ssggates Posted September 29, 2014 Share #1 Posted September 29, 2014 As a collector my interests have evolved some over the years. As I learn more and become interested in other militaria fields I have begun to contemplate the previously unimaginable idea of selling my collection to reinvest in a new field of interest. Limited space and funds make it impractical to simply keep what I have and start something new. Surely others have experienced this conundrum. Once you sell there's no turning back. How did it go? Did you regret it? Would you do it again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USdog Posted September 29, 2014 Share #2 Posted September 29, 2014 Used to collect TR and switched some years ago to US items. Sold everything off TR and haven't regretted it since Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsystem4 Posted September 29, 2014 Share #3 Posted September 29, 2014 I haven't just up and sold my whole collection to fund another one but I have sold some items from my militaria collection to fund my other hobbies, make space for new items as my focus has been refined and to make the best use of the space i have. I sold all my WWI web gear to purchase a vintage 1960s fender guitar amp 5 or 6 years ago. Sometimes I miss the stuff but playing through that amp usually cures me of that feeling. -Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
empireguns Posted September 29, 2014 Share #4 Posted September 29, 2014 I knew a guy who sold everything because of his new interest, bad thing was it was hookers and blow. Didn't keep them long either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted September 29, 2014 Share #5 Posted September 29, 2014 I knew a guy who would constantly do this. He was a TR collector. Collect daggers for a few years, sell it all, collect hats for a few years, sell them all, etc, etc I really think he enjoyed the hunt more than the accumulating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
History Man Posted September 29, 2014 Share #6 Posted September 29, 2014 I collected coins for a few years and used my collection to build up a small TR collection. I was then bit by the US bug and sold everything TR that I owned, I too have not looked back since. If we look even more into it, I collected uniforms/field gear for a long while and switched to collecting medals and medal groups. I have slowly been selling off that portion of my collection to help fund my medal collection. Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted September 29, 2014 Share #7 Posted September 29, 2014 Some of the best collections are owned by people who do exactly this: their spouse or general finances may not allow them much money for collecting so they make it pay for itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 29, 2014 Share #8 Posted September 29, 2014 I've sold off more collections than I care to think about... Started collecting US uniforms in 1986. Switched (not entirely, but just mostly) to TR in 1989. Sold off my TR collection to fund a trip to Russia in 1992. Started collecting British Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force upon my return from Russia. Sold that off to buy Soviet medals in 1995. Collected Soviet medals until 2005. All the while maintained a significant US collection (around 200 uniforms at one point) to help with funding Soviet medal purchases. Started collecting Russian Civil War uniforms in 2005. Switched to Russian Civil War unit banners in 2006. Sold those to start buying Czech Legion and WW1 US Army uniforms in 2007. Concentrated solely on US Army WW1 uniforms from 2008 onward. Ended up with 140 ID'ed uniforms and groups...filled up five closets with groups and a 10x18 room with uniforms. Sold those in 2009 to buy a 1929 Ford Model A. Bought a second one the same year. Sold my first Model A in 2010, my next in 2011. Used my empty garage space for a train layout. Sold off all of the trains a couple months ago... I've always had a smattering of militaria that's meant a lot to me that I've hung onto (99% of it US). That's all I have now and that's all I ever plan on having, unless there's something that comes up for sale that I just "can't live without." The nice thing is that these days with the internet, you can build a new collection in almost any subject area "on the fly" if you know what you're doing and have the cash to do it. The other nice thing about dabbling in all of these areas is that I've gotten to know a lot about a lot of military collecting areas, which comes in handy from time to time! In the end, I'm very happy to have enough militaria to fill up two displays and that's that. My WW1 collection became so stifling and controlling that it broke me of being an "accumulator". What I own now has personal meaning to me...I've hunted enough to have experienced the "thrill of the hunt" and can appreciate it when others get the same feeling. But being an accumulator...I can't go back to that anymore. I enjoy the freedom of not having ownership of a quantity of stuff to specialize in the "quality" of my own typically-esoteric areas of interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasonK Posted September 29, 2014 Share #9 Posted September 29, 2014 I use to collect comics and sold them all to make room for my son as well as fund this hobby. Ironically, militaria takes a lot more space, but does display a lot more nicely compared to 15 long boxes of comics. My only regrets; selling my almost complete run of Uncanny X-Men (going back to # 2). Took me forever to buildup and was one of my favorite comics as a kid. The other; selling my complete run of The Walking Dead (1-70), right after they announced the series. Needless to say, I sold it for nothing and today, issue 1 fetches over $1000. The complete run, a few grand. I liken it to being an Airborne/Ranger collector and selling your collection right after Spielberg announced he was making a WWII flick about some fella named Ryan. I do, however, often consider selling my collection so I can focus on one aspect of militaria.....I just have yet to figure out what to focus on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASTAUFFER Posted September 29, 2014 Share #10 Posted September 29, 2014 I sold my entire collection of WWII German memorabilia (The losers of WWII) to invest it all in US Memorabila (The winners of WWII) when I was 18 and that was 30 years ago. I have never regretted it. I also sold my comic collection at the same time. That I do regret, especially selling the copy of Superman #4 and Captain America Comics #9 (Timely Comic from the 40's) that I had. