Bill Shea's WWII Memorabilia Blog RSS

PMS (POST MAX SHOW) REPORT This after battle report will follow a similar format as previous years but is packed with new facts which I trust you’ll enjoy. MAX 34 is now in the books! Hard to believe this show has been going on for 34 years. That’s right, and I haven’t missed one yet and do not plan to miss any in the future. It all started back in St. Louis, then Baltimore which was cool.  After that, we’ve trucked to Monroeville, Charlotte, Indianapolis and now for the 10th year in a row, we are back in Monroeville, PA,...

  Eye-Opening WWII Facts The "Greatest Generation" sacrificed and did all of this: On average 6600 American service men died per MONTH, during WW2. (about 220 a day) The Douglas plant in Long Beach produced a completed B-17 every 6 hours.       People who were not around during WW2 have no understanding of the magnitude. This gives some insight.    276,000 aircraft manufactured in the US. 43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat. 14,000 lost in the continental U.S. The staggering cost of aircraft in 1945 dollars AT-6   $22,952     C-47   $88.574 B-17   $204,370     P-38   $97,147 B-24   $215,516   ...

ACHTUNG NAZI!!!! Just the sound of those two words sends chills down your spine. When you put achtung into the Google translator, the first English word that comes up is Danger! We always thought it just meant Attention but just like so many other words in different languages, they have various meanings when used in different contexts.   The word NAZI is a perfect example. Knowledgeable historians and collectors know that the word is actually the shorten version of the acronym NSDAP. The way that NSDAP is written in German is Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. That term translates to National Socialist German Worker's Party. The original intent was...

THOSE LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER   Summertime is the one time of year that seems to produce a lull in collecting. Attention swings to other priorities like taking care of the yard, vacations and travel. Traditionally, gun and militaria shows are not held with as much frequency during these times because some venues lack air conditioning. Frankly, it is just too darn hot inside many of those old National Guard Armories or former Mall stores!      The result is that some collectors tend to become bored and potentially lose some interest in this grand hobby. Access to...

WAR BOOTY: Creepy hobby, historically important, or the spoils of war? Bill recently spent time with Chris Vernon, of the Star-Metroland, to offer his insight into the controversial hobby of collecting militaria.        **READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE**     1. Explain to me your customer profile. What does the average collector of Third Reich militaria look like?     Do you remember the song called “Universal Soldier” by Donovan? That would describe my customer base. I have blue collar workers as well as a supreme court judge. I have customers who are Baptist ministers and others who are...