As The Clash once asked, “Should I stay or Should I go?”
  
Being a successful collector must be able to deal with two collecting issues: Most have mastered the first: the ability to make decisions. The second issue that a successful collector must face is the ability to deal with disappointment.
   
In regard to decisions, this isn’t a tough issue for collectors to master. Unless funds are unlimited, a collector faces choices everyday. They must consider whether an item is worth the price and is it appealing enough to sustain or increase in value over time. (The latter is not important to all collectors. Take, for example, the Beanie Baby collector (BBC). During the mania of about 10 years ago, the die-hard BBC bought every new release regardless of the sustaining value of the item. It didn’t slow most down. Finally, over supply by the manufacture killed the market.)
   
The second issue that a successful collector must face is the ability to deal with disappointment. Personally, this is a very hard one for me. If I have been bidding on a significant WWI photo or Tank Corps items and lose it, I am distraught. Sometimes, the sickness is so bad, I question if I should collect at all. Over the years, I have learned to deal with the disappointment knowing that, in time, the same item — or a similar one — will come up for sale again.
   
Shockingly, the collector scene does not revolve around me or any other individual. Yet, the hobby is very “me-ocentric”. When I collect, I am focused on satisfying my own needs. My concern for other collectors, I am embarrassed to say, doesn’t stretch that far. Apparently, I am not the only one afflicted with this reaction!

“If I go there will be trouble...”
    During the past few weeks, I have been inundated with calls, letters and emails from military vehicle collectors in Wisconsin and Minnesota who are distraught over a scheduling conflict between the Iola Military Vehicle Show and the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) International Convention in August 2009. The vehicle collectors are dismayed that such a conflict could exist and have reacted from threatening boycott to simply hanging up in disgust.

    (Just an aside before going on...Whereas I am flattered that folks think I have sway in the dealings of the Iola Old Car Show, Inc. (the owners of the Military Vehicle Show), the truth of the matter is I am located about 600 miles from their office and have precious little contact — let alone influence!)
   
The Iola Military Vehicle Show is my favorite MV show of the year. I am able to do a lot of my cover and calendar photography at the show, I know most of the vendors and reunite with many friends. However, the MVPA Convention is the top military vehicle event in North America.

    I haven’t been able to decide which show I will attend.

“This indecision's bugging me..”
    In my effort to decide my summer show schedule, I decided to ask some questions. I spoke with some MVPA directors and was reminded that in the larger collecting scheme, the conflict doesn’t impact a majority of the MVPA’s members. Folks in California, Alabama, Italy or Germany would not have been going to the Iola event no matter when it was scheduled, but they would go to the MVPA Convention whenever and where ever it was held. I can appreciate that. Whereas it smacks of “big business”, it does make good fiscal sense that the national convention take precedence.

    Next, I contacted the Iola Old Car Show office. Below is an excerpt from the very friendly reply I received from Mary Schwartz, the event coordinator:

    “I have had conversations with past participants, vendors on concerns about the show and conflicting dates with MVPA. Regrettably our 2009 Iola Vintage Military Show does fall on the same date as the National MVPA this year.  When MVPA Convention was held in Minnesota, we changed our date. Now it happened again. The convention is on our event show date.”

    We do have a problem with moving the date because of advance advertising that has been done and we also have signs as you enter Iola that informs the public of the event being  held annually “2nd weekend of August”.  Another dilemma for us is there are events going on in our area the two weekends before and two weekends after which then will give us problems with motel accommodations, spectators and volunteers.

    We do know that this year might not be attended by many MVPA folks but we have to carry on and stay with what is scheduled and make the best of it. Sorry, it isn’t what you’re going to like to hear but we have appreciated your concern and support in the past and for the future.”

    Mary’s comments helped me gain some perspective. Of course, I am not —nor is any other collector — going to change the schedule of a regional or national show. Especially this late in the game. Those kind of scheduling changes are made years before the event.

    What is left to a guy like me are those two fundamentals: Making a decision and dealing with disappointment. The Clash probably said it better, “Should I cool it or should I blow?”

