I have beeen given old WW2 Nazi memorabillia.
- Thread starter enmow
- Start date
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
Artifacts; When Baden Powell founded the Boy Scouts, they needed something to collect. At that time, American Indian artifacts were considered garbage in the U.S., so literaly shiploads of the stuff were sent to England. NOW we want it, but it's GONE
John, the "ton" that was sent to the restaurant owner I think ended up in Idaho. Ed Hopewell lived in Havre Montana and was probably the best LEO when it came to a photographic memory. Many a mountie from Regina told me he had the most unbelievable memory and NEVER forgot a name, face or where he had met you. I met him when I lived in Moose Jaw, he visited the RCMP in Regina working on cross-border crime for many years. I hunted down Winchester rifles for him as he could take them back to the USA with no problems as they were made there. He told me the collection of artifacts the man rec'd would absolutely boggle your mind. You are so right that too often we never realize "till too late what treasures we have discarded.
Would be cool, but you would probably find that most families in Germany do not keep items related to the Third Reich. It is a period of history better forgotten to them...at least that's the way it is with my family in Germany.
I agree. The last thing you do is go over to modern day Germany and start talking about the Third Reich or retain items relating to it.
I learned the hard way when I was much younger and asked to see some of the battle sites that were nearby to where my family in Germany were living at the time. Even though I did not speak fluent German, you knew the response was a plain and simple "Nien" accompanied with raised hands signifying they wanted nothing to do with it.
In later years, I have been able to explain my keen interest in history and I have had to chance to visit locations such as the Hakenberg bunker on the Maigot line.
If I remember correctly, it is illegal to possess anything connected with the Third Reich. They have some other, in my opinion, ridiculous laws relating to Third Reich items. I think it is also the reason why you see games, such as Call of duty world at war, with German flags displaying the simple Iron Cross instead of the period correct swastika but this may have more international significance than just Germany in particular.
Thankfully the extent of the laws stay in Germany.
Also beware of militaria dealers! Most of them are sharks that want to buy for a ridiculous price what they will sell for a sh$$$tload of money.... If you want to sell this stuff, look on Ebay for the value of individual items.... Internet is also a very good source of info for monetary value.... My 2 cents... keep it for yourself and your kids!!!!!!!!! You now own a piece of history!
Agreed. It would also be nice to have a picture of the old soldier with perhaps his writings of how he found them. That would make it very interesting. Very soon there won't be any veterans left to answer questions.
jcuffe6240
CGN Regular
- Location
- Central Alberta
As a current museum curator, I am certainly hearing a lot of misinformation being presented on this forum as it relates to museum.
Firstly, legitimate museums cannot resell items that are donated to them by the general public. We have very strict ethical and legal rules governing the removal of artifacts from our collections. I would certainly be very interested to know if the museums being critized for selling artifacts are in fact museums at all.
Secondly, although I do agree that most material is not usually on display at any given time, but the fact of the matter is museums are in a sense "protectors of the past." It is hoped that the material they hold is there for my children's children. Frankly, I get bored seeing walls plastered with "stuff". This material is also valuabe in the research sense, and much of any museums collection is held for research purposes anyways.
May I make a suggestion, call and talk to a reputable museum such as the War Museum in Ottawa or the Military Museum in Calgary. These are the best-of-the-best for this type of material. And remember, it isn't just about the value of the item or the what the item is, it is the story of how it came about to get there.
Firstly, legitimate museums cannot resell items that are donated to them by the general public. We have very strict ethical and legal rules governing the removal of artifacts from our collections. I would certainly be very interested to know if the museums being critized for selling artifacts are in fact museums at all.
Secondly, although I do agree that most material is not usually on display at any given time, but the fact of the matter is museums are in a sense "protectors of the past." It is hoped that the material they hold is there for my children's children. Frankly, I get bored seeing walls plastered with "stuff". This material is also valuabe in the research sense, and much of any museums collection is held for research purposes anyways.
May I make a suggestion, call and talk to a reputable museum such as the War Museum in Ottawa or the Military Museum in Calgary. These are the best-of-the-best for this type of material. And remember, it isn't just about the value of the item or the what the item is, it is the story of how it came about to get there.
