People come and go in any hobby. With some of the more popular and mainstream hobbies this is also true, but there is a greater pool to replace the folks that move on ( either interest wise or more permanently..!)

Militaria is a narrow focus hobby with very few people interested in all eras.Those that form the core are getting on in years and while there is some new blood coming in, I just don't see the sustained interest in the kinds of items we so dearly love.

As for the prices, there cannot be but a drop once the vast majority of the 'alte garde' have moved on down the line.We are already seeing the seeds of this; how many large shows have you attended that were all but dead? How many of the more common items sit on tables or online year after year?

If you want to see the beginning of the last gasps of outrageous dealer prices, see how items are priced in this economy.The prices being asked are even higher to offset the stock that does not move.Many hope to get the one big score rather than wait for less desirable items to move.

I think it would be worthwhile to do an exit survey of younger folks to see if we are on target with this. After all, if they are supposed to be the life blood of this hobby going forward, shouldn't we at least be asking the right questions to the right people?