Hitler's Third Reich and World War II in the News is a daily edited review of WWII news, providing thought- provoking collection of hand-picked WW2 information.

Category: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria  -- See latest WWII news here. See also 'SS Daggers', 'Relic Hunters', 'Relics of nazi leaders', 'Nazi Memorabilia'.

Tom Jantz's militaria collection is an effort in patriotism, education
Tom Jantz started collecting militaria when he was 6 years old. He can't explain his attraction for all things military - it may be because his uncles fought in World War II. He owns 150 military books focused on past wars, and stacks of old newspapers showing headlines of major conflicts - and part of his collection is on display at the local library. Majority of the items in his collection - which includes helmets, small metal figures, dioramas - was found at antique stores. "We can learn from history and from past conflicts. We should study them so we can learn how they can be avoided."     [ candgnews :: 2008-04-03 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Militaria collectors meet on Lakeland to buy, swap and sell WWII items
Military memorabilia collectors from all over the state were on hand to buy, swap and sell items at the 6th annual Military Collectors Show in Kirtland. Selling posters from the 1940s and 1950s was Corporal Joseph Lesniewski, who was in E Company, 506th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Their story was recorded in Stephen Ambrose's book "Band of Brothers," which was also made into a mini-series. George Robinson sells American and German militaria, for sale now: a WWII arm band for $3500.     [ zwire :: 2008-03-29 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Antiques appraisal: WWII Memorabilia: It takes research to find out the values
For Bob Connelly, co-owner of Bob & Sallie Connelly, an antiques, auctions and appraisal business, work is nothing if not an chance to be a lifelong pupil: "Every day you learn something completely new." An auction in April will feature a collection of German World War II memorabilia and militaria. The collection (worth $100,000) includes swords, daggers, medals, holsters and other items worn by Nazi officers and WW2 military personnel. Appraising the collection was labor intensive: "It takes considerable research to come up with the values."     [ pressconnects :: 2008-03-24 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Council bans militaria trader from selling Nazi memorabilia
District Council chiefs have banned market trader John Stokoe from selling Nazi memorabilia, because of fear of complaints. Robert McMullem explained Stokoe was free to sell military collectables, as long as it was not Nazi items which could cause offence. "That is most of the stuff I sell. So there's no point being there without it," said Stokoe, who had run the stall for 2 years, and had only one complaint: from a member of the council. There was only one SS flag and an armband with a swastika, among a stall full of items like medals and books. Stokoe often attends memorabilia fares, where large amounts of Nazi items and his stall trade has not drawn criticism before.     [ sunderlandecho :: 2008-02-12 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Book: Betcha didn't know that - 101 Antiques and Collectibles trivia...
A book by Leon Castner and Brian Kathenes takes the stodgy out of the collecting and antiquing business, and puts in a pile of trivia. In spite of the fact that we all use the word "penny," the U.S. Mint has never minted a coin for which that is the official name. Much of the work and history of all the porcelain produced in Dresden and Meissen was ruined in an Allied bombing raid during World War II. In a single night, most Dresden decorating studios and historical documents were demolished. The porcelain painting business never fully bounced back. The coat General George Armstrong Custer wore when he was killed at the Battle of the Little Big Horn was sold for $104,655 in 2002.     [ nj :: 2008-02-09 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Collectors can find an Iron Cross medal, but watch out for fake relics
The Nazi war medal seemed so authentic it could fool an obedient soldier of the Third Reich. But F. Patt Anthony, a vendor of military relics, rotated the Iron Cross against the light, and declared: "When you see this swiveling pin, always be suspicious. That's just typical of ... what they make today." The traveling flea market has enough uniforms, canteens, compasses, watches, medals, helmets, bayonets and firearms to stock a military museum and outfit a unit to defend it. In the world of antiques, replicas and forgeries abound. Fellow sellers defer to Anthony as the high priest of military memorabilia, and collectors often pass his table to ask if they've been bamboozled.     [ newsobserver :: 2008-01-06 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

