Special Auctions - Upcoming and Closing Soon!

0% Commission

Attention bidders! We are holding yet another 0% Bidder Commission Special Auction - this Sunday, February 22. To view all items available in this special auction, visit www.manions.com, log in, and click the 0% banner in the center of the page.

Military Headgear Special Auction

In addition to the 0% Commission auction, our Military Headgear auction will also close this Sunday, February 22 (0% bidder commission does not apply to these items). There are hundreds of items available in this auction - with many time periods and countries represented. To view all items available in this special auction, visit www.manions.com, log in, and click the Military Headgear banner in the center of the page

Women of the Third Reich Paper Auction

This unique special auction closes Monday, February 23. It calls attention to women of WWII German civil and military service: postcards, books, documents, photos and so much more. We'd certainly like to host a similar special auction paying tribute to women serving in the US and other nations during the war - anyone have a collection they'd like to consign? To view all items available, visit www.manions.com, log in, and click the appropriate banner in the center of the page.

Military Trader February Special Auction

Our monthly special auctions, in conjunction with our favorite militaria collecting publication, have proven to be quite popular and this one is no exception. There are some fabulous items available, some really rare stuff and all closing Tuesday, February 24. To view all items available, visit www.manions.com, log in, and click the Military Trader banner in the center of the page.

Other Special Auctions Upcoming / Closing Soon:

Harry Block Historic Aviation and Motor Sports - Closes March 3

Collectible Toys - Closes March 22

Postcards of the Third Reich - Closes March 23 (LIVE 2/24)

Boy Scout Uniforms - Closes March 29 (LIVE 2/23)

See you at the SOS!

SOS - 2009

Well folks, it's that time of year again - time for the Ohio Valley Military Society Show of Shows (SOS) militaria extravaganza. This year it is being held March 5-8 in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Kentucky Exposition Center. This event is the granddaddy of all militaria collecting events; if you are a military collector, a trip to the SOS should be at the top of your "bucket list".

While there are a couple of close runners up, it is safe to say there is nothing like it in the world. It is essentially impossible to view everything offered at this event. A word of advice: the best time to buy something at the SOS is when you see it. Many a collector has shown hesitation about an item, only to find it gone upon their return - if they can even remember where it was they saw it in the first place!

Here's a link to a bit I did for Auctionbytes in 2007 about the event:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y207/m04/abu0188/s07

and one from 2008:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y208/m04/abu0212/s07

Of course Manion's will be attending again this year, we'll be located just to the left of the main entrance as you are walking in the door. We'll be accepting consignment at the event, with several drop-offs already set up. If you have collectibles you'd like to consign - give us a call and we'll be expecting you! Even if you can't make the event, let us know and we'll try to arrange a pickup.

Video - Military Trader Special Auction 2/09

Greetings again militaria collectors and readers of Manion's Collecting News - the number one military collectibles blog on the Internet!

I've posted a short video below highlighting a few of the auction items in our upcoming Military Trader Special Auction closing 2.24.09. I'll try to make this a monthly endeavor.

But first, a word or two about Encyclopedia Britannica . . .

As many of you have noticed, our main site - www.manions.com - has several affiliate banner ads rotating on several pages. Organizations like The History Channel, Military.com, A&E and a few others. Basically we make a few bucks when someone clicks through and buys something. Not an incredibly profitable endeavor, but we are pleased these top notch groups recognize the value of our customer base.

And then there is Encyclopedia Britannica -- who does not feel we are a good fit to represent their products. Let's see, a site receiving around 50,000 visitors a week, who are incredibly interested in researching history, is not a good fit for a company that provides history research information. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

So, I did a bit of searching of other blogs to see what they had to say about Encyclopedia Britannica, and came up with some pretty timely posts - check this one out: 5 criticisms of Britannica.com.

I can easily speculate about the reasons we were snubbed by their affiliate program, and it's really no big deal. It just seems to me to be a bad decision by a company who needs all the support they can get.

At any rate, here's is the above mentioned video highlighting a few of the items in our upcoming Military Trader Special Auction: A2 Flight Jacket; NS Reichskriegerbund Gorget; Kuffjauserbund Visor Cap; US Legion of Merit Medal; US Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal; US WWII era numbered Purple Heart; Waffen SS Artillery Wrapper; 1950s era .22 short Montgomery Wards ammunition; and Luftwaffe Tropical Tan Tunic.

