JAG File with John Adams-Graf - Friday, May 08, 2009

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Friday, May 08, 2009

Summer time!
Posted by John

The other day, my partner asked me where I wanted to go for vacation this summer. I just smiled at her. She knew my answer...it has been the same answer I have given to that question since I was ten years old.

You see, back when I was that young, I visited the retired editor of our small town’s newspaper. Perk Steffen, in addition to his newspaper career, was also the oldest living bailiff in Minnesota. But neither of those reasons drew me to his house every Saturday afternoon. Rather, Perk was a sort of self-made historian. He and I would sit and talk about the Civil War.

Our visits usually started with some music. Perk—a World War I veteran—liked to play old 78s on his stereo. He was recording them all to cassette tape. He would smoke his pipe while we listened. When the songs were done, he would turn to me and ask, “Did you read last week’s book?”

Each Saturday, Perk would pull a volume from his library and send it home with me. Each book covered some facet, regiment or battle of the Civil War. When I returned the following Saturday, it would be a topic of our talks. But these weren’t dreary history lessons...Perk had lived a lot of history and boy, did he have stories.

When Perk was a young boy, he used to pester “Captain Harris” the same way I pestered Perk. Captain Harris had been in Co. B, 2nd Wisconsin Infantry (of the famous Iron Brigade). Young Perk would the Captain to tell stories about the First Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg.

When Perk grew up, he joined the Minnesota National Guard. When the State sent troops to Texas and hence, into Mexico for the “Punitive Expedition”, Perk was in the ranks. And when those State troops were sent to France to fight the Kaiser, he sailed across as well. So Perk had stories...not just second-hand stories from an old Iron Brigade soldier, but stories of his own. As a ten-year-old, I sat enthralled as he talked. I studied his white bushy eyebrows, breathed in the smoke from his pipe and just let my eyes wander over the floor-to-ceiling book shelves.

More than any single topic, we discussed the Battle of Gettysburg. Being a Minnesota, I came to believe that a handful of my State’s soldiers saved the Union line –and therefore, the nation--on July 2, 1863 (I still believe that, by the way!). We talked about General Reynolds falling on the first day of the battle. We talked about the Iron Brigade charging into the Railroad gap and studied maps of where Lee squandered the strength of the Army of Northern Virginia in Pickett’s ill-conceived attack over open land.

By the end of each visit, my head was swimming with images of the Civil War and, in particular, Gettysburg. Perk had been there in the 1930s and told me of the monuments and the vastness of land dedicated to those who fought. He told me about Jenny Wade’s house, Meade’s headquarters, Cemetery Ridge, the Seminary and the Round Tops. I wanted nothing more, than to go to Gettysburg.

And Perk wanted me to go.

One day, I noticed that Perk stopped at our store and was talking to my Dad. That was unusual. Perk’s wife, Helen, did the shopping. He never came to the store. But, I knew enough to know that I had to mind my own business. If Dad or Perk wanted me to know what was discussed, they would tell me.

A couple of weeks later during one of our talks, I mentioned to Perk, “I sure wish I will go to Gettysburg some day.” He paused, pulled out his pipe and he said, “I might be wrong, but I think you will.” I put two and two together and decided he and my Dad had conspired to send me to Gettysburg.

Looking back, I can see I was a bit optimistic...I was only 10 years old! My folks were not going to put me on a bus with a note pinned to my coat that said, “Take this boy to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.” But, I was a kid, and as kids go, I was probably a whole lot more self-centered than most. I truly did think the world revolved around me. It was totally plausible to me that my folks would be saving money and ignoring the needs of their other four children just so I could attain my lifelong- (albeit only 10 years of life) dream of going to Gettysburg.

When the school year was drawing to a finish, the question came up at our supper table during desert one evening: “Where would you kids like to go for vacation?” Well, I was the youngest of five and my turn to answer was last. Tom was getting ready for college. He didn’t want to go anywhere. Celine had her pets to tend, and she liked working at the store. She was happy to stay home. Joe was our family jock—he was already deep into high school baseball and the American Legion team would be starting at the end of classes. Obviously, he didn’t want to go anywhere. Jim, well Jim had his own world. A genius of sorts, he was into spelunking—dropping down into caves and exploring. He just wanted to go to some caves around our home (there are plenty in the bluffs of Southeast Minnesota to keep a spelunker busy all summer). Finally, it was my turn to answer. “I WANT TO GO TO GETTYSBURG!”

