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Thread: Am I the only doofus (Fallschirmjäger)

  1. #1

    Default Am I the only doofus (Fallschirmjäger)

    Last night I was watching a TV program called "The Weapons Hunter" It's all about Paul Shull mission to unearth the wildest weapons of historic warfare, a mix of battlefield-sleuths and arms collectors in one; This week they featured The WW2 "Fallschirmjägergewehr 42" Attachment 184476

    a paratrooper rifle/machinegun issued to the German Fallschirmjägers (paratroopers) This program struck a cord with me, as many years ago (1972) I was offer a job lot of weapons with Included the FG 42, To tell the truth the FG 42 meant nothing to me, I just wanted a Maschinenpistole 40 (MP 40)Attachment 184477 And so I made arrangements with a "well off" friend of mine to split the deal, which we did, Now I should point out that in 1972 Reference books were "thin on the ground" years later I realised my mistake, The FG 42 was worth small fortune, This was the first of two major mistakes I have made in my collecting years, The second mistake was being offered a set of "Oak Leaves"Attachment 184478Attachment 184479

    for a Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, At the time all I could see was a "Ladies scarf toggle" And so I passed on the Item, Years later rectify my errors, I now have two Fallschirmjägers equipped with FG 42 guarding my coffee machineAttachment 184480

    and I bought a fake Knights Cross with Oak Leaves swords and Diamonds in GoldAttachment 184481

    So am I the only doofus? It's time to come clean, "what have you done?"

  2. #2

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    I feel a confession coming on.
    Back in 1962 I had the chance to buy a genuine Martini-Henry Mk.IV Breach-loader. I didn't and have regretted it ever since.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rebel View Post
    I feel a confession coming on.
    Back in 1962 I had the chance to buy a genuine Martini-Henry Mk.IV Breach-loader. I didn't and have regretted it ever since.
    Back in 2007 I had the chance to buy a genuine PLASTIC Martini-Henry Mk.IV Breach-loader. I bought it and have no regrets

    Attachment 184567Attachment 184568

    I truly sympathise with you Reg, It's amazing how it becomes an albatross that hangs around your neck for life

  4. #4

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    Let the whole of my dad's Fleet Air Arm uniform go. I only have his Dog tag and Medal ribbons plus medals left.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  5. #5

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    When I was growing up has a small collection of air force cap badges - got rid of a couple because they were 'wrong' - yup they were the original RFC ones - DOH!

    Never Knowingly Undergunned !!

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    Lord_Ninja's Avatar
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    I'd hate to rub it in but I managed to snag some tea cup and saucers recently for $25 a set when they usually got for about $100 each

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    matt56's Avatar May you forever fly in blue skies.
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    When I was stationed in West Berlin in the mid-70s I collected WWI German medals and badges - I had a pilot's badge and observer's badge and a number of other awards...relatively cheap prices I paid for them...and I had to sell them all in '81 to cover medical bills

    Ah, well, it needed to be done...but I look at the prices they would bring today (or that I would have to pay to replace them), and I cringe at the difference...
    Nonetheless, I enjoyed them while I had them

    All the best,
    Matt

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord_Ninja View Post
    I'd hate to rub it in but I managed to snag some tea cup and saucers recently for $25 a set when they usually got for about $100 each
    Yes! But did you get the Teapot? Attachment 184651
    Last edited by andron234; 01-06-2016 at 01:16.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hedeby View Post
    When I was growing up has a small collection of air force cap badges - got rid of a couple because they were 'wrong' - yup they were the original RFC ones - DOH!
    If only you could turn the clock back, Back in the early 70's, there was a collectors shop in Willesden green London, selling genuine Victorian war medals, by the "BAR" £1.00 for a One bar medal, £6.00 for a Six bar medal, I bought a number of Queens South Africa medals, and still have them today Attachment 184652

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hedeby View Post
    When I was growing up has a small collection of air force cap badges - got rid of a couple because they were 'wrong' - yup they were the original RFC ones - DOH!
    When I was very small 3, going on 4 years old my uncle Bill, recently back from serving in WW2 presented me with a Stahlhiem. Where he got it from I do not know as he was in the Royal Navy and at the end of the war (VJ Day) was serving in the Pacific in HMS Swiftsure. He was a stoker which is the last place I would want to be on a warship. I know he was in Singapore for a short while so I suppose he might have found something there which he later swapped for the Stahlhiem, a Japanese Flag possibly. Unfortunately he passed away three weeks ago and had suffered from Dementia for a few years before that so I will never know.
    The Helmet? I remember playing soldiers with a very good friend of mine, Alan Crabbe, at around 6 or 7 years old; he had a British tin hat and a German Gas Mask
    and I had the German Steel Helmet with a British gas mask. We used to get a tram to Greenwich Park and chase each other around dressed in those with toy guns, probably Wild West Six-guns, I can't actually remember the guns, I just know that we had some. God knows what people must have thought of us as this would have been in 1948/49 so plenty of folks around with fairly recent memories of the war. I do know that we thought we were the Bee's Knee's!
    What happened to the helmet? I don't know. It just disappeared. I suspect my Dad sold it to help buy his first car. They seemed to happen at about the same time I think.

  11. #11

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    When I was a kid I had an aunt and uncle living the next town over. I always would look over the helmet with a spike on top every visit. Later in my teens when I became interested in history and learned what it was I couldn't wait for the next visit to try to acquire it. Knowing my aunt and uncle I was sure they didn't know what it was. Needless to say the next time I visited the Pickelhaube had been tossed out in the trash!

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Teaticket View Post
    When I was a kid I had an aunt and uncle living the next town over. I always would look over the helmet with a spike on top every visit. Later in my teens when I became interested in history and learned what it was I couldn't wait for the next visit to try to acquire it. Knowing my aunt and uncle I was sure they didn't know what it was. Needless to say the next time I visited the Pickelhaube had been tossed out in the trash!
    Oh dear, Oh Dear, Oh dear!

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rebel View Post
    Oh dear, Oh Dear, Oh dear!
    More Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear! Teaticket thats terrible

  14. #14

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    back when i was a teen i couldve bought at an antique shop i frequented when on vacation a turkish/german m16 helmet for $4, a prussian officers pickelhaube for $14, an early apple green m35 double decal german helmet for 25$. of course all were gone next year when id changed my mind. awhile later i had a spanish m21 helmet i got at a flea market for $11 that i later sold for $20. i found out many years later that it was actually quite rare and would be worth hundreds now had i held on to it.

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by milcoll73 View Post
    back when i was a teen i couldve bought at an antique shop i frequented when on vacation a turkish/german m16 helmet for $4, a prussian officers pickelhaube for $14, an early apple green m35 double decal german helmet for 25$. of course all were gone next year when id changed my mind. awhile later i had a spanish m21 helmet i got at a flea market for $11 that i later sold for $20. i found out many years later that it was actually quite rare and would be worth hundreds now had i held on to it.
    That Sucks.......................................

  16. #16

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    My brother still has a helmet from one of the World Wars which we found on the Isle of Wight. It still has RP/E painted on it and now I gather belongs to my Nieces. Reading this thread has reminded me of it.

    Doofus-wise my confession has to be the Hornby Advanced Passenger Train or APT model which I used to own as a child. However as one would expect this got played with between the ages of nine and eighteen and got bashed around accordingly in the process. A friend of mine still has his in it's box though it last ran 20 years ago and he was also twice my age when he first got it. These £50.00 models in 1981 now fetch well over £100.00 on The E-Bay - more if the electrification pantograph which sells for £50.00 on it's own these days is included!



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