February 3, 200917 yr #1 What Price Glory now has reproduction USMC WW2 shelter halves. They are made with fabric printed on both sides, so I expect people will soon be using this fabric for all kinds of "Marine Rigger made" items. Link to WPG USMC Cammo tent
February 4, 200917 yr #2 What Price Glory now has reproduction USMC WW2 shelter halves. They are made with fabric printed on both sides, so I expect people will soon be using this fabric for all kinds of "Marine Rigger made" items. Link to WPG USMC Cammo tent At one time dealers were cutting up original camo tents to make sure fantasy items. It really used to gripe me to see collectible USMC Items cut up like that.
February 4, 200917 yr #3 www.wwwiiimpressions.com and www.atthefront.com Have been reproducting USMC shelter halves for some time now. WWII Impressions even offers the early khaki shelter halves.
February 5, 200917 yr #4 At one time dealers were cutting up original camo tents to make sure fantasy items. It really used to gripe me to see collectible USMC Items cut up like that. Couldn't agree more on that one! I bought one of those supposedly Aussie-made helmet covers in '89...it seemed odd to me that it didn't smell like mothballs and/or cosmoline, and didn't look like it had been stored away for any length of time- and that they were said to be discovered England?!?? As time passed, I found out from various seasoned sources that they had been made from shelter halves, and a dealer and renowned tailor whom I became aquainted with at the Houston show told me very casually that he helped crank them out, along with some fake `flage utility covers. Stuff like that puts me in a very foul mindset.
February 5, 200917 yr #5 Couldn't agree more on that one!I bought one of those supposedly Aussie-made helmet covers in '89...it seemed odd to me that it didn't smell like mothballs and/or cosmoline, and didn't look like it had been stored away for any length of time- and that they were said to be discovered England?!?? As time passed, I found out from various seasoned sources that they had been made from shelter halves, and a dealer and renowned tailor whom I became aquainted with at the Houston show told me very casually that he helped crank them out, along with some fake `flage utility covers. Stuff like that puts me in a very foul mindset. Over ten years ago I bought a pristine mint fixed bail helmet that had a camo cover on it. The helmet was a good 'un but the cover was non hbt. The seller was a reputable dealer in New England who had no idea the cover was suspect and we wound up working a deal in which I kept the rig but got some of my money back. The cover is beautiful until you look at the stitching. I kept it as an example of an early fake made out of shelter halfs. I own one of those "aussie made" helmet covers and it came out of England. It actually looks pretty good but you just know it isn't. A certain well know dealer was selling camo utility covers on ebay a while back made out of cut up original shelter halfs. Several collectors objected but he kept doing it and made some serious money doing so. Man...but that ticked me off.
February 5, 200917 yr #6 I think I remember that guy you're talking about selling the caps; he even stated it as so in his descriptions! Makes you wonder how many clean halves were destroyed by this jackass. I made it a point never to do business with him. Another enraging occurrance is people stamping "U.S.M.C." on things. There was a serious, advanced collector over in North Carolina who stamped piles of web gear with his squatty stencil, even stuff that had "U.S." on it (one of his phony stamps is on a grenade belt pouch in Jim Moran's book). One time, Tom Gordon walked by his tables where he was busy hawking a bunch of this stuff and said "Boy, _ _ _ _ _, you're gonna wear that stamp out, aren't ya?" He said the guy didn't appreciate the remark
February 7, 200917 yr #7 Actually, the making of camo Marine Corps hats/covers has been going on for quite a while. They can be found just about anytime in a WW2 camo pattern or the Mitchell pattern that was the shelter half material in the 50s. I don't own any of the camo hats so I can't speak as to whether it is real material or current production stuff
February 10, 200917 yr #8 I agree with all the comments about cutting up original gear to make fakes but I'm not sure if all of you realize how common the WW2 camo shelter halves were in the 80's. I knew a surplus store owner that was well off the beaten path in North Carolina. In the early 80's there was a big sell off of USMC surplus gear and he bought tons of it. He had three 40' trailers neatly stacked with nothing but camo shelter halves. I'm not sure how many there were but I suspect several thousand. He was selling them with ropes and pegs for $10. I bought 20 of the WW2 and 10 of the Mitchell pattern and got a very nice discount. This was just one small dealer and all of the stores close to Lejeune or Norfolk had them. These same surplus stores had the WW2 camo helmet covers with insect nets usally from 10 cent to 25 cent each. I bought 50 of those for 10 cent each.
