What is your single favourite item that you own?

dr gonzo

Regardless of time period and country and with pics if possible what is the your absolute favourite militaria item that you own?

Dr Strange

dr gonzo wrote: »

Regardless of time period and country and with pics if possible what is the your absolute favourite militaria item that you own?

How about you post your fav item first to kick it off?

arnhem44

I've never looked at any one item being my favourite,I just enjoy collecting things in general.I have however just bought an 1916 dated SMLE made by Enfield,when I get my hands on that one that might just have the edge on things,well maybe!.:)

dr gonzo

Preusse wrote: »

How about you post your fav item first to kick it off?

Ah apologies, i should have started with that

I have a decent American collection with an un-named medal of honor (i think i posted that on here before) which i do love but my favourite is a named (regimentally impressed i think...) Crimean medal with four bars. I dont know how rare they are or anything but i just love it, it is without a doubt my favourite piece, maybe even one of my most prized possessions.

arnhem44 wrote: »

I have however just bought an 1916 dated SMLE made by Enfield,when I get my hands on that one that might just have the edge on things,well maybe!.:)

Wow, amazing! Whats the legality of that out of curiosity?

arnhem44

Perfectly legal as long as you get permission from your local Superintendent and meet the requirements set out by the Guards,for example installing a gun safe in your house or for handguns a monitored alarm.If anyone does decide to start buying deactivated guns then it is advisable to purchase a bigger rather than smaller gun safe to save having to install or replace one that becomes inadequate.Collecting deactivated weapons will first require an inspection by a Crime Prevention Officer who calls to your house to assess the security of your home and makes a list of what recommendations are necessary to store deactivated weapons in your house,these recommendations are then sent to your local Garda Station where a decision can be made by your Superintendent,afterwards you should get another visit from your Firearms Officer to check if you have done what was asked of you by installing the necessary requirements set out by the Crime Prevention Officer.Once permission has been granted you will have to get an import license from the Justice Department for any weapons you have bought.It sounds a lot more complicated than what it is,some people go through a local firearms dealer to purchase the gun on there behalf to save the trouble of going through the import side of things whilst others buy direct from a dealer abroad.It seems from talking to different people that each Garda District is different to each other and some people will find themselves waiting for the permission longer than others.Mine always seem to take roughly around a year to process which is really frustrating.Buying deactivated weapons here at home privatley will still require permission as stated above.

FiSe

Kareltruppenkreutz - my GGF memory

Morlar

FiSe wrote: »

Kareltruppenkreutz - my GGF memory

Did you mean that was awarded to your Great Grand Father ?

FiSe

He served in the ranks of 1st Kompanie of the 99 Infanterie Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Army from the very beginning of the Great War.
Nothing precious, as there were 100's of 1000's of these made and you can buy this one for anything from 15 to 20 quid without any problems.
He got wound medal too - war invalid ribbon, but it went missing over the years, so will have to buy this one, again nothing rare or expensive, 30-35 quid should do.
And if I get really lucky I can pick up one of the 99IR hat badges, but that's completely different story, rare and expensive...

dr gonzo

FiSe wrote: »

Nothing precious, as there were 100's of 1000's of these made and you can buy this one for anything from 15 to 20 quid without any problems.

But it is precious, items of military history must take on a whole new value when they were presented to someone related to you. I dont come from a family with any kind of military background so i can only imagine what it means to hold a medal or award that once belonged to a relative. To know that you are connected to someone who went to hell and back for something they believed in must be very precious indeed.

Youre appreciation of that item is admirable, too often you see incredible awards and momentos being sold by a family that just doesnt care which is very sad so fair play to you for giving that a good home.

FiSe

The 'market value' is close to nothing I should have said, so


I, apparently, remember my GGF and this is the only thing left after him and tried to research his war journey too only recently, but nothing much left in the archives. I am big believer that when you know where you came from, it's easier to see where you should go to...

GGF himself and his brother were the only members of my family who, I know of, where in the war. Nothing unusual, in the continental EU as every family have someone who was in some war at some stage under some regime.
Many times members of two or three families living in the same town had served in two enemy armies at the same war. Mad stuff...

phaethon

Here is my favorite.... because I earned it when I was in active service:cool:



Me, before my first training jump in the army. Oh, boy, great times and memories!;)

dr gonzo

phaethon wrote: »

Here is my favorite.... because I earned it when I was in active service:cool:


Me, before my first training jump in the army. Oh, boy, great times and memories!;)

Wow, excellent. What is the medal?