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...