February 11, 200917 yr #9 I have some concerns about 782 and Camo from HBO "The Pacific" coming on the market as well.
February 11, 200917 yr #10 $10 each! Wow, check out how much this one is going for... http://cgi.ebay.com/USMC-SHELTER-HALF_W0QQitemZ380103172067
February 11, 200917 yr #11 $10 each! Wow, check out how much this one is going for... http://cgi.ebay.com/USMC-SHELTER-HALF_W0QQitemZ380103172067 The market for Marine shelter halfs seems to run in cycles. I've seen average condition camo shelter halfs sell for around $400 and that's just one half of a tent. And yet not long ago I picked up a virtually mint OD ("khaki") USMC shelter half for under fifty bucks on ebay. I guess the 1945 date put collectors off.....but those are hard to find regardless of when they were made.
February 19, 200917 yr #12 WPG is an honest guy....he sales his repros as repros & his originals as originals...he does'nt sale his repros as originals...some of his copies are average but most are top quality!!!but everything is cheap...he's prices are very okay...i bought from him quite a few things along the yearfs & i'm happy...they arrived after 2 days!!! nice quality-nice prices...very long list of items & a good guy to deal with...i will definitely buy from him again...
February 19, 200917 yr #13 WPG is an honest guy....he sales his repros as repros & his originals as originals...he does'nt sale his repros as originals...some of his copies are average but most are top quality!!!but everything is cheap...he's prices are very okay...i bought from him quite a few things along the yearfs & i'm happy...they arrived after 2 days!!! nice quality-nice prices...very long list of items & a good guy to deal with...i will definitely buy from him again... i will say his bussiness are british army oriented but his american staff is good also
February 19, 200917 yr Author #15 Yeah but he does not mark his stuff as repro, and he also will not answer his emails as I have been trying to contact Jerry for a few months now about something.
February 20, 200917 yr #16 Yeah but he does not mark his stuff as repro, and he also will not answer his emails as I have been trying to contact Jerry for a few months now about something. jerry's traveling alot...he's got a warehouse in dubai & he's also all the time on the look around for new staff...so i think he missed something i dont think he did it by intention simply he's busy & some times very very busy
March 15, 200917 yr #17 Yeah but he does not mark his stuff as repro, and he also will not answer his emails as I have been trying to contact Jerry for a few months now about something. I am sure it is only because it is you John, answers everyone elses within minutes T-Bone
March 22, 200917 yr #18 I saw one of the new WPG usmc shelters, and compared it to an original we have in our shop. They are done well, but they are not designed to fool. The lack the little details, the buttons are bright. I think he does a great job for re-enactors, but even unmarked, they aren't really "exacting" reproductions.
March 22, 200917 yr #19 I saw one of the new WPG usmc shelters, and compared it to an original we have in our shop. They are done well, but they are not designed to fool. The lack the little details, the buttons are bright. I think he does a great job for re-enactors, but even unmarked, they aren't really "exacting" reproductions. Here's an image of his stuff:
July 17, 201016 yr #21 :mad: Couldn't agree more on that one!I bought one of those supposedly Aussie-made helmet covers in '89...it seemed odd to me that it didn't smell like mothballs and/or cosmoline, and didn't look like it had been stored away for any length of time- and that they were said to be discovered England?!?? As time passed, I found out from various seasoned sources that they had been made from shelter halves, and a dealer and renowned tailor whom I became aquainted with at the Houston show told me very casually that he helped crank them out, along with some fake `flage utility covers. Stuff like that puts me in a very foul mindset. Same here may they inherit the wind .koreamike
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