Greetings,
    “Jeep in the crate.” In our hobby, that one phrase causes more eyes to roll than Kelly’s Heroes’ Oddball declaring, “Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves.” Not being one to stir the negative waves, let me simply state, if WWII jeeps are still in the crate, they are sitting on the bottom of the Atlantic or Pacific.
    Okay, okay, so the “jeep in a crate” is a bit of an urban legend. Yes, jeeps were shipped in crates. Yes, those crates were warehoused. And yes, even some of them may have been sold after the end of WWII. But mention that you heard about a secret warehouse stacked with endless rows of Willys MBs or Ford GPWs and you won’t get a diehard MV guy or a militaria collector to put down his McMuffin and look you in the eye. Most folks in the hobby recognize that the “jeep in a crate” is more myth than fact.
    However, the 21st Century does offer a new version of this story—and this one is more reality than urban legend. For years, the U.S. military has been selling big trucks—2½-ton “deuces” and 5-ton cargo trucks—for a fraction of what the trucks originally cost. Today, someone wanting an “army truck” can search the government auctions and, for a couple of grand, come away with a heck of a deal.
    For example, at a recent Government Liquidation auction, drivable 2½ ton M35 6x6 trucks sold for as little as $4,500. The U.S. government paid around $40,000 for each of these! Maybe a deuce is a bit bigger than a jeep, but that is a lot of truck for $4.5K.
    All that said, don’t let me deter anyone from looking through those warehouses for crates of military surplus. It’s still out there. Jeff Shrader of Advance Guard Militaria just located a few crates of or WWI and WWII T-Handle shovels. Okay, maybe that isn’t the coolest thing, but man, just to find and open a box of material originally destined for Pershing’s doughboys had to be pretty darn exciting! Click over to Jeff’s site at www.advanceguardmilitaria.com and check them out in the “U.S. Militaria Early Through WWI” and "WWII" categories.
    Keep opening those crates...if you find some goodies that have been forgotten to history, drop me an email. We all love those “jeep (or any other militaria) in a crate” stories!

    We military collectors are a funny breed. We love the uniformity of columns of troops, the fielding of battalions of identical trucks and the mass production of equipment capable to defeat an adversary. And yet, what we all strive for in our collecting efforts is to find that one “unique” item—an M1 helmet just a little different from all the others, the 6x6 truck that is unlike any other 6x6 or the Iron Cross made with a variation different from the other million or so Iron Crosses.
    I recently had a note from someone wondering if I could determine if their WWII jeep was one of the 200 or so “Holden” ambulance jeeps that were re-bodied in Melbourne, Australia during WWII. His reason for asking was because all of the items that would readily identify a jeep as one of these rarities were not on his jeep!  
    I was dumbstruck...how could anyone prove that a jeep was something it did not appear to be by not having the features that would make it such? What motivates a collector to discount the fact that he may simply have one of 640,000 some odd Jeeps built during WWII and try to make it into something “grander?”
    Therein, lies the answer. Collectors (and I am one!) are a special breed. Sure, the history behind the object is the prime motivator, but so is the “hunt” and the “kill.” It’s no fun to have something that everyone has. So, in my collection I have an Iron Cross on which the recipient’s engraved his name and unit. My US WWII mountain jacket came with a stack of photos and documents from the trooper who wore it. And my WWII khaki ammo bandolier has a period note in one pocket that says, “I wore this when I went ashore at Normandy.” Even though an Iron Cross, mountain jacket and an M1 bandoleer are all relatively common items, they are special to me because they have a “little bit more” than the next guy’s example of the same. They have stories.
    It is the “hunt”—be it looking for clues on a jeep body or digging deep in the pockets of a WWI tunic that discovers and preserves the stories unique to the soldiers who used the equipment we collect. The stories are what we can pass on to the next generation of collectors.
    And what about the “Holden hopeful?” Well, it was back to the jeep and look for more evidence...evidence that could be seen: weld marks, modifications or anything else that would help put the story back with the artifact. I hope he finds it! But no matter, he will discover the stories that his WWII jeep has to tell.

    Keep em rolling and finding the good stuff,

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

    I do the vast majority of my collecting either via the Internet or at shows. It is rare anymore that I make “collector-to-collector” deals. But, every once in a while, a collector approaches me with a pretty cool AEF Tank Corps item or WWII 10th Mountain Division piece with the idea I would like to add it to my collection.

