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What do you look forward to in 2016? MULTIPLE CHOICE POLL


RustyCanteen
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What do you look forward to in 2016?  

63 members have voted

  1. 1. What era of item do you intend to obtain for your collection in 2016?

    • Pre-CW
      1
    • American Civil War
      3
    • 1870s-1890s Indian War Period
      5
    • Spanish-American War
      2
    • Philippine Insurrection
      3
    • 1916 Punitive Expedition to Mexico (100th Anniversary)
      3
    • World War One
      14
    • Inter-war 1920s-1930s
      7
    • World War Two
      40
    • Korean War
      13
    • Vietnam War
      12
    • Cold War (1946-1991)
      6
    • Operation Desert Storm
      2
    • 1980s-1990s Peacekeeping Operations
      3
    • Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - The Modern Era.
      4
    • Other/ See post
      1
  2. 2. What kind of items do you wish to focus on in 2016?

    • Medals & Ribbons
      19
    • Uniforms
      32
    • Helmets
      14
    • Cloth Headgear
      3
    • Field Equipment
      16
    • Edged Weapons
      6
    • Small Arms
      3
    • Paper Ephemera
      23
    • Other/ See post.
      11
  3. 3. Do you think your collecting focus or interest will change or expand from where it was in 2015?

    • Yes
      9
    • No
      28
    • I don't know
      4
    • I'm looking forward to adding some variety, but I don't plan on changing my focus.
      23
    • Other/ see post.
      3


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As we approach the upcoming New Year, it is that time to look at where the hobby is at, and where we hope it is going. Some of you may have an optimistic desire to expand your collection to new frontiers, while others may hope to focus more on a specific area that they have an interest in. Have a look at the questions, and tell us what you think of the collecting prospects in the New Year to come!

 

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE POLL.

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Cobra 6 Actual

I'm sticking with my primary area of collecting interest, Vietnam. In particular, I am looking for one very hard to find item, an unauthorized Combat Infantryman Badge with an M-16 instead of a 1795 Springfield Musket, like this:

 

post-159798-0-67026200-1451265911.jpeg

 

The only person I know who has one of these badges is our Forum member, rd12. (That's his photo, by the way.)

 

Otherwise I'll go for any interesting "targets of opportunity" that cross my path, such as non-US jump wings, interesting trench art lighters, US medals that I don't have yet, and non-MP brassards/armbands of the US military and foreign militaries, etc.

 

Thanks for asking!

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I am sticking to WWII 29th ID.

And I want to focus more on the 175th Regiment as well as 29th Recon

I want to get me unique items besides letters and patches.

I also want to get a little Battle of the Bulhe collection going as well.

That's my goal and let's see if I can stick with it in the new year :)

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Looking forward to 2016. I want to sell a large majority of my collection and I am focusing on completing a Korean War 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team full gear layout for the Musan Ni jump. I have been working on getting the harder to find equipment for this and then I will focus on the smaller items..

 

Leigh

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Hello all,

 

 

Thank you for the replies. Some of the results (so far) have proven there to be a healthy interest in areas I had thought were more dormant; but I am glad to have been shown otherwise!

 

 

The prospects for collecting seem bright for the year ahead, with suitable interest to push it along. 2016 is the centenary of two big historical events that will probably be on some collector's minds; if not the general public's. 1916 marked the US expedition to capture Pancho Villa in Mexico, and half a world away (with a teetering connection to US militaria I admit) the historic battle of the Somme; which will no doubt be in the thoughts of our UK & French friends. It will be interesting to see if these centennials are enough to boost collector interest in two very different; but very important moments in history. I have no doubt that some Americans found their way to the Somme in 1916; perhaps in the uniforms of the Allied powers. Perhaps more displays will be commissioned by collectors to commemorate these events, with the militaria providing the 'voice' of a passed generation that found itself in the throes of history making events.

 

 

I do expect that we will see very increased interest in WWI militaria this year, as collectors prepare for the 2017 centennial of the US entry into the World War.