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Not sticking my finger in your eye, but I beg to differ. The CWM is not a military museum, it is a social history museum about war and military service. If visitors leave there knowing Canada was in a few wars; the management has met its objectives. The curators and staff are professional historians and museum people. They are social scientists. If they did, why would they perpetuate the horror of a war crime (ie prominent display of a painting of Matchee torturing a civilian who he eventually murdered)? I have friends who work there - civilians with university degrees who are padding their resumes. Serious militaria people stay the hell away from them.
Museums get gifts all the time. Uncle Bob's battledress will be politely accepted, but don't expect them to give it an ounce of respect or adoration. The old War Museum had a couple platoons of battledress and puttees for their living history programs. A fe years later, where were those uniforms when my unit wanted a half-dozen for a ceremonial parade? Gone. In a word, unless the artifact is unique or especially topical for the central museum theme, don't give them anything!
Dare set foot in your local "Legion" office/bar. Proceed to buy everybody present a drink. And tell them about this stuff, they will tell you what to do. I have ever set foot in such a place once in my life, for a cousin's wedding. My grandfather deserted so he (and I as a result) am unwelcome in these places.
As far as value, get the vet in question to write a note detailing when and how he came in possession of it, including his name, rank, and service number.
Proceed to sell the afrorementioned items as a single lot on the open market.
Museums have literally tons of stuff kicking around that they don't get to put on display.
As far as value, get the vet in question to write a note detailing when and how he came in possession of it, including his name, rank, and service number.
Proceed to sell the afrorementioned items as a single lot on the open market.
Museums have literally tons of stuff kicking around that they don't get to put on display.
jcuffe6240
CGN Regular
- Location
- Central Alberta
In response to Maple Leaf Eh, I certainly disagree with your assessment of the CWH as being only a social history museum. I personally work at a technological museum, would that construde me as telling the social history of technology? I think that is only one part of the CWH as I am sure they do not do that with the tanks and other AFVs that they have in the one gallery.
With regards to your later point, I do agree that a certain degree of repsect is deserving of all items but think realistically from a museum curator's point of view. We get offered just about every day someones cherished items, now granted some of them are special and unique. Yet when you happen to get offered the same thing repeatedly over and over again, you have to make a judgement call based on a number of factors includeing provenance, condition, storage and resources that will be need to care for it. In some cases the item may be found to have little to no value but to be used as interactive props to teach people about the past. However that is a judgement call by the museum professionals who need to wade through all evidence before making that decision.
As a similar example to yours, I once saw as part of a museum education program the teacher explain to a bunch of 16 to 18 year old high school students the realities of war for them. They were asked a number of questions like did they have a lot friends right now, what they wanted to be when the finished school, etc. Then the teacher brought out the steamer trunk with an RCAF uniform and such, dressing the student up and then said to them that this is your life now. You don't have a lot of friends, probably won't see your family in several years, and the most poignantly was that they said you are likely to be killed in several weeks. The expression on their faces proved to me why we do what we do. Museums teach future generations of the mistakes of the past and to never repeat them. That is what we are here for.
With regards to your later point, I do agree that a certain degree of repsect is deserving of all items but think realistically from a museum curator's point of view. We get offered just about every day someones cherished items, now granted some of them are special and unique. Yet when you happen to get offered the same thing repeatedly over and over again, you have to make a judgement call based on a number of factors includeing provenance, condition, storage and resources that will be need to care for it. In some cases the item may be found to have little to no value but to be used as interactive props to teach people about the past. However that is a judgement call by the museum professionals who need to wade through all evidence before making that decision.
As a similar example to yours, I once saw as part of a museum education program the teacher explain to a bunch of 16 to 18 year old high school students the realities of war for them. They were asked a number of questions like did they have a lot friends right now, what they wanted to be when the finished school, etc. Then the teacher brought out the steamer trunk with an RCAF uniform and such, dressing the student up and then said to them that this is your life now. You don't have a lot of friends, probably won't see your family in several years, and the most poignantly was that they said you are likely to be killed in several weeks. The expression on their faces proved to me why we do what we do. Museums teach future generations of the mistakes of the past and to never repeat them. That is what we are here for.
jcuffe6240 the last paragraph in your last post ,made maple leaf eh's point about museums being social manipulators,and very clearly at that.I am a an old retired vet and I cant think of any thing more disrespectful of soldiers who served in war, than making such statements.