    After determining if I want the item, naturally the question is, “How much?” At shows this isn’t a problem—if the item is priced, I decide if I want to buy it. If it isn’t priced, I walk away (I don’t play that dealer game anymore!). With online purchases, it is never a problem. I either bid what I am willing to pay, or I buy it outright, depending on what sort of sale venue is offering the piece. However, I was reminded the other day, what collector-to-collector deals can be like...especially if the other guy is an “old-timer!”

    After being shown a nice Model 1917 with a Tank Corps insignia painted on the camouflaged surface, I asked, “How much?” The response was, “Whattya got to trade?”

    Pardon me?  What are you, six years old?

    I said, “I have a pocket full of cash. How much of it do you want to “trade” for the helmet?” But no, this person wanted me to either dig into my collection and pull out an item, or become his personal shopper, buying items in the hope that he would want to “trade” his helmet for them (and if he didn’t, I would simply be stuck with the item).

    Come on. “Trade?” That is a real “old-school” approach to collecting. It smacks of swapping marbles on the playground. Want to trade? Here is my trade offer: I give you cash, you give me the item. You use the cash to go buy whatever you want. Everyone is happy.

On a happier note...

    I didn’t get the helmet, but things seem to happen for a reason. This week, I was able—after many years—to purchase an original “Treat ‘em Rough” recruiting poster. WWI fans will recognize this as the iconic symbol of the AEF Tank Corps. Glad I had plenty of cash to “trade” for it!

    Right after that deal was consummated, I ran into an identified Tanker’s uniform complete with gas mask and leather jerkin. Again, the fellow who offered it, wanted to trade—for a small bushel basket full of Benjamin Franklin portraits (just those found on $100 bills). The “trade terms” were acceptable to both parties and the deal was made.

Looks like 2009 is going to be a good book year!
    I am fortunate to live close to a fairly prominent militaria dealer, so between his library and the books that are sent to me, I am blessed with seeing a lot of the newest releases. Two have really caught my eye this year.

   
    Many of you are familiar with Government Issue Collector’s Guide by Henri-Paul Enjames. Well, I was sitting out at Advance Guard Militaria when an advance copy of Volume 2 arrived in the mail. My GOSH! It is just as good as the first volume except that it contains about twice as many artifacts in the same high-quality photographs with accurate and informative captions. The copy was just the vanguard of the direct shipment that arrived later in the week. Advance Guard is offering them cheaper than anywhere else I have seen—$45 a copy.
   
    The other book that has me excited is Deutsche Soldaten: Uniforms, Equipment & Personal Items of the German Soldier 1939-45, by Agustín Sáiz. This volume is going to do for German WWII militaria what GI Collector’s Guide did for US WWII. Done in a similar format, the book shows a myriad of gear, uniforms, weapons and personal items used by the typical German combat soldier. Published by Casemate, the book carries a $55 price tag, but again (in what I am seeing as a trend to buck the Amazon-dominance book pyramid), Advance Guard is blowing out there allotment at $35 copies. Advance Guard’s ad is on the inside back cover of the February issue of MT (at the press as you read this) or check them out at http://www.AdvanceGuardMilitaria.com
  
 (Some folks might get sore that I am hyping one dealer, but I am collector at heart—if I find a righteous good deal on books, I am going to let my buddies know about it! If you have a sale...and I mean a real sale—that is, as good or better prices than on Amazon, let me know. I really want to keep the small book dealers in business. They are our best source for the obscure titles that Amazon will never touch. Have a deal that collectors will love? Let me know! Better yet, do like Advance Guard did and take out a full-page ad in Military Trader.)

SPEAKING OF GOOD PLACES TO BUY...
    In my late-night online searches for interesting militaria deals, I stumbled into a pretty cool source right in my own “back yard!” Did you know that the Military Trader/Military Vehicles web site has “Dealer Storefronts”. I didn’t!

