It’s that time of year when a collector’s mind drifts into daydreams of buying and driving a historic military vehicle. Whether the object of that fantasy is a jeep, deuce-and-a-half or maybe even a tank, there are few things … More »

After fixing my parent’s cuckoo clock, Dad asked me, “You ever hear the one about the clock repair man?” “No,” I replied, “What about him?” Dad went on to explain how a company had a large clock in the factory … More »

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” my Mother hollered from the kitchen the last time I was at my folks’ house. Before I could react to her mystifying call, my Dad, who was laid out in his Lazy Boy behind me, yelled, “Shoot … More »

While many have said that War in Iraq is the “second longest war in America’s history” (citing the War in Afghanistan as the first), that is not wholly accurate. Many of the Indian Wars lasted decades, with the Sioux Wars … More »

Ever since our hobby started hosting its own shows, organizers have been trying to crack the code on figuring out what makes a show “good” in the eyes of both the attendees and the displayers. Often, what makes a show … More »

by John Adams-Graf Trends in the military hobby are not always difficult to predict: Items that soldiers were eager to find as souvenirs have become the hot collectibles today. For example, German Luger pistols and Japanese “Samurai” swords were probably … More »

In the late 1970s, the historic military hobby experienced pretty intense growing pains. The nation’s oldest organization dedicated to the collecting and driving of historic military vehicles (HMVs), the National Military Vehicles Collectors Association (NMVCA), splintered in 1976, resulting in … More »

Like many of you, I am the son of a WWII veteran. In their youth, the “Greatest Generation” embarked on the greatest adventure of their lives. They drove the trucks, flew the planes, sailed the ships and fought the battles … More »

A few easy steps to insure the longevity of your relics As collectors, we have an implied responsibility to make an effort to preserve the historic artifacts we cherish. That sounds heavy-handed and a tall order, but honestly, there are … More »

I never really gave much thought to the question, “How does a person become a militaria collector?” Honestly, I always thought I was just born into the hobby. Personally, my earliest childhood memories involve learning simple manual of arms evolutions … More »