 

On the WWII 'front', the past year has shown that the demand for US M1 helmets & uniforms is far from receding, and it appears in fact, to be growing more robust. It seems that only a year ago there were questions raised by many asking if the WWII 'bubble' had burst, but I think we can say that those concerns appear to have been 'put to bed' for the current time at least. WWII is perhaps, the 'main course' of collecting, and it will be for some time to come. Though some things remain expensive, there are a lot of items which can be found for a very reasonable sum, which might allow a collector to enjoy new aspects and additions without breaking the bank. 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the ending of WWII. It seemed more muted than in past anniversaries (60th, 50th, etc). A sad fact is that much WWII militaria has already been on the market two or three times by now as the original owners have downsized, moved to an assisted living facility, or even passed on. After 70 years, the demand and interest remain strong, but it is possible that younger generations will feel less of a connection to the men and women who fought that war, and will instead find the experiences of their parents or grandparents in Vietnam (or later wars!) to be interesting to them. No matter what, there will always be collectors of WWII items.

 

 

That of course brings us to Vietnam militaria, which has certainly not cooled down. I think a lot of collectors put Vietnam militaria on the 'back burner' so to speak, while they focused on WWII items; but the march of time has proceeded until we are now past the 40th anniversary of that war's end. I would not be surprised if we see more interest from longtime WWII collectors who want to diversify into that 'modern' field. Vietnam militaria is still out there to be found at flea markets, and even yard sales, presenting the collector (even the new collector) with good opportunities to build their collection. A downside is that there are now fakes nearly as old as the war itself giving the appearances of legitimate aging to a non-legitimate piece, so the collector (new or old) should avail themselves of the knowledge to be found on the forum, as well as books (of which some excellent ones have been released, or will be in the coming year).

 

In a way, I was a little surprised by the fair showing of interest in 19th Century militaria, but as prices drop due to collectors downsizing, things become more affordable and the hobby benefits from the renewed interest. There is a lot of history out there, just waiting for the prospecting collector to rediscover it. The great thing about collecting is that nearly each piece has a story to tell, or can contribute to understanding history better.

 

Happy collecting in 2016!

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Looking at my collection, I realized that I am very light on Korean War items. Hopefully I'll fill in a few gaps.

 

2015 was an excellent collecting year for me and I'm hoping 2016 will be the same, if not better!

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Colonel Mustard with a rope in the parlor. Or any 1865 or earlier sword that I can afford (primarily US) and/or WW2 Japanese. It'll probably be a lean year as was this one.

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My perpetual wants.....

 

The best quality, most complete combat groupings I can get....WWI, WWII, and/or from my favorite civil war regiments.

 

And anything from the 166th infantry, WW1.

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Captainofthe7th

Staying strong with my focus on Korea...this year I would like to thin out my collection and keep only named items, perhaps only items that are well documented and not simply 'named.' My grail items? An attributed helmet - undeniably used in theater, an Airborne Ranger Co. uniform or group, and a helicopter pilots' uniform or group.

 

Some more 31st RCT items from the Chosin would be nice as would 3rd and 40th Division items.

 

Good luck to everyone and happy hunting, I hope it is a fruitful year for all.

 

Rob

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I'm going to stay with stuff from OEF/OIF, as its getting hard to find already. Some places around where I live are starting to dry up. Sometimes, though I do get lucky.

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Tank Destroyer (obviously), I hope to be able to obtain items from a soldier in the 704th TD Battalion this year.

4th Armored Division.

Tank School.

Tank Destroyer School.

 

Erwin

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  • 3 weeks later...

I hope to add some more uniform groupings from D-Day veterans to my collection.

It's my main focus and I don't think I'll change it, because I give lectures with my collection.

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I am sticking on 29th ID, 36th ID and USMC in WW2. I am mainly focusing on small IDed groupings.

 

The grail would be a USMC P42 camo shirt... :)

 

Dan.

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SgtMaddoxUSMC

Hopefully this year I can fill in a few more holes in my set of Marine Corps Competitve Marksmanship badges. I still need to complete my set of Korean theater-made brass USMC enlisted rank chevrons and some of my cloth chevron sets. And as always, will be looking to add to my rapidly growing collection of USMC recruiting pamphlets, brochures, ink blotters and booklets!

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