    Several dealers have put together an “online” mall of businesses. You really should go peruse the “aisles”. The Ruptured Duck, War-Toys, and Government Liquidation all have storefronts. Like any good antique shop, though, these storefronts aren’t the easiest to find. Look down the left center of the opening page under the “Classifieds” banner. You will see the storefronts there. Or, simply click this link to go directly to the “militaria district”

    Well, that’s about all ol’ JAG has to say this week. I am on “the move” again, but just down the street. Office was getting to full of uniforms!
    Remember, the Show of Shows is just a little over a month away. Start shaking the piggy bank!

Keep finding the good stuff,

    I do the vast majority of my collecting either via the Internet or at shows. It is rare anymore that I make “collector-to-collector” deals. But, every once in a while, a collector approaches me with a pretty cool AEF Tank Corps item or WWII 10th Mountain Division piece with the idea I would like to add it to my collection.

    After determining if I want the item, naturally the question is, “How much?” At shows this isn’t a problem—if the item is priced, I decide if I want to buy it. If it isn’t priced, I walk away (I don’t play that dealer game anymore!). With online purchases, it is never a problem. I either bid what I am willing to pay, or I buy it outright, depending on what sort of sale venue is offering the piece. However, I was reminded the other day, what collector-to-collector deals can be like...especially if the other guy is an “old-timer!”

    After being shown a nice Model 1917 with a Tank Corps insignia painted on the camouflaged surface, I asked, “How much?” The response was, “Whattya got to trade?”

    Pardon me?  What are you, six years old?

    I said, “I have a pocket full of cash. How much of it do you want to “trade” for the helmet?” But no, this person wanted me to either dig into my collection and pull out an item, or become his personal shopper, buying items in the hope that he would want to “trade” his helmet for them (and if he didn’t, I would simply be stuck with the item).

    Come on. “Trade?” That is a real “old-school” approach to collecting. It smacks of swapping marbles on the playground. Want to trade? Here is my trade offer: I give you cash, you give me the item. You use the cash to go buy whatever you want. Everyone is happy.

On a happier note...

    I didn’t get the helmet, but things seem to happen for a reason. This week, I was able—after many years—to purchase an original “Treat ‘em Rough” recruiting poster. WWI fans will recognize this as the iconic symbol of the AEF Tank Corps. Glad I had plenty of cash to “trade” for it!

    Right after that deal was consummated, I ran into an identified Tanker’s uniform complete with gas mask and leather jerkin. Again, the fellow who offered it, wanted to trade—for a small bushel basket full of Benjamin Franklin portraits (just those found on $100 bills). The “trade terms” were acceptable to both parties and the deal was made.

Looks like 2009 is going to be a good book year!
    I am fortunate to live close to a fairly prominent militaria dealer, so between his library and the books that are sent to me, I am blessed with seeing a lot of the newest releases. Two have really caught my eye this year.

   
    Many of you are familiar with Government Issue Collector’s Guide by Henri-Paul Enjames. Well, I was sitting out at Advance Guard Militaria when an advance copy of Volume 2 arrived in the mail. My GOSH! It is just as good as the first volume except that it contains about twice as many artifacts in the same high-quality photographs with accurate and informative captions. The copy was just the vanguard of the direct shipment that arrived later in the week. Advance Guard is offering them cheaper than anywhere else I have seen—$45 a copy.
   
[BE: INSERT deutsche Soldaten.jpg]
    The other book that has me excited is Deutsche Soldaten: Uniforms, Equipment & Personal Items of the German Soldier 1939-45, by Agustín Sáiz. This volume is going to do for German WWII militaria what GI Collector’s Guide did for US WWII. Done in a similar format, the book shows a myriad of gear, uniforms, weapons and personal items used by the typical German combat soldier. Published by Casemate, the book carries a $55 price tag, but again (in what I am seeing as a trend to buck the Amazon-dominance book pyramid), Advance Guard is blowing out there allotment at $35 copies. Advance Guard’s ad is on the inside back cover of the February issue of MT (at the press as you read this) or check them out at http://www.AdvanceGuardMilitaria.com
  
 (Some folks might get sore that I am hyping one dealer, but I am collector at heart—if I find a righteous good deal on books, I am going to let my buddies know about it! If you have a sale...and I mean a real sale—that is, as good or better prices than on Amazon, let me know. I really want to keep the small book dealers in business. They are our best source for the obscure titles that Amazon will never touch. Have a deal that collectors will love? Let me know! Better yet, do like Advance Guard did and take out a full-page ad in Military Trader.)

