For militaria collectors, timing really is everything

    Over the years, I’ve certainly been in the “I need to save for the show” mode as the New Year begins, but this time, something happened. I was offered an incredibly rare item, by which I mean something I doubt I’ll have another chance to buy. This was just after I bid on an equally rare helmet at an auction in Italy, just before the holidays.

Then a few more things were offered to me that I really couldn’t resist.

A couple weeks before Show Of Shows, I realized I’d be heading to Louisville with fewer dollars in my pocket than I might have expected. Was I making the wrong decision?

My great-uncle and grandfather would have warned me against such “investments,” as something better might be at the show. I’m old enough to realize that they weren’t always right. 

Chances are, I’ll always find some treasures at SOS, but I have to acknowledge that, after more than four decades of collecting, things I’m looking for these days aren’t exactly the sort of items that often show up, even at SOS. Part of me was tempted to ask one buyer, “Could you hold it for me?”

But I also knew I was going to buy it, so why make the seller wait? Why give him the chance to find another buyer, or maybe decide he shouldn’t sell it! These were items I really wanted and would have opted for something like the rare helmet over anything else at the show.

It also means I won’t have money to make a “dumb purchase.”

I’ve said and written in the past that I have items I later ask, “Why did I buy that?” The purchases made in late December and January weren’t such examples. I will absolutely never question my decision to buy them. Likewise, there are plenty of pieces that I’ve bought at SOS that I’m thrilled to possess.

And then there are the not-quite-regrettable items I have — mostly bought at SOS, the MAX Show, and other significant events that required hours in the car.

I will admit I bought something because I was at a big show, had money I didn’t spend, and I thought it was kind of cool. I clearly liked it enough at the time that I took it home, but I could live without it. That doesn’t mean I’d sell such possessions, although in a few cases I have. The pieces I still own, I find very cool, and I’m more than happy to keep them. Yet I also know I could live without them and might not be haunted years later if I didn’t make the purchases.

I’ll also acknowledge that the holidays may be a factor. I actually enjoy giving Christmas and Hanukkah presents to my loved ones more than I enjoy receiving gifts. My wife says I’m impossible to buy for, and she’s absolutely right.

I’m happy to get a book or two, a cycling jersey that I won’t even put on for months, or another board game I don’t have time to play. I’m a middle-aged guy, and our holidays have gotten smaller in recent years. I already buy everything I “need” throughout the year, and plenty I don’t need but simply want. The holidays mean my mother-in-law gives me a book on my wish list and “house gifts” like cutting boards — which I really needed, as the old ones shouldn’t have made the move from the old house. But they’re not exactly exciting gifts.

Show Of Shows has become bigger for me than Christmas, but I’ve also found that receiving and opening a package with a rare item inside is as good as being a kid on Christmas morning. I also understand that, too often, as collectors, we crave that excitement and then quickly must move on to the next thing.

That is something I’m working on, which is why this year I’ve designated late December and January as my splurge months for the collection. I’m buying those items that I couldn’t resist or pass up, and I’ll likely still come home from Louisville with a few treasures from SOS. Then, for the rest of the year, my purchases will be for small items to complete the displays.

I’ll redirect my energy, and more importantly, my spending, to the spring house projects. The good news is that the large projects are complete, the house furnished, and (knock on wood) everything is in working order. 

I’ve also previously written that I’m so busy with work, the house, life, etc., that I’m not going to as many shows. This has the added benefit of me spending less, especially on the not-quite-regrettable items. I’m sorry that I’m not seeing my collector friends in person, but we do live in a golden age of communication.

More importantly, scaling back on my purchases has made me appreciate those things in my collection all the more. That includes those not-quite-regrettable items. Now I recognize that there are a few things I didn’t buy that I wish I had. Sometimes I do think, “Boy, I wish I had jumped on it,” but then I’m reminded of the other item I bought instead. My money is even more finite than the space in my house, of which I have little to spare. I’m sure I’m not alone in making such a statement.

As to the point of finite money, splurging just before SOS isn’t the wisest course of action. Have I gone to the show and wished I had a few more dollars in my pocket? Yes, on a few occasions. Have I also bought something and then found something else I wanted more? Honestly, I can only recall one or two times when that happened, and not recently.

In most cases, I simply concluded, “I’ve spent enough.”

This year, a few packages could be waiting for me when I get back from SOS, or will arrive in the days and weeks to follow. It will extend my excitement and help get me through winter, the one season I truly loathe. I always have great time at SOS, even if I somehow only come home with money in my pocket and no additions for the collection. 

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