The whole family just stopped eating their chocolate pudding and stared at me. Their thoughts probably ranged from, “What the hell is wrong with this kid” to “Clearly the boy is obsessed”.

I believed it was possible. After all, I had seen Perk talking to Dad. They had to be talking about me and my desire—nay, my need—to go to Gettysburg. This family meeting was the golden opportunity to close the deal.

The folks stared at me, then at each other. My brother Jim tried to take my pudding. Celine started clearing the table. What was happening? Why did no one respond? “I WANT TO GO TO GETTYSBURG!” I repeated, sensing tears beginning to well up. “Maybe someday,” my Mom attempted to consoled me. “I WANT TO GO TO GETTYSBURG”, I bellowed for a third time, this time the tears actually cresting their natural barriers and streaming down my cheeks. But it didn’t matter. Just like General Lee’s grim realization on July 3, 1863, as he watched General Pickett’s troops faltering under withering fire before even reaching the half-way point in their attack against the entrenched Union soldiers, I knew the battle was lost. There was to be no trip to Gettysburg.

I felt betrayed. Betrayed by my belief that everything went my way. Betrayed by the notion that everyone was focusing on my interests. Betrayed by the self-awareness that I was NOT the center of everything.

To this day, I don’t know what Perk and Dad discussed. Perk has been gone many years, though I visit his grave and talk with him still. He just doesn’t have any more stories to share.

Dad hints that discussion revolved on “what was best for John”. Maybe Perk recognized that I was becoming a little too obsessed with the Civil War. Perhaps, he felt I needed to expand my interests. I know that was a topic that had upset my Dad for some time. He was always badgering me to read something “other than Civil War books”. I dunno. Maybe they were just talking about the weather.

That summer, we did take a family trip. The older kids were too involved in their lives to go, but Mom, Dad, Jim and I drove from Caledonia, Minnesota to Terre Haute, Indiana. Along the way, we stopped at General Grant’s home in Galena, Illinois, President Lincoln’s home and tomb in Springfield, Illinois, and Lincoln’s town of his teenage years, New Salem, Illinois. I saw plenty of Civil War items in museums, monuments and cannons in parks to satiate my Civil War appetite. I even bought my first of many felt kepis (which I wore everyday for the entire summer). It was my very first “Civil War vacation”.

So when Diane asked me where I wanted to go this summer, you know my answer—“GETTYSBURG!”

She didn’t reply.

I think we are going to Maine.

Recognize your passion and follow them (or her),
John Adams-Graf
Editor, Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine

Friday, May 08, 2009 4:40:31 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Good and old, or just old?
Posted by John

Greetings,

I am just back from the Battlefield Show in St. Paul, Minnesota. Bob Johnson puts on a great show. I was impressed by how high the attendance was. Table sales may have been a bit lower than usual, but there was no shortage of potential buyers walking around. Bob does a great job of promoting the show which was held concurrently with a gun show and a flea market elsewhere on the State Fairgrounds.

Two things at the Battlefield Show reminded me that I am not the young kid on the block anymore. First, I realized that I had been going to Bob’s shows since I was 17 years old. That was nearly 30 years ago! Back then, Bob had a partner and a small shop in Minneapolis. Funny thing, he looks about the same as he did back then! I wish I could say the same.

The second reminder of the passing of time was a comment I heard from three different people when describing relics that they had recently purchased. Each one used the expression, “And it’s been in a private collection for 25 years!” The implication was that it must be real because it has been locked away for a quarter of a century.

The first couple of times I heard the expression, it didn’t really register. I simply accepted it in the manner in which it was offered: evidence of authenticity. However, lying in my motel after hearing it a third time, I did the math. 25 years means that the items entered the sellers’ collections in 1984—the same exact year I sat in my grad school-provided apartment, rubbing bogus Third Reich decals off of supposed “transitional helmets”. Over the preceding couple of years, I had bought a number of helmets from a collector who “had them since soon after the end of WWII” (another 25 years!). I bought the “transitional” single decal M16 helmets from him for about $125-$155 a piece. And, as the flaking decals revealed, they were as fake as fingernails on a frog.

After rubbing the decals off, I was left with several nice WWI M16 helmets (then worth about $55-$75 a piece). It was a hard lesson, but it taught me that time in a collection does not establish believable provenance for items. When I was young, “25 years ago” equaled “right after WWII". Today, that same 25 years equals 1984—a peak in counterfeiting history.