WWII memories in collectibles: Panzer uniform from the Battle of Kursk
Article no longer available from the original source.
When Dan Crews was 15, he swapped $20 worth of baseball cards for a World War II uniform. It was a German Panzer uniform (worth $1200) worn at the Battle of Kursk, a major German offensive on the Eastern front. He bought his first WWII collectible, a German eagle patch worn on a soldier's uniform, for $2 when he was 12. Crews now has a collection of 400 pieces of memorabilia; it includes American and German combat uniforms, US Army 'Ike' jackets and an M1 Garand rifle. For collectors of WWII memorabilia the war has never really ended: they scour auctions and flea markets to find posters, badges, uniforms, helmets... or a Luftwaffe general's dagger - for $9,995.     [ nytimes :: 2007-11-19 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

David Tallichet, WWII pilot and aircraft collector and restorer dies at 84
David C. Tallichet Jr., a World War II bomber pilot who made his money building restaurants and often spent it preserving warplanes, a hobby he once called "foolish" for its expense but which turned him into a leading collector of the aircraft, has died at 84. "There is no other person in the country who is so singularly responsible for the preservation of these aircraft. He saved the aircraft for another generation, but he also used them to pay tribute to those who flew them," said Gary Lewi. As recently as July, Tallichet flew his B-17 Flying Fortress to an air show and was honored as the last World War II combat pilot who was still flying the rare aircraft.     [ latimes :: 2007-11-12 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Militaria collector: Some people collect coins, I collect tanks
William Warren has always loved military memorabilia, he remembers his uncle giving him his first souvenir: "He gave me an old German helmet." His collection of military items has grown since then. Warren has uniforms, patches, miniature dolls, war posters, ration cards, several military vehicles he's restored, ranging from a paratrooper bicycle to an M-43 ambulance. "I've always been an avid history buff. Guns, uniforms, everything has a story." Warren's collection of military items is so extensive and his knowledge of military history is so exhaustive that he's even been asked to help out on a few movies, like on "Saving Private Ryan."     [ hickoryrecord :: 2007-10-09 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

The National Soldier Factory - Military surplus and Army-Navy store
National Soldier Factory owner Karl Anderson spends many of his days surrounded by flak vests, steel helmets, bayonets and fatigues. As many military surplus and Army-Navy stores fade away like old soldiers, he forges ahead, surrounded by artifacts reaching far back into military history. His customers are re-enactors, collectors, paint-ball enthusiasts. One man sifted through Army field manuals about booby traps and guerilla warfare. Two students sifted through old uniforms. Anderson likes to keep military gear "nonpartisan" - keeping the Nazi stuff to a minimum. His family owns an American flag that flew over Pearl Harbor during the WWII attack there.     [ eveningsun :: 2007-10-03 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

World War II Collector: Adolf Hitler Photo Marks World War's Start
A bunch of sour-faced men in suits in a black and white photo by Heinrich Hoffmann are standing around another who is gesturing excitedly. It's an unremarkable snapshot but for Darrell K. English it's the smoking gun. Why? Because the man who's gesturing is Adolf Hitler. Among men are rarely photographed Gestapo head Heinrich Mueller, SS leader Walter Schellenberg and Martin Bormann. English says the photograph was taken Aug. 22, 1939 - 10 days before the invasion of Poland. It's the day World War II began in Europe, the day that Hitler called his commanders to the Berghof, to tell them that months of German mobilizing were about to unleashed.     [ iberkshires :: 2007-09-23 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

