Obtaining Militaria.

[Stephanie]

I am starting my collection of WW1 items (original only!) but the only place I know that I can buy some original items is eBay, so what im basically asking you is ;

do you know any websites (preferably uk-based so i dont have to pay a fortune on shipping!) where I can

buy original ww1 militaria and battlefield relics?

also, is there any places that you'd reccomend for finding ww1 militaria?

kind regards,

Steph x

[chaz]

your hunting starts for convenience at ebay, then speedbid. both online auctions.

following on from that its specialist militaria fairs, antique shops and carboot sales. finally and not really recomended is to grab a shovel...

really apart from ebay all you can do is check out Mark Carter militaria fairs http://www.milweb.net/dealers/trader/markcarter.htm or web forums like this one where people can advise.

couple of rules, if its ebay check sellers feedback , bid what you can afford and set a max and when you receive make sure you are happy and its not a repro. if you go to a shop (antique) have a good look in daylight.

there are a couple of sites on the web and books available highlighting dodgy repros.

Trench art is a funny thing as well, much was done after the war as there was a surplus of items and labour, families had to earn a few pennies where they could. A good guide is ..if it looks too good as in ( machined or metal beat marks identical depths diameters etc) then its probably after the fact.

http://www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/saunders.htm

[Peter B]

Hello Steph. There are a number of military fairs around the country that are worth a look, will give you a rough estimates on prices and you may pick up a bargin . The nearest one to you would probably be 'The Scotch Corner Militaria Fair' @ the Scotch Corner Hotel, North Yorkshire on 24th September.

Regards

Peter

[lassuy]

If you are looking for German stuff, you might want to give this a try:

http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/utah/894...sale/index.htm#

Shipping wasn't bad, even all the way over here to the States, and I highly recommend the seller---no repros or fakes here.

Good luck, collecting militaria is fun, exciting, frustrating, and satisfying all at once!