SPEAKING OF GOOD PLACES TO BUY...
    In my late-night online searches for interesting militaria deals, I stumbled into a pretty cool source right in my own “back yard!” Did you know that the Military Trader/Military Vehicles web site has “Dealer Storefronts”. I didn’t!

    Several dealers have put together an “online” mall of businesses. You really should go peruse the “aisles”. The Ruptured Duck, War-Toys, and Government Liquidation all have storefronts. Like any good antique shop, though, these storefronts aren’t the easiest to find. Look down the left center of the opening page under the “Classifieds” banner. You will see the storefronts there. Or, simply click this link to go directly to the “militaria district”

    Well, that’s about all ol’ JAG has to say this week. I am on “the move” again, but just down the street. Office was getting to full of uniforms!
    Remember, the Show of Shows is just a little over a month away. Start shaking the piggy bank!

Keep finding the good stuff,

Happy new year!
    What will be the hot military items in 2009? I am no Nostradamus, but I will put my neck out and make a few predictions:

1.    In military vehicles, lots of WWII jeeps will be hitting the market. Two factors will cause this: The failing economy will force many to part with superfluous toys. Those that bought their Jeeps at the right of the OD rush of the late 1990s will be in for a shock...prices have settled back down and a fully restored GPW or MB sells for $10-$15K instead of the $15-$18K of the last few years. The other factor is the “aging of the hobby”. Many of us are getting up in years and maintaining a GPW or MB is not as enjoyable as it once was. M151s are easier for old guys to drive, so many are considering trading in the OD for the Semi-Gloss.

2.    Early slat grilles and GPs will continue to hold value but not as many will go to non-U.S. buyers as in the past couple of years.
 
3.    Prices of large, softskin MVs will be dropping a bit. Due to high fuel costs, demand for large MVs has seriously declined. Simple economics here: Supply is the same, but demand goes down equals lower prices to make the sales.

4.    Civil War market will continue to remain flat. Until dealers realize that the one-time crazy days of early ebay are gone and that common relics like cartridge boxes, belt plates and canteens aren’t selling for what they once did, the Civil War market will continue to stagnate. Like all markets, quality identified items will hold their value and actually climb. The common stuff, though, is going to fall in price if people actually want to move the items.

5.    Common German WWII items will have a boost in value. This will be a direct result of the new book, Deutsche Soldaten by Augustin Saiz. It will do for German WWII collecting what GI Issue did for U.S. WWII collecting.

6.    The Stolen Valor Act will rear its head again. The legislation was never altered from its original anti-collecting stance. It is just waiting for a zealot to employ it against collectors.

7.    Vintage Class III weapons like Thompsons, MP-40s and MG-08s will experience a value spike. Factors behind this include an ever-decreasing supply and a less-than-friendly-to-firearms administration. Hang on to your Chauchat, boys...it’s gonna be worth more by the end of the year.

8.    Collecting ordnance will gain a wider audience. As the likelihood of owning an 81mm mortar or a 75mm field gun becomes less for the average collector, they are going to turn to collecting the projectiles. The variety is wide, the cost is low—the perfect ingredients for collecting enthusiasm.

9.    Military collectors will buy more books than usual. This isn’t so much a prediction, but rather, a trend that I have seen during previous economic downturns. A bad economy usually means that folks are spending less on their collection but turn to magazines and books to satisfy their desires. It should be a good year for publishers. It will also be a good year for readers, because writers and advanced collectors will be settling down to complete long-overdue research projects attention to serious writing.

10.    And finally, my most “out there” prediction for 2009? A new web site will emerge for military collectors to buy and sell. As ebay moves away from being collector friendly, a new medium for buying and selling military relics will emerge and gain the strength and confidence of the hobby. I don’t know what that site is, but I am certain several will attempt to fill the role and by the end of 2009, one will have emerged as the obvious new choice for serious collectors.

    That is all I see in the crystal OD ball right now. I would be curious to read what other soothsayers might predict to be hot military collectibles in 2009. Use our “comments” section below to make your own predictions for 2009 or to share your views on the ones I have made.