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

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