Free Updates
Navigation
Categories
| March, 2010 (2) |
| February, 2010 (2) |
| January, 2010 (2) |
| December, 2009 (3) |
| November, 2009 (2) |
| October, 2009 (2) |
| September, 2009 (2) |
| August, 2009 (2) |
| July, 2009 (3) |
| June, 2009 (2) |
| May, 2009 (2) |
| April, 2009 (2) |
| March, 2009 (8) |
| February, 2009 (7) |
| January, 2009 (6) |
| December, 2008 (2) |
| November, 2008 (2) |
| October, 2008 (2) |
| September, 2008 (3) |
| August, 2008 (1) |
| April, 2008 (1) |
| March, 2008 (1) |
Search
Archives
| | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|
| 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
More Links
|
 Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Let's stick together and keep rolling
Posted by John
Greetings,
I have been wondering about how our hobby will change in the
new year. It took some time, but by the end of 2009, the faltering economy
caught up with militaria and military vehicle collectors. This was good for
those who were in a position to continue pursuing their hobby, but it made
dealers scramble to come up with ways to bolster their sales. I was impressed
with a number of businesses that posted sales on their web sites, had special
reduced shipping charges or other incentives to keep customers buying.
It is no secret that during these economic downturns,
bargains are to be had. In my own collecting, I have benefited from other
collectors deciding to downsize and turn loose of items I have coveted for many
years. Just recently, I was fortunate to buy a significant collection of WWI
photos of various allied soldiers. It was a big investment, but I recognized
that the opportunity may not come again anytime soon.
Sales and liquidations aside, though, what trends can be
seen in the hobby? First, and foremost, I have seen movement in the historic
military vehicle arena that will allow many to drive something big and green
for a very reasonable investment.
What’s the future for military vehicles?
2008 and 2009 were tough years on MV owners...first the gas
prices jumped to highs never imagined, and then the economy faltered. Folks who
had a lot of money tied up in heavy iron considered down-sizing their
collections. All of a sudden, a lot of WWII jeeps, post-WWII deuces, larger
trucks and even tracked vehicles hit the market. As was to be expected, the
early offers of vehicles for sale were at the “price invested” or even more.
But the customers didn’t step up to make the purchase. The OD bubble was about
to burst.
Looking through the classifieds in Military Vehicles this evening (Click here to see the classifieds online]), I saw some real obvious trends: The prices of WWII
jeeps has dropped from an average high of $12,000-15,000 for a fully restored
post-1942 MB or GPW in 2007 to around $10,000-$12,000 today. Furthermore—and
still the best value in the MV market—M35 series deuce-and-halves can be had
for $4,500 and up today. This is about $1,000 cheaper than they were selling
just two years ago!
How will this affect the hobby? It should be great...folks
who have always wanted to own a historic military vehicle have some great
buying power. This will bring new people into the hobby, who of course, will
need parts, manuals, equipment and gear to go with their new vehicles.
But what about the guys who were forced to sell their
vehicles at a price lower than they had invested, due to the economic crunch? I
don’t think they are leaving the hobby, but hopefully, are refocusing their
interests. MV guys are some of the nicest and most caring in the hobby, and I
will bet if one collector falls on hard times, he has a buddy or two who will
be more than happy to welcome his comrade into the garage to pull wrenches, go
on a trail ride or drive an extra vehicle in a parade.
So whatever your current economic state of affairs might be,
the MV hobby is large and friendly. If you know someone who is downsizing their
collections, be sure to share your enthusiasm with them and let them know they
are still welcome at rallies, club meetings and road events. Just because they
may have sold their jeep or deuce doesn’t diminish the value they lend to the
hobby. Let’s stick together to keep keep these historic military vehicles
rolling as a tribute to the veterans who originally relied on them.
John Adams-Graf
Editor, Military Trader and
Military Vehicles
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 6:25:47 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
|
|
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A Fort Apache Christmas
Posted by John
Greetings,
I was a privileged kid when it came to parents, family and support of my interests. Once a year, my good fortune evidenced itself especially at Christmas. It had to be hard for my parents to deal with a little military history freak, but they never tried to stifle my interests.
For example, my sixth Christmas stands out for a few reasons. My belief in Santa was still entrenched in my young mind, all of my brothers and sisters were still at home and it was the first time I had money of my own to use for shopping.
The latter was obtained by working at my Dad’s store. During the week, Dad paid me to carry pop bottles to the basement. As I recall, the pay was based on the number of six packs or eight pack bottles. On Saturdays, it was my job to sort the pop bottles. (Of course, my own daughter may not even understand this not having ever drank from a returnable, glass pop bottle!). I would keep track of the bottles on a chart that we kept in the butcher department. One week after tallying my bottle count, Dad would pay me in cash. Coincidentally, these payments came right before he and I walked to the bank to make the store deposit, so it was only natural that I wanted to start my own bank account.
But, with some cash held back for Christmas shopping, I was prepared to go shopping on my own for the first time ever. In our little town, all the stores were open on Friday nights until 9:00 PM. So, on a Friday before Christmas, I took my shopping money out of my toy bank that I kept in Dad’s “office supply” cupboard in our home, and headed downtown. First stop was our own store where I tried to buy two O’Henry bars for my mom and a corn cob pipe for my dad (a tradition that is still honored every Christmas in our family). Dad didn’t charge me for these gifts, so I still had money in my pocket.