Again, I apologize for my less than professional video skills. Also, I realize I referred to a Kyffhauserbund visor cap as Reichskriegerbund cap - but there was no way I was redoing that audio after I finally made it through to the end!

Thanks again for reading, and, as always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

A request from McWilliams - Dickson Cheyenne Revolver

Greetings again militaria blog readers!

Our man Pat McWilliams has been graciously helping me out with posts to Manion's Collecting News. Thanks so much Pat. Today he has a request he is hoping a reader may help fulfill - a cylinder for his Dickson Cheyenne .32 SW long revolver. Drop us a line if you can help him out . . .

One of my (many) psychological quirks is that I can't stand to see a gun that isn't in working condition. A while back I came upon this Dickson Cheyenne double action, Western style revolver. Everything was there, except for the cylinder. No doubt some previous owner felt compelled to dismantle the piece to clean it, then let the part get away. Unfortunately, this piece is in the much maligned, and seldom seen .32 S&W Long caliber.





Click image for enlarged view

I have tried all the usual parts sources, and while a .38 cylinder might be available, there is nothing to be had in .32 caliber. This revolver was also made under the Röhm brand as the RG-63.

I am appealing to the vast readership of Manion's blog to see if anyone has a .32 caliber cylinder for an RG-63 or Dickson Cheyenne. One clue to look for is that the notches for the cylinder stop bolt will probably be long, straight cuts, starting from the rear of the cylinder and running to about half the overall length, rather than the typical small, square slots.

If you have such a cylinder in your parts bin, I would like to hear from you. Let's get this old clunker working again.

Pat has been with Manion's for many many years and is our onsite firearms expert.

Weekend Civil Warrior

Another piece of literary genius from our own Pat "The Hat" McWilliams. Enjoy . . .

For the past 25 years I've been a member of an acting troupe, performing Old West gunfights and comedy skits. I've had occasion to meet and occasionally participate with Civil War reenactors, Renaissance Festival sword fighters, WWII reenactors, Mountain Men, and other fans of Living History. Many of these people spend every weekend in a different century or millenium, one weekend playing 19th Century minstrel songs, the next portraying a soldier on D-Day. To these dedicated people, many of whom are also collectors, hint, hint, I dedicate this little song. A friend who does Old West, Mountain Man, and WWII gave me the challenge. I based the lyrics on his experience and that of several other reenactors I know. If you've ever been in the hobby or had a spouse who didn't quite share your level of enthusiasm, you'll recognize yourself or a friend. Feel free to sing it around the campfire. Feel free to pay me royalties if you record it or perform it for pay.

I'm a weekend Civil Warrior
A part time Mountain Man
Jousting at the Renfest
Playing in a minstrel band

Last week I died at Waterloo
Tomorrow, on Saipan
When my M-16 gets here
I'll die in Vietnam

My clothing is authentic
Right down to the very last stitch
But I'm not completely satisfied
Until it starts to itch

I've got frock coats, leather leggings
A kilt and cavalry boots
The only garments I don't own
Are 21st century suits

Five days a week it's innersprings
On comfort I insist
But a weekend without rain and mud
Leaves me feeling something's missed

See, it's not just playing cowboy
This is Living History
To show the little children
The way things used to be

When men would drink and men would fight
And someone would get shot
In the hundred years from then till now
Things haven't changed a lot

Such as each camp needs a campfire
And so I rub a stick
Then when the tourists turn their heads
I grab my trusty Bic

No, we're not neo-Nazis
We're not the KKK
And though we share a sleeping bag
That doesn't make us gay

My life is so historical
As my wife says to me
"I catch you buying one more sword,
and you'll be 'history'"

I turned and asked her, "Honey,
How many men d'you know
Who can hammer out their own horseshoes
And like to cook and sew?

Besides, this reenacting
Is something we can share
You get to go for three whole days
And not have to wash your hair

I bought you that tight corset
A hoop skirt and a gown
And a folding cot so you won't
Have to sleep on the cold, damp ground

The kids love running barefoot
And they don't seem to mind
Stepping in the residue
The horses leave behind

I have a big announcement
I know you'll think it's grand
I just bought a covered wagon
Traded in our minivan

We're going to leave the suburbs
For a cabin in the woods....

