2 history is rarely mentioned in today classrooms. My nephews have all stated it.

9. Many older collectors are thinning out or passing away, this will allow a ton of new fresh items to be placed back on the market. However this will also drive prices down on average, common stuff. There will be many MAJOR buying opportunities now and thought the next 10 years.

Due to these factors the market will remain flat from now on until kingdom come.

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Hmm, that might well be the defining post.


War is when your government tells you who the enemy is.
Revolution is when you figure it out for yourself.
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Originally Posted By: E Rader
Good stuff in MINTY condition will always sell. As a young collector of 10 years…. I have bought and sold 100’s great items. Buying and selling has allowed me to keep the best stuff and keep the hobby exciting. I have got to meet many great people and have established broad reach of networking. Here are some points that have not been mentioned on this topic.

1. Generation X, Y (20-30’s) have typically don’t have the expendable income as older more established people.

2. Some older collectors take advantage of younger collectors. (I have a list of name of well known dealers/collectors with documentation to prove it!) Once you burn someone it tends to make them run away from the hobby.

3. Each generation collects their past. My generation prefers Pop culture, electronics, star wars stuff, sports, electronics, big TVs etc etc. Younger people can’t relate to WW2 and when they see an SS Generals visor they say “cool skull” and could care less at about the artifacts. If it was a minty Darth Vader or transformer they would say WOW I had one of them when I was a kid. How much is it worth? Etc Etc


4. Younger people have little kids, car payments, mortgages, collage debt. Many younger people have to borrow money for all major purchases. Cheap credit is the only way our economy is running.

5. The key factor is too much DEBT. Debt the new “master” that has enslaved many in our culture. (a topic in itself)

6. Raises don’t keep up with inflation. Many of my friends haven’t had a raise in years. This adds to my point in #4

7. Food cost is up 25% on average vs a few years ago.

8. WW2 history is rarely mentioned in today classrooms. My nephews have all stated it.

9. Many older collectors are thinning out or passing away, this will allow a ton of new fresh items to be placed back on the market. However this will also drive prices down on average, common stuff. There will be many MAJOR buying opportunities now and thought the next 10 years.

Due to these factors the market will remain flat from now on until kingdom come.




Quick add on to number 8, (and as someone early 40s but pretty close to everything else, no raises, high costs of living, younger kids, some debt...and I have met a couple unfriendlies, but I figure that's their problem, not mine...no time to waste on them for any reason...) But as a history teacher, I believe it, as your nephews state, ww2 isn't talked about...but it depends on the teacher, the classroom, and the curriculum. I do, but I know people who don't, and in some cases, it's a matter of generational disconnect, but in others it's a result of teachers focusing on other things, because of the culture we live in... I always say that they are still stuck in the "lies my teacher told me" mentality, that professes to undo the cornerstones of civic education, because they are "wrong" or just "not nice." I hope that the pendulum swings back and we can all realize that the past is just that. Neither to be romanticized or demonized. (Who are we to make those calls?)

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What a travesty. Political correctness and censorship (institutional or individual) has produced a generation of intellectually stunted individuals that lack the insights and learnings of history to allow for sound reasoning and judgement. This is a real disservice to them and our society. You are right, History is just that. While perhaps a cliche, we must learn from it. The outgrowth of the decisions made immediately post WW1 for example continue to shape the world we live in today. It is probably not discussed either.


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A few reruns of Hogans Heros should do it...(actually showed a clip from it in class once, I can't remember what concept/lesson I was introducing, but it may have just been something about POW camps...) they had never seen it... They LOVED it.

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I just re-read through this entire thread and have come to an interesting conclusion. Most of the stuff real serious collectors desire is never seen by anyone else. It is usually (for me and some of my fellow collectors) offered through a phone call or a private e-mail. For example, when I want an Allach piece, I call Dennis Porrel who has sold me most of my Allach and some very fine carved wooden Third Reich plates as well. It may take a few months or years, but all but the Raven (which I will have one day) were found and sold to me. They never were advertised. Honor rings came via an e-mail from Steve Tedds in England as well as the display desk shown in one of Tom Johnsons dagger books. It was on e-bay and I hit "buy it now" and simply forgot he was in England and I was in the U.S.. The packaging and shipping was more than the Japanese Oak drawer cabinet, but Hey, I got it and that was what I wanted.
Yesterday, I bought all the Time magazines from 1941 to 1946, at an antique mall in my town for $125.00. I am having a ball reading how General Manstein was trying to get his troops out of Russia. To me, these magazines were a stunning bargain. For those who love the chase and the history of it all, owning a piece of the era for a while is simply being a good caretaker and preserver of history. I have not been active in selling my stuff, but I have had some unsolicited stunning offers which I accepted. I think it's all about knowing who has what and price, although important, is not significant as even finding a piece of whatever item you are interested in. I was offered 'The Raven" by Dennis about 15 years ago for $9,500.00. Yet, according to a thread on one of the GDC forums, it was offered at auction for $14,000 Euro's a couple of years ago. Never hesitate when you know your stuff and are offered a chance to buy it. That chance may never occur again in your lifetime.

