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I plan to be there Saturday and am looking forward to catching-up with you then. Hope there's enough parking close by so I don't have to ditch the truck down by the tanks ;-).
"We are Marching for the Victory of Communist Labour"
V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin)
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See you all on Saturday. :thumbsup
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Earlier today (5-25-13) I attended the Ft. Lee Military Show for the first time. I had a blast… great show, wonderful location; altogether a very worthy effort by the organizers. I’ll certainly go again next year, and I’ll probably have a table of my own then as well.
I primarily went to hook up with two good friends, Kevin Born (one of the show’s organizers- thanks Kevin!) and Ralph Pickard (author of “Stasi Decorations and Memorabilia, Volumes 1 and 2”), as it has been a couple of years since I saw them last. A wonderful reunion ensued, along with some minor buying and selling on my part. Great way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning and early afternoon.
Insofar as content, most of the vendors dealt in artifacts from multiple countries and the country that had the most items on display/for sale was the US. Wars covered began with WW1, although I did see reunion items from the US Civil War. There were a couple of US vendors who also had a smattering of Third Reich items, and a couple who also had Eastern Bloc awards. Kevin and Ralph’s tables were the only tables displaying East German militaria.
The highlight of the day was Ralph’s sharing two unbelievable groupings he has acquired… and when I say “unbelievable”, well, you can certainly take that to the bank. The first group is that of a Hungarian State Security agent who retired a Colonel in the mid ‘70’s. In this group, Ralph has been able to acquire this gentleman’s awards from his own country, which include awards from both the Rakosi and Kadar periods and the documents that go with them; Bulgarian awards and associated documents; East German MfS (“Stasi”) awards and their documents; Soviet awards and their documents including the highly coveted “Outstanding Member of the MOOP” (in absolutely pristine condition) and KGB 50 Year award badge. Also with this group, is a Hungarian classified award document that, by virtue of it not having a copy distribution number, may be the sole copy of that particular document, and an interesting pass that admitted this gentleman to all secure areas in the event of an emergency- a sort of “get out of jail free” pass. There were other documents, such as his retirement document, as well. Suffice it to say I have never seen a grouping so impressive and so complete… then Ralph showed me the next case.
This next group was that of an Armenian KGB agent (rose to Lt. Colonel) who was posted, for obviously a good little while, in Afghanistan. 24 awards with documents (for all but, I believe, 2 of the awards), including the Soviet Order of Personal Courage, Soviet Order of the Red Star, Afghan Orders of the Red Star (2), Afghan Order of Glory, Afghan Orders of the Star (1st and 3rd Class) and Afghan Medal for Valour… this guy saw more than his fair share of action. I have never this many Afghan awards in one place, let alone with nearly all the documents TO ONE INDIVIDUAL. I know that Ralph took a lot of time (and money) to get these groups together so completely and they really are beyond amazing. Such collections allow you to go past the individual medal, as impressive and desirable as it may be, and actually get an insight into the life and career of the individual who achieved these awards. Genuine history. And, what probably goes without saying is my appreciation to Ralph for sharing this with me. Strike two from the “bucket list”.
A great day. :thumbsup
"We are Marching for the Victory of Communist Labour"
V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin)
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Greg - It was very good to see and talk with you about Warsaw Pact medals and documents. Thanks for your comments from your last post, much appreciated and glad to know you saw some interesting items.
Kevin was for sure busy during the show and he did a great job in getting it set up and ready for the vendors and others.
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The US Army Quartermaster Foundation is sponsoring the 3rd Annual Fort Lee Military Collectors Show at the US Army Quartermaster Museum. This event takes place during Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 24, 2014, 9 am to 2 pm and is free to the public. It is located in the Quartermaster Museum at 201 22nd St, Fort Lee, Virginia.
All proceeds from the rental of vendor’s tables and concessions will be donated to the US Army Quartermaster Foundation which is non-profit, tax-exempt, educational organization dedicated to support of the US Army Quartermaster Museum and the preservation of Quartermaster history.
This is Central Virginia’s only military collectors show. It features the selling, buying and trading of an assortment of historical militaria antiques and related collectibles from all time periods and countries. This includes antique Military Uniforms, Medals, Helmets, Flags, Badges, Field Gear, Photographs, Documents, Patches, Books and more.
Boy Scouts who wear their uniforms to the show will be eligible to receive a limited number of New Collector Kits of military insignia which support the requirements for the “Collecting” Merit badge.
Attending this event will be the general public, militaria dealers and collectors from all over Virginia as well as neighboring states. Military collectors seek to save items to preserve the memory of our veterans and their outstanding service to our country.
The show’s organizers are all veterans who recognize the incredible contributions and sacrifices of our military, past and present. Visitors to the show are also encouraged to tour the museum.
There will be directional signs to the museum for visitors who should enter the post through the Sisisky Boulevard Gate. There is free parking adjacent to and behind the museum.
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Anyone attending Show of Shows in Louisville, KY?