"BONK!!!"

I see you like your Christmas skillet
And, dang, you're aim is good!

(pause)

We'll, I had to sell my cannon
To pay the lawyer bill
And the judge took my revolver
When he heard that blanks can kill

I get the kids one week each month
And I bring them to the zoo
'cause I'm not allowed to take them
Anywhere near World War Two

For years it's been my hobby
Recreating war and strife
Now I'm stuck here in reality
Reenacting my own life!

Patrick McWilliams

Distinguished Visitor and Amateur Video

Greetings again men (and women) of militaria!

We had the honor of a very special guest paying us a visit today: Mr Clem Kelly. You'll recognize his name as a constant contributor to the Military Trader. Certainly a very knowledgeable individual in the field of militaria collecting - and a heck of a nice guy to boot. Here's a pic of him with our very own nice guy, John Conway.

While Conway and Kelly are two of the most knowledgeable authorities in the military collecting arena, when it comes to video production- I have to place myself somewhere near the bottom. As many of you Internet savvy readers recognize, video appears to be taking over the web. We figured we'd better jump back on the bandwagon (we haven't put any out in well over a year) and feed some more video content to the great Google Gods. I figured a good place to start would be with our List it Yourself and eBay sales (yes, we do sell some stuff on eBay - terrible, ain't it?).

So, make some popcorn and settle in for the most thrilling minute and a half of video viewing pleasure you are likely to experience today - and meet Melinda, our List it Yourself Auction administrator and newly designated eBay aficionado.



Okay, okay - pretty cheesy, I know (especially the part at the end when the phone rings) - but the price was right! We're doing what we can around here to get the most exposure without spending a dime. Mission accomplished on not spending a dime, we'll see about the exposure!

Thanks again for reading, and as always I welcome your comments. Oh, and welcome John Adams-Graf's JAG blog to our roll. For some reason I thought I had already added it, but apparently not. Check it out on the right hand of the page, John always has something interesting to say!

Glascow Militaria Dealer - In The News

Greetings military collectibles characters.

Once again, I am making reference in this post to an article that was written almost a month ago. I had intended to do it sooner, but (insert one of many lame excuses I generally use here) . . .

This very well written piece appeared in the January 10th edition of "Scotland on Sunday" and is entitled "Peter Ross at large: A call to arms where politics is left at the door." It is about the owner of a militaria shop in Glascow and I think he expresses many mutual opinions of militaria collectors everywhere. Rather than place a link, I will risk scorn by the Google Gods and place duplicate content here by simply pasting the article below:

THE Treasure Bunker, a shop selling militaria on Glasgow's esoteric King Street, has a sleepy atmosphere far from what could be described as "a bunker mentality". It's a small space crowded with old uniforms, weapons, medals and other items relating to combat from Waterloo to the World War Two. The owner, Kenny Andrew, sits at a computer, sipping Ribena and calculating whether sufficient time has passed since his last fag break to justify nipping into the doorway for a smoke.

Occasionally, a punter comes in, stares for a while at the Third Reich swords and daggers, and mooches back out. A notice from Strathclyde Police taped to an old wooden counter states, for the benefit of neds, that two pieces of ID must be shown before viewing edged weapons.

This bunker seems a peaceful place. The vibe is more Open All Hours than Downfall. Although Andrew sells CDs of the songs of the Hitler Youth and Luftwaffe (the latter featuring an undeniably camp cover of a stormtrooper-type playing the trombone), these are not heard in the shop on this dark Wednesday afternoon. The radio plays, perhaps appropriately, the new single by Franz Ferdinand.

Although it is the Third Reich stuff which catches the eye, Andrew, a small man of 40 dressed entirely in black, sells plenty of memorabilia pertaining to the armed services of other nations, including Britain, and explains that the reason he has so much German gear is because they lost the war. Material was picked up from battlefields by allied troops and stowed away in their lofts and sheds; years later, in their old age, these men sold their finds.

Andrew seems appalled when I ask whether a desire to own Third Reich memorabilia could be regarded as an endorsement of their policies.

