How NOT to treat an antique entrenching tool

[GeneralCheese]

Forgive me if this isnt allowed, but I need to vent about what just happened.  This antique spade showed up on ebay, and in an attempt to figure out where it was from, I sent the seller a message asking if there was anything stamped on it. 

 

 

 

This is what I got in return:

 

 

Well, that killed any value it may have had.  My head hurts a little now.

[huntssurplus]

That... definitely hurts... At least you hadn't bought and paid for it yet. This is something I see often with many items, people attempting to "clean up" antique items thinking it will help the value. People buy old stuff not because they like stuff, but because they like things that are old. Seems like people don't understand that people who like old stuff like said old stuff to look old.

Hunt

[VMI88]

Can't tell you how many times I've seen antique knives and bayonets that some flea market seller decided to sharpen up before they sold them.

[Hookemhorns88]

Or go to a Cracker Barrel restaurant and see holes drilled through items so that they can be secured to the wall.

 

I have also ran across items that have the pricing written in ink right on the object or have used some type of tape used as a price tag that removes some of the parent material when you attempt to remove it.

[Bob Hudson]

22 minutes ago, Hookemhorns88 said:

have also ran across items that have the pricing written in ink right on the object or have used some type of tape used as a price tag that removes some of the parent material when you attempt to remove it.

 

When Army-Navy surplus stores were abundant, it was common for them to take a grease pencil and write prices on the front of items for sale: I've seen some otherwise mint field gear so marked. 

[Glidertrooper]

Many months ago one of the original 506th PIR officer’s German silver hand beaten goblets came up on eBay named to a young replacement Second Lieutenant who was only involved in the Germany campaign.

 

Now the engraving wasn’t too clear in the pictures, but was good enough if you knew what you were looking at. But at some point during the auction someone must have asked for better pictures of the engraving.

 

So some new pictures appeared on the auction of what looked like the freshly polished globet, with the engraving nice and clear, but 70+ years of original tarnish missing.

 

Right up until then I had been looking to sell a body part to raise the cash to make the buy-in, but instead backed right off. Still sold for $7000-$8000 odd though.

[The Rooster]

The thing about silver is that the tarnish comes back.

Maybe it wont have 70 years of Tarnish. But it wont take long for the tanish to come back.

The tarnish is silver sulfide. Sulfer reacts with the silver and forms the tarnish.

Theres sulfer naturally in the air. More so if smokers are around using matches.

I would not turn down a Silver Aircorps wing because someone cleaned off the tarnish.... Unless

they used brasso and wire wheel to do it. lol