Dad told my older brother Joe to take me across the street to the Coast to Coast hardware store. Ross and Margaret Johnson who ran it were good friends of my folks. Ross had been in the Navy during the war, so I liked to show him whatever new military stuff I had. In turn, he showed me any new military models or toys that they stocked for the holiday. That year, he had a small display of military vehicle and airplane model kits. As I recall, they were packaged in a sort of “matchbook” type of box. I picked out a WWII German half-track with Nebelwurfer for my brother Jim.
I didn’t find anything else at the Ross’ store, but something did catch my eye…a set of two plastic buckboard wagons just about the right size to go with the Fort Apache about which I had written to Santa Claus. If Santa acquiesced to my request for the Fort playset, these two wagons would be great additions to the plastic outposts inventory. My brother Joe agreed that it would be the right size (I was always a very ‘scale conscious’ kid when it came to my toy soldiers). He reminded me, however, that I was shopping for my family, not myself. So, we left the Coast to Coast. He went back to our store and I walked to the end of the block and went into Rice’s Pharmacy.
My dad’s cousin, Margaret Ernster worked there so she was quick to engage me in conversation. After I told her how much I had to spend and who I needed to buy for, she helped me select a little tin jewelry box for my sister and a Green Bay Packer’s magazine for my brother Tom. I still had a few dollars (if my memory is correct, I began this shopping spree with about $12.45) and had to get a gift for my brother Joe.
Joe was the middle brother of five kids. He was also the jock of the family with a natural talent for most anything ranging from building things and hunting to cracking jokes and sports. He was also the family’s consummate collector. Like many collectors, he went through phases, and when he was in a “phase” he was obsessive. His current obsession was collecting pennies. So with that in mind, I crossed the street to Sprague’s bank and asked to purchase two rolls of pennies.
With everyone covered, I found myself with money still in my pocket. And of course, the whole time, like any other six-year-old kid, I had been thinking about Santa and the prospect of him bringing me a Fort Apache playset. After all, I had drawn a very clear picture that I enclosed in my letter to him. As if to assuage any doubt in the old man’s mind about my intention, I tore the page out of the J.C. Penney catalog where I saw the playset, circled the Fort in red crayon and used black to cross out everything else on both sides of the page. I had covered my bases well. Santa should have no doubt about what I wanted.
But, a new quandary presented itself. I discovered the twin wagon set at Coast to Coast after I sent the all important letter to the North Pole. Santa had no idea how neat the wagon set would be passing through the plastic wooden gates into the Fort’s safety from pursuing Apache Indians. But, my brother Joe knew, and he agreed how cool it would be to have the wagons if Santa delivered the fort. So, convincing myself that Joe wanted the wagons as much as I did, I went back to Ross’ store, pulled the set off the pegboard rack and returned to the register to make the purchase. I explained to them how it was for my brother Joe. I wasn’t trying to convince them as much as I was myself.
When I returned home that night, I needed help wrapping my presents. My sister Celine was eager to help, but I made her leave the room when I wrapped her box. When it came to the wagons, I explained to her how they were for Joe. I don’t think she was any more convinced than Ross had been at the hardware store. But, we wrapped it and put Joe’s name on the present.
It was that time of Christmas glory when the giver carried the presents to the living room to place under the tree. Because everyone watched television in the same room, it was the giver’s decision whether to make the deposit in secret or to the fanfare of an audience. I chose the latter. I wanted all my brothers and sister to know that I had bought presents for them; after all, it was the first time I had done that. In my mind, it showed how grown up I was. I placed all the presents under the tree and my brothers either feigned interest or ignored me entirely, depending on their own personal demeanor. It did not escape anyone’s notice, however, that Joe had two presents from me.
At long last, Christmas eve came, and with it, Midnight Mass. I didn’t make the connection until probably twenty years later, but Dad always left Midnight Mass after the Gospel was read. At the time, it struck me odd (everyone was instructed to go to the bathroom before we crossed the street from our home to our church), so I didn’t know why Dad left. I never questioned, though: more important things were on my mind by the end of Mass. It was officially Christmas morning!
It was after 1:00 a.m. when we would finally return to our home. And yet, no one was tired because we knew Santa would have made his delivery.
As anxious as I was to see what Santa had brought, I had to make a detour to our rabbit hutches behind the house. If the animals could all speak at midnight on Christmas Eve, maybe they would still be talking. I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask them and was not going to miss this once-a-year opportunity.
But, the rabbits were both sleeping and not talking. Crestfallen, I went into our house through our back door. As I climbed the steps up the landing to our kitchen, I was reminded that Santa had been there! So I burst through the kitchen and went straight to the living room.
