Collector’s Mantra: “Buy the Item, Not the Story”
To the informed and educated collector, buying militaria is like traversing a minefield, poking and prodding the ground, seeking to avoid the triggers and tripwires prior to each step. New collectors however plow through the field that is laden with Bouncing Betties without a care in the world and without realizing that they have suffered devastating wounds.
Online selling has opened the floodgates for collectors to more easily locate hard to find (dare I say rare?) items. Included in the vast array of internet listings are sellers seeking to pad their revenue by creating a fantastic story to accompany the item or group.
Other sellers are less nefarious as they attempt to properly list grandpa’s uniform items in hopes that it will be seen by the right buyer as something extraordinary. They think that they know enough of the story of their beloved veteran and fill their auction description with glowing accounts of heroism and touches of greatness for an otherwise ordinary marine, airman, soldier or sailor (I am not disparaging those veterans who, like the majority of our servicemen and women, served bravely regardless of their assignment, unit or theater of service). If there is no accompanying documentation (military records, photos of the item in context) to provide provenance, the story is nice but adds no value to the item.
While this listing has issues (it isn’t a Naval Aviator Uniform as described), it is difficult to determine the seller’s intent.
In some listings (as with the above actual listing), the seller may be trying to pull the wool over the unsuspecting buyers with an inaccurate description which includes a subtle caveat stating that he/she isn’t certain if they have been accurate with the way they have presented the item. This could lead buyers to think, “Aha! I’ve found an item that is worth a lot but I am getting it at a bargain price because this seller doesn’t know what he has!” When in reality the seller does know what they have, but they are merely trolling for a vulnerable customer.
In either of these scenarios, the unsuspecting buyer could wind up severely overpaying for an item that is rather common or mundane. While there is no rock-solid way for militaria buyers to protect themselves from overpaying for an item, educating oneself prior to making a purchase can certainly limit the risk.
Prospective buyers maybe asking themselves, “okay, how do I go about educating myself about militaria?” Fortunately for new (all) collectors, there are several online forums whose membership contains passionate individuals with countless years of experience as well as access to hard-to-find publications who can provide almost instantaneous feedback as to the identity and veracity of an item. Many will offer their knowledge and wisdom to nurture interest and assist in making intelligent purchases.
Some helpful collecting forums:
- http://www.usmilitariaforum.com– All U.S. Military Items, all eras
- http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com– Third Reich medals and decorations
- http://www.walhalla.se– German Helmets
- http://militariaforum.germanmilitariacollectibles.com– German Militaria
- http://www.worldwarmilitaria.com– A general forum for militaria of the world wars
There are many expert communities with websites dedicated to specific types of items such as:
- http://www.asmic.org– ASMIC | The American Society of Military Insignia Collectors
- http://www.omsa.org– OMSA |The Orders and Medals Society of America
A great place to begin your education is at your local library. There are several militaria-based books already in print that can guide you. Consider also reference materials such as era-specific uniform regulations (each U.S. military branch has produced them since the late 19th century) as they have invaluable details on what officers or enlisted personnel wore (or could wear) on their uniforms.
One simple rule to follow is that if it appears too good to be true, it probably is. In the militaria collecting world this is all summed up with one simple phrase, “Buy the Item, not the Story.”
Displaying the Diamond: Military Baseball Public Showing
I have been collecting militaria for several years. I enjoy seeing, touching and sometimes smelling these object of history. I have a couple items on full-time display in my home and I enjoy the ensuing conversation that is sparked by guests who take an interest. For the most part, my collection is hidden in my closet and boxes in various places within my home. However, this week I have been given the opportunity to share a portion of my treasures with a decidedly larger audience that the visitors to my home.
In my home state’s largest fair there is a considerably large facility that is used to showcase various hobbies that people participate in. There are several categories of hobbies represented ranging from wood and metal working, crafts and scrap-booking. Perhaps the largest portion of floor space is dedicated to the various areas of collecting (coins, stamps, dolls, toys, clocks, etc.). In all my years of attending the fair, I can recollect one instance of a militaria collection displayed and that was last autumn (an amazing collection of armed forces nurse uniforms). From that moment, I was decidedly interested in sharing my significantly smaller (than the nurses display) collection the following year.