Like other old timers, I have plenty of good stuff that has been in my collection for 25 years. Most likely, I some of it is bad. I want to suggest to collectors to take that old expression, “It’s been in my collection for nigh onto 25 years now…” with a grain of salt. It might be true. And there might well be a good reason the object hasn’t seen the light of day for a quarter of a century.

Be cautious and keep finding the good stuff,
John Adams-Graf
Editor, Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine

Thursday, April 23, 2009 10:31:15 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [1]

Friday, April 10, 2009

Fakes and phonies
Posted by John

Greetings,
   Fake and phony militaria is nothing new. Ever since soldiers began bringing home trophies, someone has been busy converting the items into rare and more valuable specimens.
   A couple of years ago, Military Trader asked readers what they would do with a medal in their collection if they discovered it was a fake. Only 10% of respondents admitted that they would sell the item on eBay or at a show: “buyer beware.” 29% said they would simply destroy the medal and avoid confusing (or tempting) future collectors.
   A surprising 61% of respondents said that they would “Permanently mark the medal indicating that it was a fake and keep it.” I say “surprisingly” because in 30+ years of collecting and visiting other collectors, I have never actually seen a medal that was marked that way. So, I put out a call for readers to submit examples of how they marked a known reproduction item so that future collectors would not be fooled.
   Advance Guard Militaria (www.advanceguardmilitaria.com) recently shared some interesting examples with me. The first item, which owner Jeff Shrader admits fooled him to the tune of a few hundred dollars, is a gorgeous World War I Second Division shoulder patch. Upon close inspection, the painting is meticulous, the wool felt appears old and the entire package exhibits a bit of soiling typical of 90+ years of storage. However, when hit with a black light, the white stitching around the star glows like lip-gloss on a Mississippi River stripper. Beautiful, but 100% fake and quite obviously made to deceive.

The detail on this WWI 2nd Division
patch is meticulous—and FAKE!

Marked “REPRODUCTION” with indelible
ink, no one will ever pay “original price”
for this fake again. By not destroying
the fake, Shrader has a baseline piece
to use when examining other
questionable painted patches.

Jeff noted that the simplest answer is to simply burn the patch. But then documentation of the forger’s style would be lost, giving him/her a clear path to perfect their production. Instead, Jeff has clearly marked the back with indelible ink and has taken meticulous, close-up photos that will eventually be available to his customers through his Web site.

The next item he shared was a Third Reich Iron Cross, First Class. The dimensions were correct. It was a multiple-piece frame and cross. However, the core was not magnetic—a sure sign that it is a fake. Again, an indelible marker noted the forgery on the back, and Jeff took photos to serve as a comparative record.

Outwardly, this WWII Iron Cross looks
perfect. The simple lack of pull on a
magnet, though, revealed that it is
a fake.

The reverse is marked with permanent
marker changing the fake into a
study piece.

In any large volume business, there are obviously a lot of items that pass through that simply just aren’t worth the time to document. Jeff devised a use for such pieces: He created a cement “Walk of Shame” in which he pressed the cheap forgeries to be entombed in a concrete mosaic for the ages.

Advance Guard Militaria has a “Walk of Shame” into
which staff members press known fake pieces of
militaria into wet cement.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?
    Have you permanently marked your fakes? I would really like to show examples in Military Trader. Send a high-resolution photo of your medals showing your marking methods to john.adams-graf@fwpubs.com. Proper credit will be noted (if so desired!)

                Keep ‘em rolling and keep finding the good stuff!
                John Adams-Graf
                Editor, Military Trader & Military Vehicles

Friday, April 10, 2009 2:28:26 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

Monday, March 30, 2009

It's Time to Call for New Museum Leadership!
Posted by john

Today, I read the headline, Departure of Wagoner Should Make Us Pause, Reflect, and Shift Gears" referring to the Government's forced removal of GM's top person. Hopefully, this attitude will spill over to museums as well and the demand for fiscal responsiblity will be made of directors, administrators and boards of directors.

Too many museums have been headed by individuals who seem to believe that fiscal responsibility does not apply to them. They expand, build and aquire without having the means to sustain the investment. Ultimately, the institutions are forced to reduce staff and service because of a director's or board's inability to pay the bills. And yet, these individuals retain their positions.

It is time for these directors and museum heads--not to step down--but be THROWN OUT! The heritage belongs to us! Take control and demand fiscal responsibility of your local and state museums. Short of that, demand that those who are running our museums out of business to step down immediately.

JAG

Monday, March 30, 2009 8:09:21 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Museum hording a dangerous threat to artifacts
Posted by John

Economic woes are plaguing public museums throughout the United States. As pension plans drain and people scramble to cover losses, institutions are laying off staff, cutting services and closing their doors.