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Originally Posted By: kingtiger
Never hesitate when you know your stuff and are offered a chance to buy it. That chance may never occur again in your lifetime.


Way to go! Been there, done that.

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Oh so true Mark and Barry.
I've turned down deals over $50 only to later regret being such an idiot.
Only later do you realize the opportunity squandered.
I have learned though that the easiest thing in the world to replace is money. Finding that once in a lifetime item is so rare an even that you don't realize it until after it's past.
frown

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seems like good advice to me (because I'm a newbie) thank you guys for sharing your thoughts...It fell on ears that appreciate your thoughts! I'd call this a "purchase" of priceless advice on my end, and no regrets on that!

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20 years ago that happened to me at the 1994 Max Show..and regretted it because I just walked in the door of the show and wanted to look around. Live and Learn. So now just recently.. a Type 3 Chained SS landed in front of me.,,..and am I glad I didnt let it pass from my hands. Im so humbled. smile

Last edited by Siegfried B; 12/09/2014 12:51 AM.

Historical Stewardship is a Trusted Honor that must be kept!
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In my case, I have a different perspective, I did pass on a couple of daggers over the years but nothing that I couldn't find later on. Nothing is that rare. Daggers that I passed on are even cheaper in today's market than they were just 5 or 7 years ago. Any regrets ? Absolutely not, I'm getting much better deals today. smile Just try to get your money back on those daggers that you bought 7 years ago ............ good luck !

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The one that got away from me was the Eickhorn prototype Luftwaffe dagger pictured in Tom W's Luftwaffe book on pages 319 to 321.

It was offered to me at a show and I balked at the price. It is now in Russia never to see the light of day in a North American collection. And, I am still kicking myself over that short sighted decision.

John


Always looking for Eickhorns and etched bayonets.
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My thinking as a younger hobbyist. Buy the BEST you can afford, sell the rest. More important to collect $100 bills, invest, make a nice nest egg, and when the kids are raised and all debts are gone. I can buy what ever I want with CASH........

There is soooooo much stuff coming out on the market again. Many older collectors are thinning out and would rather sell off an item to a "worthy" collector vs selling it at the estate sale. Its a buyers market.




Last edited by E Rader; 12/09/2014 04:52 PM.
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Interesting topic. I have been off the forums for some time and I thought the exact same thing when I logged on today. ( not that I was ever a heavy contributor ). It seems like yesterday that the forums were bursting with posts in most every category. Now, it's pretty thin compared to the good old days. I remember my first SOS show 2003 - there was a buzz about the show. A kind of electricity in the air that has certainly diminished. I consider myself a young collector at 43 and feel that I am just now getting seasoned in my knowledge of militaria.
Lots of great points brought up in this thread as to the "why" and I agree that we can't control it. I think that many of us are still crying at the fact that we can't just buy something this year and flip it the next for more money or to upgrade. I think we had a good decade of crazy price increases which turned most of us ( in the back of our minds ) into "investors rather than collectors".
Now at least I am getting back to my roots and collecting because I love it and not worrying about getting my money out of what I just bought or having it double in value in short order.
I agree with Mr. Rader that lots of great stuff is starting to hit the market again and is presenting opportunities. Maybe we can once again have a shot at those items that we passed on and regret or sold and wish we didn't...


Best Regards,
Scott R.
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Other forums are much more busy Scott and the hobby is still going well for the rarer items.

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There is always a market for the best and the rare.


Best Regards,
Scott R.
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Originally Posted By: Erich
Other forums are much more busy Scott and the hobby is still going well for the rarer items.


That's true Erich however I prefer a forum without BS like GDC. Plus there's lots of knowledge here in our forum!


Die Treue ist das Mark der Ehre!
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