Collector5516 Posted December 29, 2011 Share #1 Posted December 29, 2011 http://www.ebay.com/itm/WW1-Gas-Mask-Bag-I...d#ht_538wt_1270 Is Raymond Thorpe someone famous? I must be missing something here. The same seller has the rest of Private Thorpe's military belongings for sale currently. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Hudson Posted December 29, 2011 Share #2 Posted December 29, 2011 Another greedy seller breaking up a veteran's legacy.... what a shame. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Collector5516 Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted December 29, 2011 Another greedy seller breaking up a veteran's legacy.... what a shame. I totally agree. I hate to see history being broken up like this. But why would that gas mask sell for so much money? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Hudson Posted December 29, 2011 Share #4 Posted December 29, 2011 I totally agree. I hate to see history being broken up like this. But why would that gas mask sell for so much money? I hadn't paid any attention, but apparently complete WWI gas mask kits command a lot of money. Here's the recent one from ebay: Here's a non-ebay dealer's asking price: and another that sold on ebay recently: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Collector5516 Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted December 29, 2011 I hadn't paid any attention, but apparently complete WWI gas mask kits command a lot of money. Here's the recent one from ebay: Here's a non-ebay dealer's asking price: and another that sold on ebay recently: That's insane! If anyone is looking to spend 300.00 on a WWI gas mask let me know! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Captainofthe7th Posted December 29, 2011 Share #6 Posted December 29, 2011 :think: Should be listing one or two on ebay now?? Last time I bought one of these I was at a flea market and had to really think if I wanted to drop $20 on one of these...pretty complete with the tag. I guess that was a good idea. Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doyler Posted December 29, 2011 Share #7 Posted December 29, 2011 The second mask is a Brit issue one.I believe they call them an SBR ??(Small Box Respirator)Not often seen and like some of the Brit helmets people will pony up.Especially the buyers in England.I have one with a 27th Division emblem on the bag. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kration Posted December 29, 2011 Share #8 Posted December 29, 2011 Is Raymond Thorpe someone famous? I must be missing something here. The same seller has the rest of Private Thorpe's military belongings for sale currently. The mask is a standard US mask.. It's possible the buyers are going crazy because it's in a WW1 British musette bag.. maybe several collectors just have to have that bag.. As far as high $$ end bid on WW1 masks.. if you look at those auctions many times the mask in question is actually a British made mask.. very hard to find the Brit masks.. The $355 auction is one of those. Kration Quote Link to post Share on other sites
manayunkman Posted December 29, 2011 Share #9 Posted December 29, 2011 I don't think this guy knew what he was doing. He has kept the last of this mans stuff in one group. He looks like a coin collector/dealer and not a military historian. Says he took the advice of those who threatened him and kept Thorpes stuff in one group. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
artu44 Posted December 29, 2011 Share #10 Posted December 29, 2011 When I sold my Mills mounted ctg belt I was so stupid I didn't write Alvin C. York on it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Harlan Posted December 29, 2011 Share #11 Posted December 29, 2011 It really is awful that the seller broke up so much of the items in previous auctions he held. Sellers who do this usually only make a few extra bucks over what they'd get if they kept everything together as a grouping, and I think their greed is almost criminal! The life of a soldier remained together for almost 100 years and then it gets 'ebayed' like so much junk. A while back, I won an ebay auction for an outstanding WWI service coat with the unit patches, service and wound stripes, collar pins, etc, still attached plus the same soldier's M1917 helmet with his First Army, 21st Engineer marking painted on the front, and the soldier's name written clearly inside the coat. The coat had been preserved all these years in new condition, and didn't have even a teeny moth nip. The seller was a young girl and said she had just bought all the items from an estate sale she went to. I sent her a message and asked if she had by chance bought anything else from the estate sale belonging to the soldier and she told me she bought a whole box of his "paperwork", the rest of his uniform, etc, but she had already sold all of it in previous separate auctions. She apologized to me because I spent so much on his helmet and coat and said she had just auctioned a framed portrait of the soldier wearing his uniform and only got $5.00 for it. It made me almost want to say bad words. :mad: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MAW Posted December 29, 2011 Share #12 Posted December 29, 2011 I am one of the guys who emailed the seller and urged him to keep the group together. In mid-December he sold off a German gas mask w/cannister, some other Hun shoulder straps and souvenirs, and some misc. US stuff that he said belonged to this veteran. The gas mask that went with the group was probably just somebody putting stupid bids in to try to keep the components together. The gas masks that Forum Support posted pics of are Brit SBR masks......they are more desirable than a standard US mask. Don't think that pile of US masks suddenly quintupled in value over night. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RustyCanteen Posted December 30, 2011 Share #13 Posted December 30, 2011 The second mask is a Brit issue one.I believe they call them an SBR ??(Small Box Respirator)Not often seen and like some of the Brit helmets people will pony up.Especially the buyers in England.I have one with a 27th Division emblem on the bag. Yes the bottom one, it looks to be in pretty good condition too. RC Quote Link to post Share on other sites
340MGBAT Posted January 4, 2012 Share #14 Posted January 4, 2012 Wow last i checked I thought these were maxing out around $50! glad I already have one Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dwhawkman Posted January 10, 2012 Share #15 Posted January 10, 2012 I hate it when people try to make a killing off of people by selling items like this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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