Greetings,

The most frequently asked question since I returned from the Show of Shows (SOS) in Louisville, Kentucky, is “What’s the state of the militaria hobby?”; an obvious inquiry as to whether the national economic turmoil has spilled over into collecting. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the SOS, it is the largest militaria show in the United States. This year, more than 1600 tables were filled with items primarily from WWI and WWII but covering the full gamut of military collecting interests.

So what is the state of the hobby? That is a darn hard question to answer, but I did make some observations.

First, there was not a table to be had—the Show had been sold out for months. Attendance seemed as good as ever with long lines waiting to get in Friday and Saturday mornings.

Overall, it is my opinion that the quality of items offered on the tables was down. I had a sense of collectors and dealers “peeling at the onion”—that is, offering the lesser quality items in their collections while they protect the higher grade pieces. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of high-end pieces available, just not at the levels I have seen at past shows.

Many dealers commented that they were busy, but customers were making lower-dollar purchases. Whereas a year ago, they may have spent $1,000 or $1,200 at a particular table, this year, the purchases were in the $200-$400 range. A lot of dealers remarked that sales were down, but not bad.

There were not as many Europeans or Russians—dealers or attendees—on the floor as the last two years. It is safe to say the Euro-Russian invasion of the U.S. market is fast coming to a temporary halt.

Civil War collecting is flat, flat, flat! Unless it is identified or high-end, Civil War relics are sitting dormant. Every M1858 canteen and U.S. oval belt plate that I saw on Thursday were still on the tables on Saturday. Dealers have a choice to make on low-end Civil War items—drop the price to increase demand, or be buried with their wares. I suspect most will choose the latter.

Interestingly, I spoke to many collectors who recently suffered severe financial setbacks (mostly loss of jobs). Nevertheless, they were in Louisville to buy!

The other question that I am repeatedly asked concerns price trends. Well, that is nearly impossible to answer, as the hobby is based on subjective pricing rather than supply and demand. However, there were a few instances of good ol’ free enterprise at work. One dealer had brought a couple of cases of the two new exciting books to hit the hobby: Deutsche Soldaten and GI Collector Vol. 2. He blew them out at what had to be cost or darn near cost. Other dealers had the same books priced $15 or $25 higher. By the end of Friday, the dealer with the “blow-out show special” was sold out, and the other dealers had dropped their prices significantly. Now if only relic dealers could grasp that simple economic lesson, the hobby could flourish!

And in MV News…
The Military Vehicle Preservation Association recently appointed my good friend and fellow author, David Doyle, as the editor of Supply Line magazine. David will continue to write his regular column for Military Vehicles and I suspect he will expect me to reciprocate and make a submission or two to Supply Line. Whatever the demands, this is great for the health of the hobby. My personal congratulations and those of Military Vehicles Magazine go to David and to the MVPA.

It takes a lot to excite me about a new vehicle part, but I just received a note from Bob Muller of Vehicles of Victory, LLC. He announced that he is now able to offer new hydrovacs for the Chevy G506 1-1/2 ton trucks. Anyone who drives U.S. WWII trucks knows that hydrovacs are tough items to find. Having the availability of reproductions should insure that more trucks will stay on the road in safe running condition. For more information, contact Vehicles of Victory, LLC, 127 Marcus Rd, Delanson, NY  12053, call (518) 872-1002 or visit www.vehiclesofvictory.com. With any luck, Bob is giving thought to producing hydrovacs for the 2-1/2 ton GMCs. In any case, well done, Bob! This is a true service to the hobby.

Keep em rolling and finding the good stuff,
John Adams-Graf
Editor, Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine

The line waiting to get in on Friday morning. I wonder what items walked in to the show!

 

Brian Barquist of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, considered adding some new items to his collection.

Advance Guard Militaria offered an identified Afrikakorps soldier grouping as well an amazing array of African-American Doughboy uniforms.