This isn’t new, however. Publicly held museums have been struggling for survival since the 1980s. Americans have made it clear: They do not value institutional preservation of artifacts or heritage. Sure, everyone says they support museums (it’s like asking someone if they like puppies), but fewer are putting their money where their mouth is.

I have mixed feelings about this. Maybe I am not a good one to comment on the state of the museum world, having worked far too many years in various Midwestern institutions. However, it is clear to me that supply and demand rules the museum world.

Currently, the “demand” for museums is at an alarming low. Therefore, museums have tried to curtail “supply” by limiting services. For example, the State of Illinois recently announced it will shut down many of its museums. Minnesota Historical Society is poised for another massive “spring layoff” of staff.

But something isn’t working in “economy of museums”. Demand is low, so museums have lowered supply. That means demand should begin to creep up.

It is not.

The days of the traditional museum are passing fast. On one hand, this is good news for collectors. Close those museums and get the artifacts back in the hands of money-paying public! But that isn’t the way it works.

These struggling museums tend to “mothball” their collections, naively looking to the day when demand will rebound. Ain’t gonna’ happen. Yet, they would rather let historic collections rot in storage than put it back in the hands of the public.

Museum hording is not only egotistic and elitist; it is a dangerous threat to historic artifacts. Private collectors take the time to research, preserve and even display and interpret their collections. Few museums still have the resources to do that.

If a museum can’t open its doors to the public now, little is going to change that within our lifetime. Sell the goods. Get them in the hands of people who can care for, research and appreciate the items. After all, we are all just temporary caretakers of this stuff.

At a time when demand for museums would reemerge, it would simply be a matter of collecting again. The United States is a nation of savers. If a museum divests itself of its collection today, very little of it will disappear except through natural attrition (which will occur regardless of where the artifacts are kept). When, and if, the museum can open its doors and fulfill its missions in a fiscally responsible manner, the staff would have the opportunity to buy new collections. This would actually weed out redundancy and the maintenance of artifacts inappropriate to the museum's mission--both symptoms that are commonplace in so many museum collections.

Stimulating growth doesn’t mean locking the doors and turning off the lights. If museums were responsible—that is, true to their missions of preserving the past—they would do whatever it takes to care for the artifacts…even if it meant selling them.

John Adams-Graf
Editor, Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine

Thursday, March 26, 2009 6:36:10 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [6]

Friday, March 13, 2009

Some ups, some downs in militaria hobby
Posted by John

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

Friday, March 13, 2009 3:23:20 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [0]

Saturday, March 07, 2009

P
Posted by John

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.

Saturday, March 07, 2009 12:47:13 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [0]

Scenes at SOS 2009
Posted by John

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

Saturday, March 07, 2009 12:28:56 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [2]

SOS 2009, Drittes Kapital
Posted by John

Friday at the SOS,

Arrived at the Expo Center before opening to find huge lines of dealers and public to get in.

People poured in, and the sales seemed to be brisk. I talked to a number of dealers today and the recurring theme I heard was, "People are buying, but not the big dollars...rather than sales of $2,000-$3,000, the normal sales are more like $200-$300." However, none of the dealers to whom I spoke complained about the volume of sales.

A disturbing trend, however, seems to be a rise in theft. This has never been something that was a real problem at the SOS, but this year, reports to security were up considerably. I am afraid this is a sign of the times.

An upbeat thing did occur. A known, convicted felon who had been imprisoned for fraud in the military relics business and who had been previously notified that he was restricted from ever attending an OVMS event, was spotted wearing a bogus name tag and wheeling and dealing. Two security officers confronted him and informed them that they knew who he was and that he was to immediately follow them out of the building. He actually turned and RAN out of the show! You think he still has warrants out for his arrest? One can only guess! But, kudos to the OVMS for protecting its members from these sorts of people. Well done, OVMS!

Personally, I had a good day. Military Trader's ad guy, Tom Polzer spent the day talking to customers and keeping the rack filled with sample copies of MT. In fact, more than 1,100 copies were distributed! The hobby is healthy and eager for information.

Ad Man Polzer doin' what he does!

Mary Brock of Brock's Militaria taking a much-deserved break.

Saturday, March 07, 2009 12:02:52 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Comments [0]

Thursday, March 05, 2009

SOS 2009 Part Deux
Posted by John

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

Thursday, March 05, 2009 11:44:30 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

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