Pickelhauben and Covid-19

Well written Lairs13 .
I bought an expensive item from a German EBay seller that I have done many deals with
in early April . He sent the item registered mail April 14 and gave me a tracking number .
On April 24 the package was retuned to him saying they were not going to the US A
at this time .I bought one item at the Stauffer auction on April 4 .They charge 60 Euro to ship .
I paid them right away via Pay-Pal and requested Fed -X shipping .They said no and they would
ship after Easter .A week after the auction .I have emailed 2 different times requesting
information about my package with no reply .I did get in a book shipped by priority mail
and one small package both from Germany
Steve McFarland
 
KAGGR#1 said:
Well written Lairs13 .
I bought an expensive item from a German EBay seller that I have done many deals with
in early April . He sent the item registered mail April 14 and gave me a tracking number .
On April 24 the package was retuned to him saying they were not going to the US A
at this time .I bought one item at the Stauffer auction on April 4 .They charge 60 Euro to ship .
I paid them right away via Pay-Pal and requested Fed -X shipping .They said no and they would
ship after Easter .A week after the auction .I have emailed 2 different times requesting
information about my package with no reply .I did get in a book shipped by priority mail
and one small package both from Germany
Steve McFarland
I had similar problems with DHL due to Corona, but UPS is shipping to USA and they have their own customs-office. It costs about 45€ to ship from Germany to USA if you donˋt need an express delivery, and it works well. Further the package will be picked up from your home, so I can recommend it :thumb up:
 
Steve Nick said:
I’ve yet to meet a collector who actually collected for the money. A lot of us rationalize collecting as being an investment but at the end of the day we collect because we find the stuff fascinating. We enjoy doing the research, searching for elusive items and get pleasure from envisioning the historic events that the pieces may have been present at.

Well said. Anyone who collects as an 'investment' is not a collector. I obtain artefacts because of the reasons Steve indicated. Yes it makes sense to downsize as you get older, to reduce the 'bulk' if one has that 'First World problem'.

I think the most prudent thing any of us can do is to have a reasonably accurate inventory so our spouse will know what items are worth. Dr. Adorable knows that helmets for example are valuable but she can't tell the difference between and issued M1895 Prussian and an issued Hessen 115th in regards to value. So what 2020 has finally gotten me to do, is to work aggressively on an inventory so at least she will have some idea of value.

Just as critical to an inventory, is to have a plan for disposal in case you get hit by a truck. That plan has to be very simple for your spouse. You can't expect your spouse to list everything on eBay as it would take years and all of their time, and why would you do that to them? My plan is very simple. Pack up absolutely everything and send it to The Collectors Guild. It will be listed online and sold, and Gael will have to do nothing but wait for the checks to roll in.
 
Tony ;
Two other ideas .
Contact Helmut Weitze ; He can come in and drop $400,000 with no problem
For larger or more valuable collections I am sure that he can do more without problem
# 2 is my favorite way ; Let fellow collector / friends tell me what they want
that way they get first selection of what they want from the collection .It is a good thought
that a friend would get items that I have gathered up and be the next owner .
a printed out "want list " or their business card under the helmets or other things
that way my wife knows who to contact . Anyone who has a card under some of my things
has already been here to visit and seen the items in person and my wife has met them
and knows who they are . Cash and Carry .
Steve McFarland
 
Just as critical to an inventory, is to have a plan for disposal in case you get hit by a truck. That plan has to be very simple for your spouse. You can't expect your spouse to list everything on eBay as it would take years and all of their time, and why would you do that to them? My plan is very simple. Pack up absolutely everything and send it to The Collectors Guild. It will be listed online and sold, and Gael will have to do nothing but wait for the checks to roll in.

I have all my collection and reference books listed in a database (MS Access). Everything is well described and given a reference number along with my estimated value and can be sorted into categories in seconds. I do a hard copy print-out once a year and my wife knows where to find both it and the soft copy.

And, at the risk of being seen as a "shill" I'm with Tony on the send it all to "Collector's Guild" approach. That's the avenue I took to downsize my collection and I was quite happy to just sit back and wait for the cheques to come in. I had no interest in carting stuff to shows all over the countryside; a process that would probably take years and doesn't give you access to the international market.
 
Francobritishcollect said:
Dear All

I thought I would pick your brain and seek your opinion on the subject of how the current health crisis - which is likely to turn into a severe and long-term worldwide economic downturn - has or might affect the value of our collections. This is a subject which I have already seen on other militaria forums and that I thought could be interesting to debate here too.

Given the significant amount of time and amounts of money we spent on helmets, caps and other WW1 stuff, we cannot reasonably ignore their monetary value for the future to come, whether it is for retirement purposes, for the kids’ inheritance or something else.

Have you noticed a price drop with dealers, auctioneers or even on Ebay for WW1 items? Have you seen the market taking a turn on those items?

Best

stay safe
 
I have discussed this price issue with James. We both feel that everything has gone up/increased in price especially at auction. I don’t see any drop in price coming. The enforced covid stay at home has led to more online buying. I know myself that I have bought things just to have something to look forward to as crazy as that may seem.
 
I have discussed this price issue with James. We both feel that everything has gone up/increased in price especially at auction. I don’t see any drop in price coming. The enforced covid stay at home has led to more online buying. I know myself that I have bought things just to have something to look forward to as crazy as that may seem.
Shows are finally starting up. Michigan Antiques Arms Collectors Show is next week - first since before the pandemic. Ohio Civil War Show a week later, Gettysburg Civil War Show is also this weekend. June is the OVMS Show in Ohio, then SOS in June and MAX in September. I think we'll go from a famine in shows to a feast.

I need to make more money for all the shows!
 
Back
Top