Milsurp After Hours

There is a site I go to once in a while that a friend sent me to a couple of years ago because of one topic. I go look at it once in a while. It has a lot of posting from collectors of military odds and ends of stuff....uniforms, patches, buttons, publications, weapons. Lots of what are obviously kids collecting odds and ends of military stuff that could be collecting baseball cards instead. There are a lot of reenactor types too with a lot of strange notions of what's "authentic" in every way imaginable and what they, often mistakenly, think it all means. Most of the collectors and posters are not focused on the arms and the shooting thing. They are different from "our kind" of milsurp site. Most gun collectors could care less about uniforms and such. However this site has some people with quite extensive collections that have weapons of outstanding interest thrown in with uniforms and other, to us, assorted extraneous ephemera. Here is a link to one 19 page collection one guy posted. Blows ones mind to take it all in. And "he ain't one of us"...as a regular gun nut...at least in point of view. But he is a lot bigger collector than me in just the value of the guns he owns.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ ... topic=2364

Good link to some rare and interesting kit Robert.

Joe

Wow. Very impressive.

Well I certainly wouldn't want to dust it!!

He sure does have "a lot of stuff!" He is definately cramped for space. Doesn't seem to be a lot of order in that stuff, all nationalities, usv mixed in togather.
He and I have the same problem, way to much junque for the space available. I couldn't begin to do a decent display in the area I have available so I don't but half try. Most is in gun safes, packed in foot lockers and hung in closets.
Sarge

"Doesn't seem to be a lot of order in that stuff, all nationalities, usv mixed in togather".


The only thing not in order is they are not grouped together as to each period but the displays themselves follow order, each representing a period, from CW, then IW, then SAW, then 1900-1910, then WWI, then 1941 Inf, then mid WWII. All the major US wars up to WII.
Also read the description listings of each mannequin as every item on the mannequin display is correctly identified, cataloged, and is original and the same kit as was worn for each period. I think that's pretty orderily done
There are only two nationalities, the US one and the German ones being the infantry man, a sniper and a paratrooper represening the German side in WWII. I think there's actually pretty much order in that "STUFF" Ray

Not being familiar with abbreviations for American wars I'm assuming your talking about the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish American War ?

All the major US wars up to WII.

Wouldn't the War of Independence qualify for this little group ?

I'd imagine getting Revolutionary War pieces would be pretty difficult as well as super expensive. I'm really impressed with the great amount of things you do have.

Woltam, Your abbreviations are correct, sorry I forgot that all countries are represented on this forum. And you're also right that the Rev war was a major war. I didn't think of it because there would be no way on this earth I would be able to get an original uniform from that period to set up a mannequin. Outside of a very few museums, they are non existant and even in most museums they are reproductions and I don't like to use repros for my displays and the only exception to this is I used a couple of pair of my police trousers to complete a couple of Civil War displays. It's hard enough finding Civil War clothing and most especially the trousers and shoes. If you can ever find a pr of original CW trousers they would cost over $10,000 so you probably can understand why I only have one pr.

I'm old enough to remember reading Bannerman's catalogues when Civil War stuff was only a few dollars for things that no one much wanted and that now would cost a mint.

Why am I laughing?