"No, it's got nothing to do with politics," he says. "Our customers are just collectors. There's no unsavoury right-wing nonsense at all. They are people who watch the History Channel and collect toy soldiers. And it's all combat stuff that we sell. We don't have Nazi banners or brownshirts and wouldn't entertain that."

Of course, he doesn't vet his customers, but "they're all regulars and I've known them for 20 years. They are teachers, policemen, ordinary punters. No skinheads."

Interest in the Nazi era shows no sign of abating, and Tom Cruise's new film, Valkyrie, is only its latest manifestation. Can Andrew understand, though, why some people might find the idea of selling items marked with the swastika abhorrent? Seventy years since the start of the Second World War, fascist iconography remains emotionally charged and there are many people who would prefer for it not to be seen, never mind on sale to whoever cares to buy. "That's rewriting history," says Andrew. "Just because people want to take an interest in it and collect it, they aren't glorifying it. That sort of freedom is what our uncles fought for. People who say you can't do this or that are worse than the Nazis."

He insists his own interest in the Third Reich is purely historical. "I won't tell you who I vote for, but it's not the Nazi party."

Andrew became interested in military history when he was five or six years old. While all his pals were out playing football, he was inside watching Where Eagles Dare. Family connections first sparked his interest. His great uncle, John Henderson, known as Uncle Jack, had served with the Cameronians during the Second World War and was happy to talk about his exploits. "He actually gave me his uniform and I thought: 'That's it. I want to get more of this stuff.' So I started harassing my friends at school to see if they had anything. They'd turn up with their grandpas' medals and I'd swap them for Action Men."

He began wheeling and dealing at antique fairs and markets. At 12, he was overjoyed to find a Panzer uniform down the Barras. "But it later turned out to be a fake. That was a sore point because I actually swapped my father's RAF uniform for it, which I've always felt terrible about. That's the thing about militaria, there's a lot of rogues out there."

The actual number of available items has declined sharply over the last two decades as museums and American gazillionaires buy them up and horde them. This has had two effects. Firstly, the value of those items which remain on the market has increased a great deal. "I started off selling daggers at 60 quid," says Andrew. "Now that same dagger would cost you 600 quid."

A decade ago, he sold for £4,000 his best-ever item, an elaborate ceremonial helmet worn by the bodyguard of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and rather wishes he had hung on to it, as it would fetch up to £20,000 now.

The other effect of the lack of sellable items is horrible. "In Russia they are digging up graves," says Andrew. "I won't buy relics that have been excavated. It's sick. It could have been my uncle."

The "uncle" is Erich Hager, who fought on the German side as part of a Panzer regiment involved in the battle of Stalingrad. Hager was captured and sent to Siberia; on his release he walked all the way back to Austria. He became related to Andrew through marriage 20 years ago, an exciting moment for the collector roughly equivalent to a fan of cookery shows suddenly realising Fanny Cradock was their aunt.

On Hager's death, Andrew inherited his diaries, photographs and other mementoes from the war. He is having the diaries translated – "He was a good German. There's nothing bad in them about atrocities." – and plans to publish a book.

It's time for that fag break, so while Andrew nips out into the doorway, I examine a scale model of Hitler waving from an open-top Mercedes. Small swastikas flutter from the small mudguards, and a price tag, marked "Der Führer!" informs that this can be purchased at the not-so-small price of £175. "It's for big kids, this shop," says Andrew, exhaling smoke as, on a poster behind him, Winston Churchill peers down.

What a well written article.

A while back there was a series of articles written about a shop in London which sold WWII German items. The tone of the article seemed to instantly condemn the poor shopkeeper.

I think militaria collectors can identify with many points made in this piece: the way Andrew came into the hobby, the fact that there are many rouges in collecting the stuff (I felt his pain when he spoke of trading his dad's RAF uniform), and his stance on WWII German collectibles - "That sort of freedom is what our uncles fought for. People who say you can't do this or that are worse than the Nazis."

Almost no one working at Manion's, at least those who do items descriptions, can explain exactly how or why we came to this occupation. But one thing we have in common is a love of the artifacts, the history behind them, and respect for those in service to whom they belonged.