Greetings from Sunny Louisville,

Today, the SOS finished setup. I really have to hand it to the entire OVMS crew...they really have the show set up, roll in and registration well organized. By 12:30, the hall was ready to be opened to the public. I don't have any "official" numbers, but suffice it to say, the aisles werenusually teeming with folks. Again, kudos to the OVMS for allowing plenty of aisle space as well as plenty of room behind the tables for the dealers. It is quite comfortable for all.

I didn't buy too much today. Found some okay doughboy photos and one very nice 5"x7" photo of a Mark VIII "Liberty" tank. That one tickled me--a nice addition for the Tank Corps collection. Oh, a friend did bring an identified Tank Corps helmet to SHOW me. He didn't want to sell it, but I did have the pleasure to look it over carefully.

Other than that, I just bought a couple of references. Found a copy of ANthony Hall's "Bayonet Frogs" vol. 1 and a decent Army reprint on identifying Japanese ordnance.

I can't say I have witnessed any trends, though every one is nervous about the volume of sales. However, from where I was sitting, no one was holding back. If they saw something they liked, they bought it. I didn't here anyone say, "I can't buy that right now".

I had a real good time helping a fellow who is getting serious about collecting 10th Mountain stuff. He came by several times to ask questions and opinons. I hope I didn't steer him wrong, because he was a willing buyer and picked up a good deal of Mountain gear.

Well, tonight is going to be BBQ-free...I am bushed. Pizza Hut will be serving my supper, I am afraid!

Best from the SOS,

JAG

 

Wednesday, March 4, 2009.

 

Greetings,

 

I arrived in Kentucky at about 2AM Wednesday morning. After a few hours sleep, it was off to the Expo Center to rendezvous with OVMS President, Bill. Combs. He had appointed me “Yellow Team Captain” for table set up. Despite Bill’s desire to be referred to as “Colonel, my Colonel, table set-up went off without a hitch.  All of the folks assigned to the yellow team worked hard to get the tables set in place. If you haven’t been to the SOS, let me tell you, it is no small undertaking!

 

After the tables were placed, Bill released all of the volunteers who could begin bringing in their stuff. I took the opportunity to sneak back to my computer to post this note, but I have to get back to the Expo Center to see what is cooking! Hate to miss those deals.

 

Stay tuned for more from Louisville and the Show of Shows

 

JAG

    I am the youngest of five children — four brothers and a sister. My sister, Celine, was my protector. My brothers? They were my heroes.

    Looking back, I can see the role of a big brother was to demonstrate their “coolness”, whether in actions or possessions. I was forever wanting to tag along where ever they went, or play with what they had.

    When I was four, nothing held my attention more than my oldest brother’s latest models — M13 and M3A1 half-tracks. Tom let me watch him assemble the pair of Monogram plastic kits. When I got bored watching him glue parts together (or maybe just a bit light-headed from the fumes), I stared at the box cover art imagining soldiers blazing though Nazi fortresses in these trucks with tracks.

    When Tom completed the model kits, he showed me how the rear door opened on the M3A1 and how the anti-aircraft gun spun around on the M13. What captivated me, though, was when he pushed them across the dining room table. Not only did the front wheels turn, but the tracks rolled as well! I was hooked. I experienced my first bona-fide half-track envy. It would not be the last time.

    As the weeks past, I pestered him relentlessly to show me the “tank-trucks” (I couldn’t pronounce “half-track”, so devised “tank-truck” as the label for the olive-brown plastic vehicles). Needless to say, most of my pleading ended in tears rather than 1/32nd scale battle scenes. To add insult to this injury, my big brother admonished me — no, we warned me — “never dare touch these models”.
    
    Oh for a Tank-Truck of my Own
    One early evening during that summer of 1966, my dad was upstairs (we lived in a big old Victorian house), shaving. An evening shave was unusual—it meant he and Mom were going somewhere.  My folks didn’t go out much, especially in the evening without the kids. In retrospect, I suspect it was their anniversary. But I was only four and I really didn’t care about the reason, I just knew they were going to leave me alone — at night — with my brothers!