The largest selection of Winston Churchill books and other collectibles
Mark Weber might fill the bill. He operates a business called The Churchill Book Specialist - described as "the largest selection of Churchill books and other collectibles anywhere." "I've got at least 10,000 books in stock," says Weber, who left his career to turn his passion for all things Churchillian into a lucrative business. His inventory includes multiple editions of 75 works by Winston Churchill and more than 400 titles about Churchill: the larger-than-life soldier, politician, author, orator and artist who led Great Britain boldly through the days of World War II.     [ kvoa :: 2007-08-14 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Firearms collector Ryerson Edward Knight could go to prison
A collection of more than 600 guns could be forfeited and Ryerson Edward Knight who compiled it could be headed for prison. Patrick Weir has called for a 3-4-year prison sentence, the maximum 10-year prohibition on owning any firearms and forfeiture of the weapons. Weir said the huge volume of weapons, which court heard were stored improperly created a public-safety hazard. The machine guns included a Thompson submachine gun with a round revolving magazine and a Kalishnikov assault rifle with bayonet. Defence counsel Adrian Brooks asked the court to consider how the collection of guns, many of them of historical significance, could be made available to a museum.     [ victoriatimescolonist :: 2007-08-12 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Bomb alert after war memorabilia collector posts 4 WWII Grenades
An Ebay militaria collector sparked a bomb alert by sending WW2 grenades through the post. Royal Mail Screening staff spotted the grenades and called in Army bomb disposal experts. The devices were examined, turning out to be duds. The Royal Mail: "Items giving the appearance of a prohibited weapon, even if incapable of being used as a weapon, will be intercepted and may be destroyed." An eBay spokeswoman said: "Grenades may not be listed... However, such items will be permitted if they are a relic, curio, memorabilia, or display item that is filled with a permanent inert substance or ... altered in a manner that prevents ready modification for use as a grenade."     [ dailyrecord :: 2007-07-13 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Man selling Third Reich militaria, swastika flags, defends himself
Nazi memorabilia, including swastikas, daggers and anti-semitic DVDs, is openly on sale in Newry market. However, the man running the stall claims he has not received any complaints and remained defiant in the face of suggestions that the material is offensive by many. While he was adamant that he sells military collectables, the stallholder admitted that he specialises in Third Reich related material. These included a large swastika flag, a number of swords and daggers, German uniforms and helmets, Italian fascist insignia from the 1940s, US military badges, posters and prints of Nazi leaders.     [ newrydemocrat :: 2007-07-12 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Sword collector keeping skills sharp - restores blades, owns hundreds
Sword restorer Harunaka Hoshino slides his finger along a blade wielded by a Samurai centuries ago. He angles the blade at 45 degrees and rubs it along a wet block of stone. "Oh, it's getting sharp. It can shred the paper. This is ready to go to war." Within the first 2 years as a sword collector, he has amassed 11 swords. He's amazed that many of them can be traced to their swordsmith: "There are certain swordmakers who had a style." During World War II, his family was interned and ordered to turn over their swords. The swords were then destroyed and thrown into an outhouse. "Out of respect to the sword, I had it restored so it wouldn't deteriorate further."     [ insidebayarea :: 2007-05-16 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Collector in Europe returns with a Bag back from Battle of Bulge
Henry J. Roth cheated fate in 1944 when swollen feet earned him a seat on a train to an English hospital, weeks before his Army division was pounded by advancing Germans in the Battle of the Bulge. 63 years later, a faded relic from his foxhole arrived at his home. It didn't take long for Roth to recognize the bag: It had once contained some of his Army gear and a picture of his wife. He had left it with the other members of the 395th Regiment of the 99th Infantry Division in a foxhole. He would never have seen the bag again were it not for Pierre Godeau, a collector of war memorabilia who has returned nearly two dozen items to American veterans.     [ baltimoresun :: 2007-04-29 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Military collection from a defunct aircraft museum may have home
Joey LeRouge has been trying to find a home for the big chunks of military history he has stashed throughout south Louisiana. Defused bombs, an aircraft gun turret, airplane parts and two Navy bombers. The collection, an inheritance from a defunct military aircraft museum, is stuffed in barns, hangars and wherever else military enthusiasts can find space. Collection may soon have a home at the Chris Crusta Memorial Airport in Abbeville, where construction is expected to begin on the Louisiana Military Hall of Fame and Museum. The first phase is a hangar facility: an area to store and repair military aircraft, tanks, trucks, weapons and war memorabilia.     [ 2theadvocate :: 2007-04-12 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