Sure enough, the old red-suited one had been there! The base of the tree was covered with presents. Tom, the oldest brother, got to be Santa’s helper, and started passing out the gifts. Mom opened her O’Henry bars, Dad tried out his pipe, Jim looked over his model and Tom thanked me for the Packer magazine. Joe liked his pennies but was puzzled by “his” wagon set. I reminded him how cool it would be if Santa brought me a Fort Apache. He went along with the explanation as Tom pulled a big box out from behind the couch…I knew it was for me…I knew what was inside.
The only thing better than having big brothers is probably having a little brother. All three of my brothers left their own presents to join me on the floor as I opened the box. Each one assumed a role in assembling some aspect of the Fort. We showed each other cool aspects like the black cannon that fired little projectiles, the detail of the soldiers’ weapons and the tin, litho-printed officer’s quarters with a tower that could accommodate a sharpshooter. The four of us put it together and quickly set up the first defense of Fort Apache from attack.
Joe opened up “his” wagons and drove them into the midst of the ongoing battle between cavalry soldiers and Apaches. Safely passing them through the gate as my brother Tom fired a round from the cannon into the pursuing horde of plastic Natives, Joe rolled over and quietly told me that I could play with his wagons any time I wanted.
The other week, my partner and I were out shopping for Christmas presents for our own kids. We went into a toy store that, in addition to a full stock of current toys, also sells vintage toys. In the back of a case, I spotted the litho-printed, tin building that composed the back wall of a Fort Apache playset.
Being a collector at heart, I immediately started plotting how I could purchase this building to begin reconstructing the playset of my sixth Christmas. It took a few minutes before I realized that I wasn’t interested in collecting MARX playsets or even reassembling a vintage Fort Apache, but rather, was experiencing a strong motive for so much collecting: Nostalgia. I was not as interested in the playset as I was in recapturing the feelings from that sixth Christmas.
It’s been more than twenty years since I last saw my brother Joe. But, as I stated at the beginning of this blog, I am a privileged kid. Not only did I grow up in a “Christmas Story” sort of hometown, I have been blessed with the power to recall many good memories of my brothers, sister and parents who nurtured the goofy interests of the “baby of the family”.
Find warmth in the season and embrace it,
John A-G
Editor, Military Trader and Military Vehicles Magazine
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:26:19 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Private ownership versus public sentiment
Posted by John
Greetings,
Recently, Cowan’s Auction offered a silver tea service salvaged from the U.S.S. Arizona. Even though owner Wes Cowan touted the set as one of the top 10 auction highlights of 2009 with an estimated sale price of $15,000-$20,000, he bowed to pressure from U.S. Navy lawyers and withdrew the items before the sale commenced.
Let’s look at the facts:
• The items were salvaged during the war by Navy diver Carl Webster Keenum, who apparently kept the items while recovering remains, weapons, oil and other debris from the sunken ship.
• President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the creation of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in 1958. Its construction was completed in 1961 with public funds appropriated by Congress and private donations. The Memorial was dedicated in 1962.
• The Arizona Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. While the actual wreck of the U.S.S. Arizona was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989, the Memorial itself does not share in this status. Rather, it is listed separately from the wreck on the National Register of Historic Places. The joint administration of the Memorial by the United States Navy and the National Park Service was established on September 9, 1980.
So there you have it...the silver from the Arizona was salvaged by a diver during the War, long before the sunken ship was declared a national cemetery or a memorial. The silver is not unlike most other relics brought home by veterans. It just so happened that it came from a place that later became sacred in our nation’s collective view.
The question that seems apparent is this: “Should private ownership be trumped by popular sentiment?” What if a WWII Jeep found in a barn belonged to General Patton? Should the finder be compelled to hand it over to the government? What if, through research, a gun collector discovers the Colt .45 a soldier snuck into his duffle bag was the pistol Col. James Earl Rudder carried when he led elements of the 2nd Rangers up the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. Should he be forced to return it to the government? Should souvenirs pulled from a wreck that turned out to be WWI flying ace Frank Luke’s airplane not be allowed to remain in private hands?
The government operates under the thought that they own all of it unless you can prove transfer to private hands. Most collectors quietly acknowledge that proof of transfer from the government is generally lacking on the vast majority of what we collect, but with the lapse of 60 years, the Feds are unlikely to bother coming after anyone.
So why did Cowan pull the silver set? In a statement, Cowan said the gallery had withdrawn the items and urged the Keenum family to donate them to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. However, Mr. Cowan is no fool when it comes to business. The potential commission on the sale would be a little over $5,000 (both buyer and seller commissions on the low estimate of $15,000). Surely he considered that amount to be too small to warrant facing the world of fallout had he proceeded with the sale.
Navy spokesman, Bill Doughty, said lawyers were reviewing the matter, explaining that "U.S. Navy craft and their associated contents remain the property of the U.S. Navy unless expressly abandoned or title is transferred by appropriate U.S. government authority." Property rights are established in the U.S. Constitution and international maritime law.
With that sort of comment from the Navy, I can understand why Cowan decided not to fight! But the implications to the health of our hobby are resounding. His recommendation to “donate them to the U.S.S. Arizona” is a slap in the face of all his customers. If the Memorial wants the items, they should have stepped up to the plate and bid just like any other collector.
John Adams-Graf
Editor, MT and MVM
Wednesday, December 02, 2009 10:28:34 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
|