    That didn’t bode well—who was going to take care of me? Good thing Celine —my protector — was there. She would keep the boys from teasing me too much. Still, I didn’t like the idea of Mom and Dad being gone after dark. I sat in the bathroom with Dad as he shaved. I told him I didn’t want him to go anywhere. “The boys are going to beat me up if you go!” I cried. “No, they won’t,” he assured me. “Celine will take care of you.” That wasn’t enough. I cried some more.

    Dad attempted to divert my attention, “I will bring you something. What do you want?” This was my big chance! Without flinching for a second, I announced, “I want a tank-truck!” simultaneously brushing the tears from my face and my memory. Dad knew that was a hard request to fulfill. “What else would you like if I can’t find that?” I wasn’t quite as prepared for a follow-up. A moment’s reflection produced the image of machine guns in the hands of the guards on “Hogan’s Heroes”, my favorite television program. Those Germans had a way of carrying their MP-40 submachine guns at the ready with the sling going under one arm and returning over the opposite shoulder. I announced, “I want a German machine gun”.

    Well-Armed, but not Mobilized
    My folks went on their “date”, my brothers teased me until I cried, and my sister put me to bed. But, when I woke up the following morning, I found a black plastic Broomhandle Mauser pistol in a cardboard display box next to my bed!

    To a little guy of four, that Broomhandle looked a whole lot like an MP-40 submachine gun. I raced downstairs into the kitchen and ripped it from the box. Digging into the bottom drawer next to the stove, I pulled out a green-handled pair of scissors and a ball of butcher’s cord. After cutting a length of cord, I tied it to the bottom of the pistol’s grip and around the barrel. I “slung” my pistol and went outside to find my brothers (whom I imagined as renegade American soldiers). After gunning them down, I showed them my reward for enduring their wrath!

    Despite being so well-armed for backyard battles against imaginary Allies, my heart yearned for a “tank-truck”. I am sure my “machine pistol” immobilized more than one fantasy tank-truck that morning.

    Mobilized Through ‘Lend-Lease’
    Time passed. The days of playing army were long gone (well, they were revived during my “reenacting period”, but that is another story!). About eight years ago, I interviewed with Krause Publications to become the editor of a new magazine they had purchased — Military Vehicles. I spoke with a number of people, but the real test of my abilities concluded with meeting the big cheese, Mr. Chet Krause, himself.

    Following a few minutes of small talk in which he judged my military know-how, he asked me if I owned a military vehicle. I told him that even though I raced cars and did a lot of wrenching, I didn’t own an “MV”. “However,” I explained, “I have always wanted a half-track (somewhere during the intervening 30-odd years, I had mastered that particular two-syllable word).”

    “Hell,” Chet replied, “I don’t pay enough for you to afford a half-track!” He went on, “I’ll tell you what ... You come work for us and you can drive my half-track any time you want.” He had me at “Half-track.”

    For the next few years, I lived in OD bliss. Chet had a huge collection of WWII vehicles, and he was very generous with letting me drive, study and photograph them. I spent my spare time washing and detailing the trucks, jeeps, high-speed tractors and even his M4 Sherman. Through his generosity, I was living out my childhood half-track dreams.

    Sometimes, an opportunity for revenge is best left unused
    Each year in Iola, the Car Show Office sponsors a Military Vehicle Show. Usually, about 150 vehicles are displayed and paraded for an audience that numbers about 10,000 over the two-day show.

    A couple of years ago, I invited my oldest brother Tom (the one who had the half-track models when we were kids) to come over for Show. He didn’t know it, but I had a surprise for him.

    Tom and his two boys came for the weekend. I had to work most of the show, but on Sunday, I was able to break free. At noon, all of the vehicle owners were gathering to parade their vehicles. Because Mr. Krause had about 40 vehicles on display, he needed drivers.

    I told my brother to walk with me. We crossed the parking lot to where Chet’s M16 anti-aircraft-gun-equipped half-track was idling. We stood by the driver’s door. Tom assumed I was going to climb into the driver’s seat. Over the sound of the idling engine I said to him, “Hey, remember your models of half-tracks when we were kids?”

