Soviet Regrets... or Why do we do stupid things?

[Hauptmann]

Something I've been thinking back on of late... when I first starting seeing things from the USSR and East Germany I had a chance of getting either an East German helmet... or an early Soviet helmet... the type with the comb and the flared edges. Big dummy me, for whatever reason... I chose the nice mint condition DDR helmet instead of the Soviet one, which was also in extremely nice shape and complete with the original (far as I know) liner and chin strap.

And of course the DDR helmets ended up being a dime a dozen and are still cheap whereas the early Soviet helmets quickly rose till they were out of my price range.

These are the type... one of which I could have had:

Photo by: Ssh39collector from Wikipedia... permission given on same.

This is just one "stupid" thing I've done in the hobby and have regretted ever since.

How about the rest of you... any regrets?

Dan

Edited July 23, 2010 by Hauptman

[Paul R]

I pried the platinum Lenin head off of an order of Lenin because I was told that mine had a rare maker mark on the reverse. I just had to see it. Of course, there was none.

[Claudius]

Something I've been thinking back on of late... when I first starting seeing things from the USSR and East Germany I had a chance of getting either an East German helmet... or an early Soviet helmet... the type with the comb and the flared edges. Big dummy me, for whatever reason... I chose the nice mint condition DDR helmet instead of the Soviet one, which was also in extremely nice shape and complete with the original (far as I know) liner and chin strap.

And of course the DDR helmets ended up being a dime a dozen and are still cheap whereas the early Soviet helmets quickly rose till they were out of my price range.

This is just one "stupid" thing I've done in the hobby and have regretted ever since.

How about the rest of you... any regrets?

Dan

Dan,

It could have been worse... you could have bought a DDR tunic Wachregiment "Fredrick Engels" with all the trimmings, a complete set DDR camo fatigues right down to the boots, DDR cufftitles, hats, medals and a full set of DDR qualification badges...like I did!

Now I can use them for either Halloween costumes or if I want to infiltrate a DDR veterans reunion.

[Hauptmann]

I pried the platinum Lenin head off of an order of Lenin because I was told that mine had a rare maker mark on the reverse. I just had to see it. Of course, there was none.

OUCH! But hey... from someone without a real OoL and no prospects of getting one in even the long foreseeable future at least a real OoL is a real OoL... I'd take one with a previously pried off Lenin head any day of the week, no questions asked! Keep in mind... all donations gleefully accepted!

Dan

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi Dan,

There is not enough room on this forum to list all of the stupid things I have done, and that's just if I stick to collecting.

I am reminded of how financially easy it was to purchase Thrid Reich helmets in the 1950s and early 1960s and what the prices are today. Perhaps your DDR helment will follow the same path.

Regards

Brian

[Hauptmann]

Dan,

It could have been worse... you could have bought a DDR tunic Wachregiment "Fredrick Engels" with all the trimmings, a complete set DDR camo fatigues right down to the boots, DDR cufftitles, hats, medals and a full set of DDR qualification badges...like I did!

Now I can use them for either Halloween costumes or if I want to infiltrate a DDR veterans reunion.

Now I don't this this is bad at all... depending on what you paid. If you got them cheap enough than methinks ya did good! Again all donations gleefully accepted!

Seriously though... one thing from way back then that I remember doing and NOT regretting was in passing up a complete black DDR panzer uniform. A very nice set but the guy wanted like alot. Basically I had gone to a pawn shop over in Pensacola that had been recommended by someone who had some into a shop over in Havana when I was there. He said the owner, a friend of his, was into militaria and would probably do some awesome trades. Well, we went... drove and drove and drove and finally got there, just after he normally would have closed. As it was they were playing cards there with friends if I remember correctly. I called and told them we had finally arrived and he said to come on over. So we went. He had a few nice things but nothing that really got my blood pressure up, with the exception of a late production WWII Radom, which is a fine shooter and has never failed me. I had a few pieces I'd brought for possible trade. One of them was a parade dress artillery captain's tunic. Ended up getting the Radom and what was described as a German navy mine timer (still have both) but by the time we left I felt I'd not really visited the promised land as I'd been lead to believe existed in that little pawn shop. Then to top it off on the way back we got sideswiped by a navy PO who had been getting the royal runaround by the powers that be moving him back and forth between Jacksonville and Pensacola and back again several times trying to decide for him where his ship was and when he had to be there. He was exhausted and had literally started to fall asleep at the wheel. Luckily the damage on the cars was not terrible, was covered by insurance (his was a rental from what I remember) but not a fun experience all in all.

