Chicago and Minneapolis / St. Paul area military collectors

Remember, we have a representative in the Chicago area who will be accepting consignment over the Memorial Day weekend - Friday 5/25, Saturday 5/26, and Sunday 5/27.

If you live in the Chicago area and have items you’d like to consign with Manion’s call 913-449-0909 to arrange a pick-up.

The following week, we will be in the Twin Cities area doing the same - Wednesday 5/30, Thursday 5/31 and Friday 6/1. If you live in this area and would like us to arrange a pick-up, call Manion's toll-free at 866.626.4661 prior to Wednesday 5/31. On or after 5/31, call 816.786.7091.

Have a FANTASTIC holiday weekend!

Search military records for free until June 6th

Ancestory.com has release 90 million military records, and are allowing the database to be searched for FREE until June 6th.

The site seems to be running a little slow right now, and I haven't been able to get much info yet myself, but I thought the readers of Manion's Collecting News would appreciate having the info ASAP.

So get out those named medals and uniforms and do your homework now while you have the chance. I suspect they'll be charging for the service after 6/6.

Follow this link to search military records

More on the GAR items and pics from KC militaria show

Attention Grand Army of the Republic enthusiasts!

We're posting some of the medals from the massive GAR collection - they should be available for bid today. We are hoping to get more of them together, along with another impressive group, and have some sort of featured GAR auction. Stay tuned for details.

Guy will be in the Chicago area over Memorial Day weekend and will be picking up consignment. Call the Manion's office to schedule a pick-up. Similarly, John and I will be in Minneapolis next week on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday - so give us a ring if you have items you'd like to consign.

I've attached some pics from the KC Military show, it was a good event - hope to see you there next time around!














Manion's good friend Jaime from Brazil with Medal of Honor recipient
Don Ballard at the Kansas City Militaria show (above).














John Conway with former Manion's employee Lt. Curtis High (above).














Rosemary Tucker and Anna Servos (above).














Andrew Turner and Enola Gay navigator Dutch Van Kirk (above).














MVPA vehicles featured at the Kansas City Military collector event
(above and below).

KC Militaria Show and GAR Medal Collection

Hello again militaria buffs.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello during the KC Military Show at the KCI Expo Center. A special thank you to Mr. Chuck Samuel for putting on another stellar event. It's great to see those who have been collecting militaria for years right along side those who are new to the hobby.

Like Guy mentioned in a previous post, after the Wichita show, it's great to see younger collectors getting into it. These younger guys have the benefit of walking on the paths made by senior collectors. Learning from the research they've done, and mistakes they've already made.

It's fantastic to see a younger guy walking the show with a more "established" collector. It's easy to see the two have become friends, brought together by a common interest in military collecting. There's a mentorship going on these days in the militaria collecting community, it's nice to see the hobby being passed along.

Anyway, many of those who visited our table at the KC Military Collectors show commented on the very nice display of GAR medals we brought to the event. Like we mentioned, this was but a small sampling of those to be offered soon on www.manions.com.

Here are pics of some of the GAR Medals soon to be featured with Manion's International Auction House, Inc. in the very near future.

Kansas City Military Collector Show

The first day of the collector's show was out of sight!

It's always great to see our customers from the KC area face to face. Looks like we'll be bringing back some consignment, too, so keep your eyes open for new items on the auction. If we bring in anything extra-special, I will let you know about it here first, as usual.

Speaking of, we have several pieces from the GAR medal collection at the show if you want to stop by and check them out. Of course they're not for sale, but if you want to get an idea of what will be offered, then this is the perfect opportunity. It's an excellent chance to see for yourself what fantastic condition these items are in.

Medal of Honor recipient Don Ballard is at our table today, so stop by, say hello, and shake hands with a true American hero. Also, Dutch Van Kirk - the navigator on the Enola Gay - is set up right next to us. He's a heck of a guy, it's always great to see him out.

There are a lot of very cool military vehicles in the center of the room, too. There a scout car, a duck, a mule, a few jeeps, a West German vehicle, and a couple of big trucks. It's a fantastic opportunity to see these historic military vehicles up close.

I hope to post some pictures of the event later tonight or tomorrow - so check back soon!

Also, I was quite moved by this. I hope you will be too - A Marine's Last Request

Kansas City Militaria Show

Hello again collectors of militaria!

We're setting up today for the KC Militaria Show. It goes all weekend long, and we'll be there accepting consignment. So pack up those boxes and bring 'em on down!

The event is being held again at the KCI Expo Center - 11730 N. Ambassador Drive in North Kansas City near the airport. It is a 400 table show put on by event organizer extraordinaire, our good friend, Mr. Chuck Samuel.