40 years building a unique collection of military memorabilia
Gary Hullfish has spent the last 40 years building a unique collection of military memorabilia, but the Stolen Valor Act is causing him to rethink. He has being collecting military medals since he was about 12yo. The first medal he bought was a Bronze Star Medal in its original box for $8. "I still have it. I don't part with much." Laid out are various medal groups, swords and other items, all with a story. On one wall is the framed Purple Heart of Harold F. Trapp, a U.S. Navy man who was killed on Dec. 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor onboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma. Like many military medal collectors, he has focused on obtaining the military medals of local war heroes.     [ zwire :: 2007-02-26 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Collectors of American Military Medals Hear "Death Knell"
The Stolen Valor Act placed penalties on those who falsely claim to have risked their lives in the military and to have been awarded medals. After the bill was introduced some looked at the language spelling out how the law would accomplish its purpose. They were horrified: A literal reading would ban all sales of military medals. It outlawed the wearing of medals by those not authorized to do so, and the buying and selling by everyone except the original recipient of all medals and badges. "The law sounded pretty much a death knell for collectors of military medals," said Darrell English, who has a over 10,000 piece collection of World War II memorabilia.     [ maineantiquedigest :: 2007-02-16 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

One of the largest sales ever held of works attributed to the Hitler
They came from England, from Estonia, from Russia and from the US. A group of elderly men, young businessmen, and Russian oligarchs of various ages. Nearly all male, nearly all pretending to be someone else. They avoided the cameras and barely spoke to the media. All of them had a lot of money, all of them denied having any sympathy for Nazism or the Third Reich, and all of them came to this village in England for one reason: to buy paintings by Adolf Hitler. Commerce in collectors' items from the Second World War - including items that belonged to the leaders of the Nazi Party, works of art by Hitler, weapons and uniforms - is now flourishing as never before.     [ hrtz :: 2006-10-09 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

WWII films could fire up the market for memorabilia, Militaria
The last time military collectors really got jazzed about old medals, helmets, and bomber jackets from World War II was a dozen years ago. Some even bought Sherman tanks and vintage planes. Now, two new films seem likely to stir up WWII fever again. Flag of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood's epic on the battle of Iwo Jima and a 7-part Ken Burns documentary. You can build a collection on any amount: At the high end are collectors such as Rendell, Paul Allen and Jacques Littlefield, who has 225 tanks and other military vehicles. At the other end, posters, postcards, and magazines can be had for a few dollars. Bayonets, helmets, and tunics start at $50.     [ bw :: 2006-09-22 :: Nazi Memorabilia, collectibles, militaria ]

Military collector first-class -- Helter's Military Relics
It's a hidden treasure for collectors of military memorabilia. Or maybe just those with a History Channel obsession. Half-emporium and half-Smithsonian, Homer Helter's Military Relics Store is a maze of authentic items from America's greatest conflicts - the Civil War, World War I and the mother of all wars, World War II. Items range from $30 pins worn by German enlisted men to a full SS general's uniform valued at close to $50,000. A Nazi medal sits on display at Homer Helter's Military Relics Store. Several of the glass cases in Helter's store are connected to members of the Third Reich.     [ naplesnews :: 2006-07-26 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Poland producing replica nazi uniforms and Third Reich flags
Berlin presses Poland to close production of replica uniforms, weapons, flags and symbols of the Third Reich. There is a certain irony that Poland is the centre of a thriving post-Nazi industry. Bans don't stop the stuff being manufactured and pouring across the border from one country to another. One factory near Poznan makes swastika flags, swastika-bearing steel helmets, SS runes and the most popular item of all: copies of the standard-issue shirt worn by Wehrmacht soldiers in World War II.     [ theage :: 2006-07-11 :: American and Nazi Flag in War ]

