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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

What's your greatest bargain?


DMcNay

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Someone in the "What's the most you've spent" thread suggested this would be the next, so I thought I'd start it.

What's the best bargain you ever got? Let's hear about those treasures you picked out in a charity shop priced at 50p...

For me, a brand new copy of "The War The Infantry Knew" for £1.50.

Non Great War related, I picked up a complete set of volumes of "The Black and White Budget" for £40 including postage.

Let's keep this to things you've actually spent money on. Presents and things you got for nothing don't count.

Edited by DMcNay
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Actual cash money changing hands - 10p (or it might have been 50p) for a Manchester City Battalions Book of Honour (I refused to accept it for free off the old lady and she wouldnt take anymore).

Other bargain - "Other Ranks" by W V Tilsley. Acquired whilst in a pub restaurant (with the knowledge of the staff, I hasten to add). So, either it cost me nothing or it cost the price of the meal for two. Either way, a bargain. And now with a good home.

John

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mac i got a set of black and white budget for a fiver,even at 40 quid you still got a bargain its a very informative set of books,plenty of pics of other ranks,bernard

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Hi All

Wear do you start I'v been collecting Manchester Regt Stuff since i was about 8 years old. And growing up near Ardwick Green Barracks I was fortunate to meet a lot of old Manchester Regt soldiers from WW1. as well as lots of my own family being in the Regt.

1. A pint of beer for a copy the Pals Book from a Manchester Regt Pal

2. £15.00 for a Pickelhaube on Tibb Street back in the days.

3. I must have a lot of trios that i never paid more then £10-15 for.

4. And the hours i spent with the old soldiers at Ardwick Green Barracks on a Sunday Drinking with Kingo priceless.

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£4 for Edgar Wallace's Kitchener's Army and the Territorial Forces. I don't know the date of the book but there is a page in it for the owner to inscribe the names of friends and relations who served King and Country in the Great War - 1914-1915.

A non-WWI bargain...24 volumes of Sir Walter Scott's works (printed in 1900) including Rob Roy, Ivanhoe, The Pirate etc for £12 at a church book fair in October.

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I guess the 33rd Divisional MGC History, by Hutchinson. £25 at an antiques fair about 20 years ago: it seemed a lot at the time, but now.....

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Bought 1st edition 'Life the Universe & Everything' (third Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy book) two weeks ago at a jumble sale for 50p that sold last night on Ebay for £200. Felt a bit guilty, so will be giving £50 to the British Legion (don't agree with organised religion, so couldn't bring myself to give it to the church I bought the book from!)...

Jim

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"The HAC in the Great War" and "The 42nd East Lancashire Division 1914-1918", both original 1st editions with extras bought for a tenner for the pair (haggled down from £25!).

D.

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Hew Strachan's book on 1914 for 1p (yes one penny) on eBay. Of course there was postage.

Spears book Liaison 1914 for 2.00 pounds.

The Advance from Mons for 20p

That is all I can remember now. I'll have to root in my bookshelves for others.

Regards

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I have to share armourersergeant's delight in a bargain set of HW Wilson "The Great War" - he was busy perusing the wonderfiul illustrations within seconds of picking up the first volume. Arm was last seen loading them onto the back seat of his car and wondering what Mrs Arm would say when she discovered that there were rather more volumes (13) than she might possibly have been led to believe and that they were rather larger than your average book. They came at a knock down price from an auction house in the street in which he grew up.

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A tatty much loved 1916 copy of Robert Service, The Rhymes of a Red Cross Man, bought for 0.35p in a charity shop. Not an uncommon book, but what makes it most special is the inscription. " This book is the property of 2481 Trooper T Shaw. Lord Strathcona's Horse. 1st Canadian Cavalry Brigade. If borrowed please return." I now have a copy of his attestation papers. The book provides tangible remembrance and is very evocative. Tim

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Chris McCarthys 'Passchendaele - The Day-by Day Account, for £3.99 in a Dublin remainders shop two years ago. Apparently you can't get it now.

Dave

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The Monthly Army List for September 1919 which I bought via Ebay for less than 10 GBP. It was rather disbound and tatty, but now rebound it looks great. I was happy that it was helpful to several here at the forum.

Cheers,

Wienand

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  • 4 weeks later...

Mint condition "History of Cheshire Home Guard" for 50p at a car boot fair. Virtually unused, all the gilt finish to the Cheshire badge and book title are complete.

Graham.

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Medal Rolls 23rd Foot - Royal Welch Fusiliers Napoleonic Period that lists all those present at Waterloo, Officers, NCO's and other ranks with biographical details bought for a fiver in an Antiquarian bookshop and low priced 'cos it was water damaged, but still perfectly legible and readable (and if anyone wants a look up please PM me) Lots of interesting biographical detail for those listed, where and when born, occupation and where they attested/enlisted. Found some of my husbands ancestors in it and helped loads of others in various places

Caryl

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'50 Amazing Stories of the Great War' bought for 5 or 10p about 30 years ago. Maybe not the cheapest in real terms but the greatest one because it started of the whole interest in WW1.

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A few years ago I bought British Aviation Squadron Markings of World War I (normally priced at ₤55) from a UK bookseller, whose name resembles that of a South American river, at the bargain price of 55 pence. The postage was about twelve times the price of the book, but it was still a bargain!

Gareth

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A tatty much loved 1916 copy of Robert Service, The Rhymes of a Red Cross Man, bought for 0.35p in a charity shop. Not an uncommon book, but what makes it most special is the inscription. " This book is the property of 2481 Trooper T Shaw. Lord Strathcona's Horse. 1st Canadian Cavalry Brigade. If borrowed please return." I now have a copy of his attestation papers. The book provides tangible remembrance and is very evocative. Tim

This post reminds me of a genuine "In Memoriam" card I once saw that read "...died fighting with Lord Strathcona's Horse". I couldn't help but raise a smile.

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I just got a copy of Honours and Awards Navy Army and Air Force 1914-1920 nwhich deals with officer awards during this period. 980 pages for £15 and they only have one copy on ABE for £78.00

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  • 8 months later...

Thought I'd bring this thread back to lifewith one I got on Saturday.

At the National FamilyHistory Fair, I bought a copy of the Lloyds Bank War Memorial book for £3. The woman behind the stall then asked me if I wanted to buy the original book.

£5 for the book, even if it was in terrible condition.

Lucky I bought the book too, the scans on the CD are terrible quality.

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"Montrose" by Ronald Williams brand new first edition for 95p was a stunner for me many years back.

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Marquis De Ruvigny Roll of Honour by The London Stamp Exchange. Leather bound De Ruvigny's produced in the 80's, limited to 100 copies. Way before N&MP version and far far better quality, not difficult, but a cracker of a book.

And all for £10

Andy

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Peter Barton's Battlefields of the First World War.

£50 in the shops. £15 on the web. Result. :)

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