I'll get some pictures, and maybe some video, of the even. So check back throughout the weekend for an event report. Also, we just got a HUGE G.A.R. collection in - a hope to get pics up of some of those items as well.

Also, our "Trendline Online" article archive is up on the www.manions.com homepage now. It's an ongoing process, but we hope to continually add militaria collecting related content ad infinatum. If you have an article you'd like to submit, contact us at collecting@manions.com. Check out the militaria and history related articles here.

Back from Pomona

Welcome Militaria Collectors!

John and Guy have just gotten back from the West Coast Historic Militaria Collector’s Show in Pomona, California. They said it was a great turnout and a fantastic event. We were right next to R. Lee Ermey - a hell of a guy, we’ve said it before and will say it again.

The live auction went very well, with the British medals specifically doing very well. We hope to have a spread-sheet of all items and their final price available soon. The guys sent back quite a bit of consignment, and went and spoke with others about acquiring their collections to sell in the near future.

There are some very exciting items coming soon to Manion's International Auction House soon - stay tuned for details!

West Coast Miltaria show + Unique New Items

Greetings collectors of militaria!

Jody, Guy, and John are currently attending the West Coast Historical Militaria collector’s show in Pomona, California. The live auction is scheduled for tomorrow, and should be pretty exciting. I’ll be getting a phone report at some point, and should be able to make a post this weekend.

One of Eva Braun’s dresses is online and accepting bits – item # 5878314. The dress is well documented and is featured in the book Collectors Guide to Liberated Adolf Hitler Memorabilia by Mark D. Griffith. It currently has one bid with $2050 needed as the next.

class="MsoNormal" Another neat piece is Iraqi Information Minister Mohamed Said Al Shaf’s (AKA Bagdhad Bob) diplomatic passport issued in Rome in 1988. A pair of his shoulder board are included as well. Once in a lifetime chance here, item # 5878315.

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Also, congratulations to Douglas Clapp from Melbourne, Florida! He was the winner of the Manion’s / West Coast Historical Militaria collector’s show drawing for airfare, hotel, and admission to the Pomona event. A pretty sweet deal, and a premier militaria collecting event!

We will be offering similar promotions to future events – all that is needed to enter is a purchase from Manion’s International Auction House during a designated time period. Stay tuned for information on future promiotions!

Walter Schirra 1923-2007

Hello Military Collectors and readers of Manion’s Collecting News.

As many of you no doubt know, Astronaut Wally Schirra passed away today, at the age of 84.

The following is an obituary/article from Reuters.com:

U.S. space pioneer Wally Schirra, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts who flew NASA's earliest flights, has died at the age of 84, NASA said on Thursday.

Schirra been suffering from cancer and died on Wednesday night, NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said.

He lived in Rancho Santa Fe, California near San Diego, but Hartsfield said he could not confirm that he died there.

Schirra was the only astronaut to fly on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights. His Apollo 7 mission in October 1968 was the first flight after the Apollo 1 tragedy in January 1967 in which three astronauts burned to death in their space capsule on the launch pad.

That 10-day flight tested procedures and equipment used later on flights to the moon.

Schirra, who was born in Hackensack, New Jersey on March 12, 1923, was a Navy test pilot when he joined NASA in April 1959.

The Mercury 7 astronauts included Schirra, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Deke Slayton, Alan Shepherd and Scott Carpenter.

They became national heroes as NASA used them to promote the fledgling space program in a race against the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.

Of the seven original astronauts, only Glenn, 85, and Carpenter, 82, are still alive.

"With the passing of Wally Schirra, we at NASA note with sorrow the loss of yet another of the pioneers of human space flight," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said in a statement. "We who have inherited the space program will always be in his debt."

Schirra's other two space flights included an October 1962 Mercury flight in which he orbited Earth six times and the Gemini 6 flight in December 1965 in which he and Thomas Stafford directed a space rendezvous with Gemini 7.

He was known not only for his competence as a pilot and astronaut, but as jokester and storyteller.

NASA said one of his best known anecdotes arose from the constant examinations and demands for bodily fluids from the Mercury 7 as they trained to go to space.

"When one nurse insisted he provide a urine sample, Schirra reportedly filled a five-gallon jug with warm water, detergent and iodine and left it on her desk," NASA said in a press release.

Schirra retired from NASA in 1969 and joined CBS News, where he worked alongside newscaster Walter Cronkite as they covered the Apollo missions to the moon.

Visit the forum of www.collectspace.com for commentary and insight from many with the good fortune to have been able to know Mr. Schirra personally.

I had initially intended to provide information in today’s post concerning the West Coast Historical Militaria Collector’s Show in Pomona, California, but in light of Schirra’s passing, the post will be made tomorrow.