As a similar example to yours, I once saw as part of a museum education program the teacher explain to a bunch of 16 to 18 year old high school students the realities of war for them. They were asked a number of questions like did they have a lot friends right now, what they wanted to be when the finished school, etc. Then the teacher brought out the steamer trunk with an RCAF uniform and such, dressing the student up and then said to them that this is your life now. You don't have a lot of friends, probably won't see your family in several years, and the most poignantly was that they said you are likely to be killed in several weeks. The expression on their faces proved to me why we do what we do. Museums teach future generations of the mistakes of the past and to never repeat them. That is what we are here for.[/QUOTE]
yes, of course. that would be why the feds started asking vets to contribute their stuff to the gov. musuems in the 80's by putting such requests on the bottom of their vet benefits cheques. when the vets did that and sent in their stuff because they were assured it would be valued for future generations. however, the stuff they were sent in was put in the basement of some moldy old gov. storage building with a leaky roof. over time, the water leaked into the basements destroying almost all of stuff the vets has sent in.
sorry, but from my perspective, museums don't have any credibility whatsoever and your comments further reinforce my perspective. better to keep the stuff at home, share it with friends, school children, and neighbours who can appreicate the value/history of the items.
museums teach future generations the mistakes of the past and to never repeat them. yes, this is exactly why the airforce vets of ww2 were so upset with the spin put on the the cwm on the valour and horror series several years ago. a bit of current spin put on events of 60 years in a manner so that political correctness could be maintained, even when it was clearly incorrect and repeatedly offended the sensibilities of the people who gave their lives so people can can sit and post drivel on the internet. give me a break buddy.
as a bit of museum education??? why don't you show kids the realities of the concentration camps so you and they can see clearly why people a couple of generations ago enlisted and what they were trying to stop.
yes, of course. that would be why the feds started asking vets to contribute their stuff to the gov. musuems in the 80's by putting such requests on the bottom of their vet benefits cheques. when the vets did that and sent in their stuff because they were assured it would be valued for future generations. however, the stuff they were sent in was put in the basement of some moldy old gov. storage building with a leaky roof. over time, the water leaked into the basements destroying almost all of stuff the vets has sent in.
sorry, but from my perspective, museums don't have any credibility whatsoever and your comments further reinforce my perspective. better to keep the stuff at home, share it with friends, school children, and neighbours who can appreicate the value/history of the items.
museums teach future generations the mistakes of the past and to never repeat them. yes, this is exactly why the airforce vets of ww2 were so upset with the spin put on the the cwm on the valour and horror series several years ago. a bit of current spin put on events of 60 years in a manner so that political correctness could be maintained, even when it was clearly incorrect and repeatedly offended the sensibilities of the people who gave their lives so people can can sit and post drivel on the internet. give me a break buddy.
as a bit of museum education??? why don't you show kids the realities of the concentration camps so you and they can see clearly why people a couple of generations ago enlisted and what they were trying to stop.
- Location
- West coast of Vancouver Island
Never mind.
I would either cotact your local Legion and offer the collection to them, first enuring they have room to display it. (You can forget about the Newfoundland Museum. Ever since they closed down the old Water St. site and opened up that monstrosity called 'The Rooms' almost anything having to do with actual history has been subsumed by 'modern' 'art' paintings and old garbage epoxied together to form what the curator calls a 'sculpture.')
Or, sell the stuff on eBay and use the funds raised to buy your kids/grandkids a new .22LR or two, and introduce a new shooter to Canada's recreational firearms community.
Or, sell the stuff on eBay and use the funds raised to buy your kids/grandkids a new .22LR or two, and introduce a new shooter to Canada's recreational firearms community.
- Location
- Tactical napping
Not one single picture or scan posted yet? I smell a hoax here gents.
- Location
- Tactical napping
*crickets*