As I began to consider what I wanted to submit as an entrant to this year’s fair, I wanted to be more unique, more specific than simply presenting my collection of military uniforms. One area that I have been more focused upon in the past four years, military sports, has afforded me the opportunity to acquire items that span two genres of my collecting interests. Also, my collection has grown enough that a small display consisting of the mixture of types of pieces (uniforms, equipment, photographs and ephemera) would be quite tastefully displayed. With my concept decided, I began the process of submitting my collection.
The fair committee does strive for diversity in what they like to have on display and while seeking to prevent repeating collections year after year, they also try to ensure that the spaces are completely filled. I started the two-part process (electronic submission, followed by a paper form and photographs) by completing the online form a week prior to the deadline. I downloaded the paper form and set it aside, forgetting it for several days and then resigning myself to wait until next year as the deadline arrived. The following week, my phone rang during my afternoon commute and I was asked if I could bring the paper form to their office within 48 hours and that they wanted me to display my collection. I was elated and excitedly agreed to complete the remaining elements of the submission process.
Two weeks later, I received the formal acceptance letter and exhibitor packet. Getting a head-start on determining what and how I would display my collection, I selected pieces and acquired the necessary accessories (mannequins, stands, etc.) to achieve a tasteful presentation.
Move-in day went smoothly and my display was finished within a few hours as a raging, late-summer windstorm howled outside. All items carefully placed and locked into the cabinet, I snapped a few pictures and left for home. Overnight, the high winds were supplanted by terrible rainfall (three inches in just a few hours). Driving home from the fair the previous day, I remembered that I had one more piece that I wanted to display along with a few corrections to the information placard. I intended on returning in the early afternoon. When I turned my phone on, I discovered a harsh reality of displaying outside of my home. It seemed that the storm that blew in deposited a large quantity of leaves on the fair building’s roof clogging the downspouts as the rain (deluge) began to fall. The ensuing flood on the roof resulted in water penetrating the building and meandering its way into the display case that was housing my collection (mine was the only one affected).
The news was not good – some of my pieces were wet and the fair staff emptied my case to allow it to begin drying. When I arrived and saw the stained and crumbling ceiling tiles, I knew that the damage to my pieces would be considerable. Surveying my collection, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I was very few pieces got wet and – the damage was simply moisture on one of the uniform trousers. The remainder of my collection was safe (and carefully removed from the case by the fair workers) which was a relief considering the ephemera (programs/scorecards from championship games) and photographs (some over 100 years old) were unaffected by the moisture. I was provided a secure space to store the dry items and I loaded what was wet and took it with me. My initial reaction to what happened to my collection was to load it all into my truck and forego displaying. As the current owner ans steward of these artifacts, I was concerned about further risk. Insurance can recoup the financial loss, but the history would be lost should any further harm befall these pieces.
I had to wait for another opportunity to return to put the display back together once the leaks were addressed. Later that week, my wife returned with me to assist and the display came together nicely. With a few changes (from the previous configuration) the final presentation turned out to be much more aesthetically balanced and pleasing. Rather than dominate my display with every piece of military baseball material that I own, I selectively chose examples that would inform the audience of the prevalence and impact that baseball has had on our culture, in particular, within the ranks of the armed forces.
The fair is set to open this week and the risk of loss is still present until I bring my collection home. What I am learning is invaluable and is preparing me to recognize and consider the risks with clarity for future public showcasing of my collection. Through the militaria collector community I have heard the horror stories regarding theft and damage and I will factor those anecdotes (along with this experience) into future decisions. I am hopeful that the positives outweigh the detractors and the audience truly enjoys and appreciates what they are seeing. Fortunately, there is a feedback mechanism in place and the fair staff told me that it is very common for viewers to submit questions and reach out to the collectors.
It would be an absolute pleasure to hear from a veteran who donned a uniform, cap and spikes and took to the diamond for his unit!
See:
The L.A. Angels “Waffle Weave” Uniform and Other Experiments
I love this post. The tail end of the flannel era was one of experimentation and the obvious sign that baseball was trying to find cost-effective and comfortable uniforms for their players. Nothing beats flannel for comfort but it doesn’t hold up to the countless washings that double-knit can endure.
I collect military baseball uniforms and recently landed a WWII-era 5th Army (Headquarters team) uniform that, from my assessment, is made from a lightweight cotton canvas/duck material rather than the typical wool flannels of the period.
