SOS 2009, Drittes Kapital

Friday at the SOS,

Arrived at the Expo Center before opening to find huge lines of dealers and public to get in.

People poured in, and the sales seemed to be brisk. I talked to a number of dealers today and the recurring theme I heard was, "People are buying, but not the big dollars...rather than sales of $2,000-$3,000, the normal sales are more like $200-$300." However, none of the dealers to whom I spoke complained about the volume of sales.

A disturbing trend, however, seems to be a rise in theft. This has never been something that was a real problem at the SOS, but this year, reports to security were up considerably. I am afraid this is a sign of the times.

An upbeat thing did occur. A known, convicted felon who had been imprisoned for fraud in the military relics business and who had been previously notified that he was restricted from ever attending an OVMS event, was spotted wearing a bogus name tag and wheeling and dealing. Two security officers confronted him and informed them that they knew who he was and that he was to immediately follow them out of the building. He actually turned and RAN out of the show! You think he still has warrants out for his arrest? One can only guess! But, kudos to the OVMS for protecting its members from these sorts of people. Well done, OVMS!

Personally, I had a good day. Military Trader's ad guy, Tom Polzer spent the day talking to customers and keeping the rack filled with sample copies of MT. In fact, more than 1,100 copies were distributed! The hobby is healthy and eager for information.

Ad Man Polzer doin' what he does!

Mary Brock of Brock's Militaria taking a much-deserved break.