OverTheTop_1916 Posted June 10, 2021 Share #1 Posted June 10, 2021 Came across this forum while doing research. Looks like a great community. My name is Colton and I study world history & military history. I collect a lot of different things including books, records/music, antiques, snoopy stuff, but mainly militaria. I'm mainly a bayonet collector (and a member of the Society of American Bayonet Collectors), but I also collect helmets and anything else I find cool or of historical value. I have a deep family history of military service in the United States. My grandfather on my mother's side was in the 8th Division, 121st Infantry, Company L during WWII. He was shot in the head clearing hedgerows in France. The bullet went clear in and out of his helmet, grazing the top of his head and he survived. I have his helmet and it is my most important possession. He healed up in England and went back into the war. He was also an MP for a time and continued to serve for a short time after the war. He had 3 other brothers who were also soldiers and pilots during WWII. My grandmother on my mother's side worked on airplanes during WWII. My grandfather on my father's side was stationed in Alaska during WWII, but unfortunately I do not know much about his story. His brother Alfred also served during WWII somewhere in the Pacific. Both were drafted. My great-grandparents Raymond & Ethel on my mother's side served during WW1 & WWII. During WW1, Raymond was in the Coast Guard and Ethel was a yeoman in the navy. Raymond also served during WWII. My great(x3)-grandfather James on my father's side fought for the Confederate States during the American Civil War. He was a member of the 16th Virginia Infantry Regiment in the Army of Northern Virginia. More.....I believe there have also been one or two other family members that fought for the Union during the civil war. There are also a handful of other random relatives that served in WWII such as the husband of my great grand-aunt, but that's splitting hairs and I haven't gone that deep into my research yet. Here are some very quick overall shots of my collection. Not terribly impressive, but always growing. I would say I started seriously collecting militaria about 4 years ago starting with bayonets. I've come across most of these various items at estate/yard sales, house cleanouts, purchases from customers, Ebay/Auction sites, gifts, etc. Currently working on putting together coherent displays with them lol. Any questions about the pictures just ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Jerry Posted June 10, 2021 Share #2 Posted June 10, 2021 Nice stuff! and some hard to find trainers in there! (I have to ask, what plugs into the amp?_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTheTop_1916 Posted June 11, 2021 Author Share #3 Posted June 11, 2021 5 hours ago, Mr.Jerry said: Nice stuff! and some hard to find trainers in there! (I have to ask, what plugs into the amp?_ Thanks! Lately I've been trying to build a collection of training/fencing bayonets and gear. Also, that's a bass amp. And my drums are packed away under the sheets on the right. Unfortunately haven't been playing as much music lately with the pandemic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTheTop_1916 Posted June 11, 2021 Author Share #4 Posted June 11, 2021 oh and I forgot my knives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony V Posted June 11, 2021 Share #5 Posted June 11, 2021 Colton Very interesting collection ! Welcome aboard and enjoy, many great people to meat. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleEnvelopment Posted June 11, 2021 Share #6 Posted June 11, 2021 Welcome. I'm outta MD as well. I collect paper stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverTheTop_1916 Posted June 11, 2021 Author Share #7 Posted June 11, 2021 25 minutes ago, DoubleEnvelopment said: Welcome. I'm outta MD as well. I collect paper stuff. Very cool! I live in Germantown and Silver Spring. Paper stuff is an interesting niche! Most of the paper items I have are family related. My one small cabinet in the picture there has my great-grandparents' gas, mileage, and cigarette rations from WW2. The rest of it is military service documents, photos, certificates, etc. I also have a literal paper collection; Newspapers. Covering wars, politics, disasters, mainly from WWII to Vietnam to today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backtheattack Posted June 13, 2021 Share #8 Posted June 13, 2021 Hello and welcome to the forum! Nice collection, like the training devices, especially the training AK47. Had seen some of them after the fall of the iron curtain here at flea markets for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retread12345 Posted June 14, 2021 Share #9 Posted June 14, 2021 Welcome. An impressive collection, and the overall scope is rarely seen Bayonets are addictive, but many are still affordable and turn up in the darndest places. During my service time on OKINAWA I accumulated a few buckets of rusty items. Left it all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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