brandbll Posted 28 November , 2011 Share Posted 28 November , 2011 So my Great-Grandfather was in the American 138th regiment and was wounded in the Meuse-Argonne. My dad gave all of his stuff to me a couple years back. I have his company's roster, his purple heart(which is a sheet of paper, not a medal), a medal for him fighting at St Mihiel, a letter documenting his movements, his helmet, and his entire uniform w/ trench coat and a medical bag that is covered in old bood. The only thing i don't have is his boots. So i'm wondering what should i do with this? Minus the roster and "wounded during service certificate", which are framed in my room, i'm not sure what to do with the uniform and what not. I was thinking it'd be nice to build a nice case w/ glass for it because as it stands it's just hanging in a closet in a couple of bags. Has anyone ever done something like this and have some advise or even a layout to go by? Also, is this something that is worth enough money that i should have it professionally appraised? I would never ever sell it, but i'm wondering if i should get it(meaning all his things i have combined) appraised for insurance purposes in case there was ever a fire in my house or god forbid someone stole it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 29 November , 2011 Share Posted 29 November , 2011 So my Great-Grandfather was in the American 138th regiment and was wounded in the Meuse-Argonne. My dad gave all of his stuff to me a couple years back. I have his company's roster, his purple heart(which is a sheet of paper, not a medal), a medal for him fighting at St Mihiel, a letter documenting his movements, his helmet, and his entire uniform w/ trench coat and a medical bag that is covered in old bood. The only thing i don't have is his boots. So i'm wondering what should i do with this? Minus the roster and "wounded during service certificate", which are framed in my room, i'm not sure what to do with the uniform and what not. I was thinking it'd be nice to build a nice case w/ glass for it because as it stands it's just hanging in a closet in a couple of bags. Has anyone ever done something like this and have some advise or even a layout to go by? Also, is this something that is worth enough money that i should have it professionally appraised? I would never ever sell it, but i'm wondering if i should get it(meaning all his things i have combined) appraised for insurance purposes in case there was ever a fire in my house or god forbid someone stole it. The best advice I can give you is to send a PM to forum member "dutchbarge", who is a specialist in that field. Look up all his posts via 'search' and you will see lots of examples of meticulously organized uniform displays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavster1980 Posted 29 November , 2011 Share Posted 29 November , 2011 Hello brandbll Not really my area but I had a look on google searching for "military shodow boxes" and also"uniform shadow boxes" and there was some good examples of uniforms framed for display. Hope it helped Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandbll Posted 29 November , 2011 Author Share Posted 29 November , 2011 Cool, ill send him a PM. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 29 November , 2011 Share Posted 29 November , 2011 Cool, ill send him a PM. Thanks! he is definitely the right man for the job and both knowledgeable and helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wainfleet Posted 29 November , 2011 Share Posted 29 November , 2011 I agree that DB's opinion is worth seeking. But bear in mind that these things will fade if exposed to the light, so whereas it is not on display, at least it is safe. And fluorescent lighting is REALLY bad for them. The important thing is you've got it. I wish I had my granddad's uniform, but the first thing he did when he got home was burn it!! I can see his point, though. He did not enjoy the war.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 29 November , 2011 Share Posted 29 November , 2011 My uncle burned his uniform and all the clothes he was wearing when he came home - he said it was to get rid of the Lice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 29 November , 2011 Share Posted 29 November , 2011 Not second-guessing anyone, but from the limited experience I have had from 'interacting' with museums, a case is a good idea, a frame less so as the box would be big, deep and expensive. If you try to make it shallower, there is the risk of presssing the uniform and squashing it. I also think (like those football shirts you see framed) that the arms sticking out like a semaphore position looks contrived. Fully endorse the comments on lighting. You only have to look at the condition of Sir Arthur Harris' Order of the Bath robes at the RAF Museum to see the dread effect of fluorescents (that's leaving aside where moths have been at it - in the case). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 29 November , 2011 Share Posted 29 November , 2011 dutch barn knows all about the effects of lighting and the importance of storage and display conditions, which is why I recommended his consultation. He has by far the best displays of WW1 uniform that I have ever seen outside of a museum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbgvardia Posted 5 December , 2011 Share Posted 5 December , 2011 With all of my WWI items, I keep them tucked away in protective containers. I just can't find a proper way to keep them protected from light on display. I had a great camouflage brodie helmet that got completely light-faded, broke my heart! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandbll Posted 6 December , 2011 Author Share Posted 6 December , 2011 Yeah, thats sort of the feeling i had. Hopefully this Dutchbarne PMs me back at some point, i'd be interested to see waht he has to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khaki Posted 6 December , 2011 Share Posted 6 December , 2011 Also check out the thread Militaria Displayed for great examples of effective displays, it will whet your appetite. khaki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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