But needless to say I'm SOOOOOOO glad I didn't trade that TR parade tunic for the black DDR panzer uniform as later those went for cheap along with most everything else DDR.

Edited July 23, 2010 by Hauptman

[Hauptmann]

Here's the mine fuse timer... never have been able to get any info on this one.

Dan

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi Dan, This is a bit so sorry for this.

As I read you last post I was thinking that I would ask if you'd post the mine fuse and low and behold you did.

I love this sort of gadgetry! Thanks so much for posting it, I'm also glad you didn't sell it.

Regards

Brian

[Hauptmann]

Hi Dan,

There is not enough room on this forum to list all of the stupid things I have done, and that's just if I stick to collecting.

I am reminded of how financially easy it was to purchase Thrid Reich helmets in the 1950s and early 1960s and what the prices are today. Perhaps your DDR helment will follow the same path.

Regards

Brian

Hi Brian,

Oh I hear you re: prices. Even when I got into things TR was still not nearly as bad as it's been these last few years. I remember when IC 2nds went for around $25 to $35, 1sts went for all of about $50 to $100 (depending on if cased or not), helmets for $50 to $100 for the common basic ones, even with nice original decals, liners, etc. Used to be able to get SA and NSKK daggers (nice ones) all day long for between $50 and $75, Army and Luft 2nd daggers for $$50 to $100 and even Luft 1sts for $150 to $200 complete with chain! WW1 EK 2nds for $10 to $25 and 1sts for $50 to $100. Those bars with the EK2/Hindenburg cross combination I could get all day long for no more than $25!!!! Even Japanese NCO swords (which I LOVE... the ones with the metal scabbards and grips) I could have gotten literally as many as I wanted at one show for $40 to $50 each and if I could have purchased all of them I'm sure I could have gotten them for even less! This was right before the Japanese got rich and started to buy stuff like this back for insane prices. You still can't generally get these for less than $300 up regardless of condition.

Oh for the good old days!

Dan

[Hauptmann]

Hi Dan, This is a bit so sorry for this.

As I read you last post I was thinking that I would ask if you'd post the mine fuse and low and behold you did.

I love this sort of gadgetry! Thanks so much for posting it, I'm also glad you didn't sell it.

Regards

Brian

See... think of asking and ye shall receive. Forgot to say my other hobby is reading minds and being omnipotent.

I also love these kinds of goodies and with my other hobby of clocks and pocket watches it was a natural. Only I wish I could find out more about it. But so far... nada.

Oh, another thing I've always regretted is listening to the "experts" who all said the 1957 awards for German vets were junk and would never be seriously collected! Boy did they get that wrong. In those days you could barely give most of that stuff away and now! I had the money back then that I could have had an outstanding collection of 57's... but I listened and I've paid the price.

What I learned... listen to the experts but then after thorough consideration follow your heart. I loved the 57's and I only wish I'd followed my heart. Been trying to make up for it ever since but it's a long road now, and a bit of a pricey one, although still not near TR prices (thank God!).

Dan

[Hauptmann]

Another stupid thing I did that I've long regretted. A friend had come over to my house one day, not too long before Kim and I got married and moved out on our own. He brought along a gift for me... a near mint, complete Japanese helmet with the original tie on the chinstrap (they're tied in a very specific manner from what I understand). His father had sent it back from the war and it was stored at his mom's house till they'd gone to clear that out when she had to go in a nursing home. He didn't want it and the son was not really intro'd but asked if he could give it to a friend and his dad said sure. So he gave it to me.