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAW Posted September 29, 2014 Share #11 Posted September 29, 2014 I sell off things occasionally....I collect first; deal second...but reality is you can't keep everything all the time. The only time I was ready to sell "everything" was during a family health emergency. Under those circumstances, everything is game. Otherwise...it's about selling off extra stuff and smaller stuff to get more bigger stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrei Posted September 29, 2014 Share #12 Posted September 29, 2014 I sold my entire comic collection (french edition of Marvel) to fund my US WW2 collection when I was a teenager. Sold my entire US WW2 collection in the early 90s to start collecting VN. Sold my French Indochina/Algeria collection a couple of years ago to focus on US/Aussie VN. Sold my Australian VN collection this year to focus on US only. And I am currently selling my GI.Joe and Action Man collection. I will keep my childhood figures and the ones given to me by my friends. The only things I bitterly regret to have sold are my WW2 M-1 and M-1C helmets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baker Posted September 29, 2014 Share #13 Posted September 29, 2014 Used to collect TR and switched some years ago to US items. Sold everything off TR and haven't regretted it since What he said..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted September 29, 2014 Share #14 Posted September 29, 2014 The only time I was ready to sell "everything" was during a family health emergency. My EGA collection paid for an emergency car repair (aren't all car repairs "emergencies?") and I shed a tear when I ran across a photo of it on my computer the other day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmoore456 Posted September 30, 2014 Share #15 Posted September 30, 2014 I knew a guy who would constantly do this. He was a TR collector. Collect daggers for a few years, sell it all, collect hats for a few years, sell them all, etc, etc I really think he enjoyed the hunt more than the accumulating I know someone like that also. If he had something you wanted you had better be there on the spot when he decide to sell it, even though you had spoken of an interest in it. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmoore456 Posted September 30, 2014 Share #16 Posted September 30, 2014 Used to collect TR and switched some years ago to US items. Sold everything off TR and haven't regretted it since Same here. Sold all except the items that came directly from the veteran. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBFloyd Posted September 30, 2014 Share #17 Posted September 30, 2014 I sold off an extensive collection of WWI unit histories and regretted it as I was driving home. Over the years, as research has taken me into territory covered by those books, I have regretted not having the collection at hand. However, I have never even thought about reconstituting the collection. So, in the grand scheme of things, no major regrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Jack Posted September 30, 2014 Share #18 Posted September 30, 2014 I started collecting Third Reich in July 1944 at the age of eight, I continued this thrust until 1994. I had 3,700 sq. ft. of display space. I sold my collection (with the exception of my belts and buckles) in very large groups. I shifted gears to WWII U.S., and have been at it ever since. I photographed my TR collection, and, having made the decision to dispose of it, do not regret it for a minute. Anyone having $500,000. to invest in my belt/buckle collection contact me (seriously). A time will come when I will have to get rid of my U.S. collection, but as long as my health holds out, not any time soon. Jack Angolia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husker Posted September 30, 2014 Share #19 Posted September 30, 2014 I tend to shift my focus from time to time but always looks for my core focus items (Nebraska National Guard and the 134th IR). I have several g503's I'm restoring so I'm constantly looking for some of the more hard to find parts. I might alternate between TR and US throughout the year. Seems when TR tunics and such hit a dry spell I shift to US to have a little fun. I might sell some pieces of my collection to fund others...jeep parts for TR, jeep parts for SCR-274N equipment...etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow Posted September 30, 2014 Share #20 Posted September 30, 2014 I had a fairly extensive Civil War collection. I sold it in it's entirety in 1999 to reinvest in my kids' college educations. Since that time I have refocused my collecting interests to WWII, mainly in the Allied aviation area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAF_Collection Posted September 30, 2014 Share #21 Posted September 30, 2014 I started collecting WWII RAF and AAF items in my teens in the early 90's, later branched out into other WWII US and later still into Korea and Vietnam items and groupings. Over the past three years I have sold the vast majority of my non-AAF collections and reinvested into the AAF collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandomatic Posted September 30, 2014 Share #22 Posted September 30, 2014 I have a very hard time cutting loose guys that I have basically "discovered." If I've researched it, the guy typically stays. My interests always bounce back, anyway. I might be hot and heavy over navy stuff for a few months, then infantry and armor, then back to AAF, then back around. My collecting focus is the guy's story. I've sold off my old cars and related stuff, but it was kind of a life transition deal. With a wife and kids and a fulltime teaching job, I have no time or money for hot rodding, and little reason to spend time cruising. Just kind of wasn't a hard decision to make when I made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooper B.A.R Posted September 30, 2014 Share #23 Posted September 30, 2014 Originally from the 60s on, my interest was in WW2 Luftwaffe items. In the last 5 years I've sold items as my interest turned to AAF/Corp, and now Korean War aviation items also. Seems like no one is interested in Luftwaffe items any longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nkomo Posted September 30, 2014 Share #24 Posted September 30, 2014 Used to collect TR and switched some years ago to US items. Sold everything off TR and haven't regretted it since I did the exact same thing. Best decision I ever made to sell off and get out of that area of militaria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted October 1, 2014 Share #25 Posted October 1, 2014 I sold all my German helmets awhile back to fund a new engine in my old chevy, ive always collected helmets mostly US and German but now just mainly US and dont regret getting out of the german helmets but do miss a few of them....until i start up the ol' 327 and take her out for a spin then im like....what german helmets?... ....mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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