The biggest mistake as a collector

[mcwirsk]

Guys

This is a topic that I am sure all of us have a lot of experiances with. I could write a book on the mess ups I have made.

I am also glad that I am not the only one who has made big mistakes.

One simple rule was tlld to me by a very old medal collector I knew. He has one of the worlds best collection of British/South African medals. He has since passed on. He told me that no matter what he overpiad for an item, he never every regretted buying something but he regretted very much the items he passed on or sold. Interesting comment.

Kind regards from a very warm and sunny South Africa

Munroe

[otlichnik]

Munroe,

Nice comments.

While I don't like to think of losing money, and I like to be able to sell or trade my stuff in the future as my collecting interests alter somewhat, the fact is that it is a hobby and not an investment for me.

Some people spend all their money on restaurant meals, drinks, cigarettes, movies, sporting events, etc. Things which are gone ater they are consumed. Much of mine goes to my hobby.

I am paying for the pleasure of the hunt, the anticipation of a new purchase arriving, looking at it, reasearching it, cataloguing it, displaying it, etc.

Shawn

[sovvisor]

You are by no means alone. In the middle of the month you find a great uniform, medal or document and the money is just enouth to the food for the rest of the month. What do you do? Starve, no question about it. Then you are a collector not an investor.
Best wishes

[HuliganRS]

sovvisor: I couldn't have said better myself!

Thank you!

Rusty.

[DougD]

...we have all said it after passing an item that we later drool over. What is you best? What one thing do you now kick yourself for passing on?

Mine was back in 1998 when a friend had a M1943 parade tunic for a Marshal of Mongolia. It was big money and I let it go. Bed dacision!

DD

[JensF.]

I saw a Alexander Newski Order about 6 years ago on a flea-market in Frankfurt for 70 DM... and I thought it was too expensive...

[Dave]

I can remember back to the first time I ever bought Soviet awards, on Izmailova in Moscow in April 1992... I found a fellow in the section with just the locals selling their goods who had a very nice selection of awards. These included common orders (a Red Star, GPW 2nd, etc.) as well as Defense (Stalingrad), Victory and Jublilee medals (all through 1988). I bought the lot for $20, and later split the lot up. I don't remember any documents, but looking back on it, with the awards there, it was most likely a single person's group that I split up!

I purchased some very nice WW2 vintage insignia as well that trip, and stored it in a cologne bottle box for the transit home. I cleaned out my bags, just in time for trash day... And realized that the box went out with the trash! Oy!

Thanks for listening. :-) What about a thread for 'your greatest deal'???

--Dave

[vikingraider1]

Well apart from the silly little mistakes that you make when you first start collecting, a freind who collects 3rd Reich militaria knew a bloke who did house clearances and repossesions. He did a house clearance on an old Russian woman whom they siad had lost her marbles and was going into an old peoples home. They cleared her house and may mate got ofered a lot of Soviet gear. He did not want it but knew I collected. He gave me a M1952 grey gnerals summer uniform for free and aid there was a bag of medals on the way. Unfortuanately (for me anyway!) the old lady refused to go to the old peoples home and moved back into her house. She also wanted her stuff back. So the medals went. One can only imagnine what sort of medals were in there and I often wonder to myself.
I did manage to keep the tunic though which had some very old "ready for defence" badges, a old type guards badge and a sports badge.

[Ed Maier]

Luckily my biggest mistake didn't involve a lot of money although it included a lot of lessons that have helped through today.

When I was a graduate student, I went to St. Petersburg and had just caught the collecting bug. There are two weasels on Nevsky Prospect near the Art Market (on the right hand side of the road if you are walking towards the Winter Palace). I forget their names but one of them wears a leather pilots helmets and they are still there today. Anyway, I asked about Soviet medals and he invited me back to his apartment (in the alley from the market). In case you are wondering, this is mistake number one, but since I was young and dumb, it sounded like an OK idea (this is a good way to die for those who still do not get it). To make a long story short, he had an Order of Glory 1st Class for $150. Being an idiot and never having seen a real Order of Glory 1st Class I jumped all over it. STUPID!!!!! I think that real one were going for $800 at the time in the US. I thought that I was getting a deal but it was a gold plated third class.

To add insult to injury, I met anouther "dealer" who said that he had a Nakhimov medal for sale for $50 because he needed the money for medical reasons (stop laughing at my stupidity!). Needless to say after meeting him at a metro station at 1 AM (another great way to die) I bought the medal and found out later that it was fake.

The point of all this is that the same mistakes are made today by alot of collectors. Although they may not be in Russia meeting people in the middle of the night, I see too many people shopping for "price" rather then "reputation." There are no more cheap deals out there. Please buy from someone that you know and trust. It might seem like it costs more in the short term, but it will save you money, heart ache and dissapointment in the long run.

Learn from my mistakes,
Ed Maier

[Chris]

Ed it is possible to get a good deal...very occasionally.

But I agree with your sentiments.

I see many a so-called bargain but due to this forum I now easily recognise the duffers.

I saw a "saving a man from drowning" medal yesterday with doc for 50 dollars.........I already have one but I think I will be greedy.

Regards Chris