WWII collection of War memorabilia pays respect to vets
Phil Mullins who collects war memorabilia, thinks younger generations stand to learn a lot from the men who defended our country during World War II. He shows his respect by preserving as many artifacts and stories from the WW II era as possible. Mullins, 45, has spent more than $50,000 collecting memorabilia, including 4,000 books, 400 original propaganda posters, medals, flags and letters. Mullins' most prized artifact is a piece of roofing tile from a building destroyed in Hiroshima.     [ www. :: 2006-05-25 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Nazi merchandise vendors and collectors face hard times in Russia
The Russian authorities are cracking down on manufacturers and vendors of Nazi memorabilia and symbols. A new law provides for imposing of more severe fines and confiscation of goods. In particular, individuals involved in illegal manufacturing and sale of the above items will be punished by a fine. The recent stringent regulations seem to have impacted on the Moscow flea markets. You can not find any Nazi insignia in stalls. "Here's an antipersonnel hand grenade and here's a helmet of a slain kraut, it's shrapnel-pierced, I'm selling the stuff at a discount!" calls out Sasha, a collector, at the Izmailovo flea market.     [ pravda :: 2006-04-23 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Family offered more than $1m for Victoria Cross
A world record price of more than $1 million has been offered for the double Victoria Cross awarded to New Zealand military hero Charles Upham during World War Two. Only three people have been awarded two Victoria Crosses, which is likely to make it very attractive to collectors. Captain Upham's is the only one awarded to a combat soldier.     [ .stuff.co.nz :: 2006-04-18 :: WWII Medals & Most decorated Soldiers ]

The Nazis: A lucrative industry of Nazi memorabilia
The trade in Nazi memorabilia is an international, multi-million dollar business involving dealers and collectors from countries across the world. Although three European countries (France, Germany and Austria) have banned the sale or display of such material, the appetite for it remains as strong as it has ever been. One U.S.-based site is offering a full Nazi concentration camp Jewish prisoner's uniform, at $1,275. While site based in Britain, has a catalogue containing a Nazi battle flag ($333) and a Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ($5,449). Prices for truly rare items -- an SS Honour dagger -- can sell for tens, and in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars.     [ cnn :: 2006-02-07 :: Nazi Memorabilia, collectibles, militaria ]

Yahoo loses Nazi memorabilia case
A US appeals court threw out a bid by Yahoo to win immunity from paying fines imposed by a French court over the firm's online sales of Nazi memorabilia. Yahoo had sought to bar two Paris-based rights groups from seeking to enforce two earlier French court orders imposing fines on the internet firm in the US over sales of Nazi items. The groups wanted to stop Yahoo from allowing the sale of Nazi memorabilia, at least to French internet users, which breaks a French law banning the circulation of Nazi symbols.     [ iafrica :: 2006-01-13 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Ban blocks Nazi military souvenirs
Internet auction site TradeMe's refusal to allow members to sell Nazi memorabilia has prompted one of its biggest sellers to switch to a new auction site so he can keep dealing in Nazi bayonets, military badges, helmets and caps. "We get a number of people who are unhappy with that decision, but if you have a Waffen SS insignia for sale to pin on your shirt we just do not want that on our site," O'Donnell said.     [ stuff :: 2005-11-20 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Nazi items and relics: repugnant or historic?
Nazi memorabilia are becoming more accessible because World War II veterans and others who lived in the era are dying, leaving the artifacts behind, experts said. The market is so lucrative, counterfeiters are forging copies. From secret police squad helmets to Hitler Youth daggers, the market for such memorabilia is in high demand, experts say. Restrictions on how much of it can be sold overseas and via online auction house eBay mean sellers must rely on traditional swap meets and curio shops.     [ PE :: 2005-11-06 :: Collectors, Memorabilia and Militaria ]

Signed Mein Kampf first edition sold for 23,800 pounds
The book, which was sold to an anonymous buyer at Bloomsbury Auctions, was expected to fetch up to £25,000. It was sold on behalf of a collector and was part of a lot of signed postcards and other stationery from high-ranking Nazis. The work - which translates as My Struggle - became the bible of National Socialism in Hitler's Third Reich. Originally called Four Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice, it was first published in two volumes. The book which was auctioned is the first volume, written when Hitler was in Landsberg prison after the abortive Beer Hall Putsch of 1923.     [ bbc :: 2005-06-15 :: Mein Kampf & The Second Book ]

See also

'SS Daggers'

'Relic Hunters'

'Relics of nazi leaders'

'Nazi Memorabilia'.

What's new - recent & interesting categories.

Although the articles linked from Adolf Hitler's Third Reich 1933-1945 and World War II in the News are reviewed and specially selected, they do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, who is not responsible for the content of any external sites. This service is © Joni Nuutinen 2005-2008. All rights reserved.