Wool uniforms were quite heavy prior to World War II, and there were a few attempts to alter the traditional flannel suits before double knit polyester uniforms arrived with a bang (or a thud, depending on your viewpoint) in the early 1970s. Another issue was mobility, particularly for running and throwing. One experiment can possibly be tied to Branch Rickey, as several Brooklyn-affiliated clubs tried flannel shorts and a rayon pullover shirt in the early 1950s. This experiment was most famously associated with the Hollywood Stars, but the uniform style was also worn by the Ft. Worth Cats, Miami Beach Flamingos, Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings, and others. The shirts were made of the same “durene” rayon/cotton blend that football and hockey had adopted (although the shorts were made of the standard wool flannel material).
Hollywood Stars 1950 uniform. Note satin belt.
Houston Buffs rayon jersey, early 1950s.
In 1956 the Los…
View original post 295 more words
“Skimming” Your Way to Overpaying for Militaria
After spending more than two decades working in some capacity in a career field in the Internet industry, I have gained a considerable amount of understanding of user behaviors and tendencies. One of the most challenging user behaviors (for online content providers) to overcome is how to motivate them to actually read written content.
Countless usability studies conducted over the last decade (see UXMyths.com’s article: Myth #1: People read on the web) reveal that internet users seldom read text on the computer, tablet or smart phone screen. News media and some shady business tend to rely on this fact spending more effort on hooking audiences with headlines or product names (and photos) with the idea that the facts and details will be left unread.
Another facet of audiences not reading text is the unintended consequences. I bet this has happened to most, if not all of my readers. You search Google for an item that you want or need and hundreds of results are displayed. You see scroll through the countless listings, skimming through each blurb (abbreviated description) until you find the one that interests you the most. In a matter of seconds, confirming that the item meets your approval, credit card in hand, you quickly walk through the buying process and click the “purchase” button. After several days of tracking the shipment, it finally arrives. Excited, you tear into the box, rifle through the packaging to get hold of your eagerly anticipated item. Within a few milliseconds you discover that a mistake has been made and frustration begins to build. After a 20-minute search through your 85 gigabytes of emails, you find the order confirmation and you are ready to contact the company to confront them on their mistake. Then you realize that you are the one who didn’t read the entire product description. Sound familiar?
Clearly, a nothing-special WWII Special Services baseball. This is the main image used for the auction.
In the last few days as I was looking through my eBay searches, I noticed a listing for a U.S. Special Services WWII-era baseball. The listing seemed to be fairly straight forward and the $22.00 opening bid amount was consistent with what these balls routinely sell for ($20-$40), dependent upon whether they are Army, Navy or USMC variations. When I clicked on the link to view the entire auction, I noticed that the seller had included some contextual images of the ball along with other items that were not part of the auction.
No other notable markings can be seen on the baseball. This is a common WWII U.S. military baseball.
The description, in part reads:
This auction is for one (1) baseball, the gloves are shown for reference only. These balls where found in an old canvas US Army bucket that was 1944 dated along with the gloves shown. One glove is dated 1945 and stamped US Army, and the other glove is stamped special services US Army. The special services where greatly different in WW2 than they are today, back then they where in charge of recreation, and other “special items” for the troops. You will receive the ball pictured alone in the pics.
With two days remaining on this auction, the astronomically high bid is going to be a tough pill to swallow for the “winner.” The seller is probably seeing dollar signs as he imagines $500+ for each ball that he lists.
I clicked through the series of photos that showed the canvas bucket filled with baseballs and three WWII-era baseball gloves. Then, I looked at the current bid amount and my jaw hit the floor. With four days left for the auction, the current bid (of five bids from four bidders) was $275.00! How could the bids be so exorbitant; so high for a single, common WWII baseball? I re-read the description and paid close attention to the images of the ball. There was absolutely nothing that out of the ordinary about this ball. Then, it occurred to me that the bidders failed to read the full text of the auction or the auction title. When the auction closes and the highest bidder pays for the auction, he will eagerly anticipate the arrival of the ball, the canvas bucket, three vintage gloves and several other baseballs. When the diminutive package arrives, the reality will set in along with a massive pile of anger and frustration. The auction winner will either blast the seller for deception or feel like a complete idiot for not reading the auction description.
Without the auction text, this image could be misleading. Buyer beware!
With two days left (at the time of writing this article), there are five bidders that have placed 10 bids. The current highest bid is $535.00 for an ordinary (lone) WWII baseball that is now, $490.00 overvalued.
A costly lesson is about to be learned.
Where to Look – Seeking Militaria in all the Right Places
Looking for a metal insignia device to fill a missing gap in your shadow box or a hole in your collection? This table had a decent array of insignia to choose from.
The Veteran's Collection 