At the time I wasn't "into" Japanese militaria and a few months later I traded it off for some TR pieces. Oh how I wish I'd kept the helmet... just because it was a gift and it's generally not like me to let presents go. I regretted it almost immediately. I tried and tried to either trade or buy it back from the guy I'd traded it to but he would not let go of it. This was a guy I'd trusted and welcomed into my home as a friend on many occassions. He'd come over from St. Petersburg to show me his latest goodies (he sold at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market) and I'd end up buying tons of stuff from him. But he got greedy over time and started to take advantage of me as a new collector with money and ended up passing on some copies as originals, making deals with me he had to know were very lopsided in his favor knowing that my knowledge level was not up to his... and here he was the one that was supposedly teaching me and keeping me from the wolves. He started out that way but then he turned. I lost touch with him ages ago but sure wish I could have gotten that helmet back first as I'd still have it today if I had. And now just to get one anywhere near as nice would run me a few hundred dollars.

Sigh.

Dan

[Brian Wolfe]

Hi Dan,

Man, how many of use have been there, and done that as the popular saying goes.

I must say that in retrospect if I still had everything I had ever collected I'd need two houses just to be able to store the collection and still have somewhere to live. I sold my Lewis Gun and my 1896, red 9 broom handle mauser to my cousin and to this day I wish I had not done so. Alas, we can not go back and there are no "do overs" in life. At least you owned a Japanese helmet at one time as I owned my Lewis Gun and I guess to paraphrase the Bard, "Better to have collected and sold than to have never collected at all". I should be embarrassed to have written that considering I live 20 minutes from Startford Ontario and the Shakespearian Theater; on the other hand how can they call it a theater when they don't allow popcorn and soft drinks?

I wonder what future high-end collectables are around today for a song?

Better not to think about it too hard least we to an injury to our poor brains.

Regards

Brian

[Paul R]

OUCH! But hey... from someone without a real OoL and no prospects of getting one in even the long foreseeable future at least a real OoL is a real OoL... I'd take one with a previously pried off Lenin head any day of the week, no questions asked! Keep in mind... all donations gleefully accepted!

Dan

Crap... I forgot to reply that I was just kidding!! LOL

[2xvetran]

Well, I am not sure if I have genuine regrets, but I do miss being able to collect items from Imperial Japan. From the time I was 9 years old until my early 30s I collected uniforms, headgear, equipment, and insignia from Japan in WWI-WWII. My collection included two Army Paratrooper helmets at one time, a great variety of tropical helmets, and many rare and exotic uniforms. Here is an early scan of some of my headgear, Included are the Army Para helmets. This is circa 1990, I sold out around 2000. I think that I wouldn't enjoy the items as much these days because most can be had with a lot of $$$. In the early days no one was really interested in Japanese items and they were difficult to find but generally speaking affordable. There were exceptions of course, like para items or some Navy items. I still like looking at Japanese militaria, but lately I am back to the thrill of the chase and the process of discovery with items from Iraq (and it's much more affordable.) Scott.

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2010/post-4139-12799925999.jpg.jpg]

[meffert]

Worst thing I didn't figure out how to buy: When we were about to leave Germany in 1972, the main clock dealer through whom I had bought most of my TR items offered a complete SS general's uniform; breeches, tunic, overcoat, visor cap. Price was $1100. I was sixteen and didn't have that sort of money and my dad was working a house buy at our next duty station and didn't have a grand laying around either. Could be a significant part of my retirement portfolio now if only I had figured out a way.

Worst thing I did to a perfectly nice artefact: Bought a clean M16 stahlheim, good paint, good liner. I had my dad sandblast it to bare metal and then I krylon spray painted it black and put some cheesy Leibstandarte decals on it.

Fortunately by the time I switched to soviet militaria from german, I learned not to monkey with anything. (Although I remember passing up a pair of ORB screwbacks with documentation for $500 shortly after I started, thinking that was a bit pricey.)