   “Yeah,” he replied, “One was like this, wasn’t it?”

   It was, sort of, but this wasn’t the time to flex my military vehicle knowledge.

     “Yeah. It is.” I continued, “Remember how you wouldn’t let me play with them?” He just looked at me, not knowing if I was going to dredge up — yet another--painful childhood memory (I tend to be a bit dramatic at times). “Well, you can play with this one — hop in. You’re driving.”

    Still No Track, but the envy is gone
    A few years after that parade ride with my brother at the steering wheel, me next to him and my nephews in the back playing with the .50-caliber anti-aircraft mount, Chet sold his collection. Someone else is enjoying that fine restored track.

    Forty years have passed since I asked my Dad to bring me a “tank-truck”. I don’t harbor the desire to own a half-track anymore, though (Chet was right, I don’t get paid enough to take care of one!). Nevertheless, they will always mean more to me than just another fascinating piece of WWII history. To me, half-tracks are part of growing up and learning to appreciate the benefits of having a big brother.

    Keep em rolling,
    John Adams-Graf
    Editor, Military Vehicles and Military Trader

"We knew then that we would get into a battle and we made them mountains echo again and again as we marched towards the enemy. We had not gone far when we first saw them. They were marching towards us but they did not dismay us for each and everyone gave them a few yells as loud as we could call. Although they were nearly two miles off they heard us for they halted and commenced maneuvering."

-- William H. Daniel, 2nd Kentucky Infantry
writing about the afternoon of February 22, 1847, 6 miles south of Saltillo, Mexico, near the pass of La Angostura

Folks closest to me have had to endure my annual celebration of Buena Vista Days on February 22-23.  What are BV Days? Well, in my mind, they commemorate the overwhelmingly heroic stand of about 4,500 U.S. volunteers and regulars  against  18,000+ Mexican soldiers in 1847. Commanded by old Rough and Ready, General Zachary Taylor, the U.S. forces withstood wave after wave of attacks by Santa Anna's forces for two days.

On the night of the 23rd, the American's--badly bloodied but still protecting the pass of La Angostura and the plateau above extending back to Saltillo--prepared themselves for what they thought would be their final stand on the dawn of the 24th. Throughout the night, they could hear Mexican wagons and artillery, infantry commands, and bugle calls. The Americans were certain Santa Anna had brought up the last of his column from San Luis Potosi and was alligning his troops for a final, pre-dawn assault.

When the sun finally broke over the Sierra Madre's bordering the plateau, the Americans could not believe their eyes--Santa Anna had vamoosed! All that littered the plain in front of the exhausted Americans were the dead and wounded of the previous day's fighting. Cheers went up throughout the valley extending back to Saltillo where Taylor had evacuated his wounded and reinforded the square for a final stand.

Not too many share my enthusiasm for the Battle of Buena Vista. Nevertheless, each year on the 22nd and 23rd, I go out for Mexican food and hoist a toast to General Taylor and his little army of 4,500.

One past celebration found my (then four-year old) daughter sitting in Shiloh Cemetery in Lerna, Illinois, at the grave of an Indiana volunteer who fought at BV, patiently listening to her Daddy read Albert Pike's lenghty poem about the battle. On another occassion, I took tacos to all of my co-workers. One just never knows what I will dream up for BV Days.

Well, this year, my boss got tired of me talking about BV Days and the failure of others to acknowledge. He called my bluff. He said, "If you blog about it, you can offer the Military Vehicles DVD for $10 off to anyone who orders before the February 22."  Well, it isn't a declared holiday with paid vacation, but it does count as someone else sharing the Buena Vista Day cheer!

So, for anyone who has been thinking about ordering the Military Vehicles compilation CD, here is your chance to benefit from sacrifice of Taylor's Little Army. Just click here for the special offer.

Sure, some of you will want to thank the boss...but the real thanks goes to General Taylor and his band of 4,500 who held their ground on a couple of very cold days in February, thousands of miles from home, in the belief that they were defending the interests of the United States of America.

Happy Buena Vista Days,
John A-G