MILITARY GROUPINGS

One of our specialties is presenting military history. As you can see by the photos to the right, we treat these items with respect for the individual who served and the historical integrity of their service.

Our company policy is to keep entire groupings together. So often we see military items in estates that have been torn apart and separated with items lost, documents disintegrating and uniforms destroyed by mildew and moths.

We have encountered people that ask "Why would somebody sell family military items?". We look at this two ways - one is that if the items are properly stored, preserved, and kept together to be cared for by future generations within the family - great! The other is that if the items are stored in a box and eventually lost to history - what is the point? The latter is most often the case.

We have had discussions with family members who feel "guilt" over the potential sale of their family military items. We understand this. We will share a couple of stories here so that you can make up your own mind as to what feels appropriate for you.

In one case we found some military items in a garbage can at an estate. We recovered the items, created an auction and sold them for a high value. Now this person's service is part of an incredible display, cherished and enjoyed by many. The person who served and the buyer have become acquainted. A happy ending to a potentially tragic loss.

The people who pay top dollar for these collections are passionate historians who treasure each collection. One of our collections was purchased by a benefactor to a significant museum. Our client struggled at first regarding the sale. In the end, they had tears of joy over the fact that their grandfather would be remembered and honored by thousands of people for years to come.

Why not donate the items to a museum? The truth is that most collections will never see display in a large museum since they already have their premiere collections presented. Sadly, many collections donated with the best of intentions get archived out of sight. Some museums will eventually have these collections auctioned off by a third party for cash to support the museum.

We will provide a free, no obligation consultation if you have military items you are trying to decide what to do with. We have handled some very historically significant one-of-a-kind collections. We have contacts with some of the most highly regarded specialists in the world.

If you wish to have us present your collection with the respect it deserves, we will be happy to do so. If you decide to retain the collection, we understand this and will advise you regarding preservation and storage.

The following comments are from our military auctions.

"Thank you for keeping this grouping together. It is very sad when other sellers split up such groups. This man's story could have been lost because of some other seller's desire to possibly get more money. You have also clearly taken a lot of time to present the group carefully with good descriptions. I hope someone will treasure this collection and keep it together. It is a part of Canadian history. Thanks again."

"I just wanted to take the time to thank you for posting this wonderful grouping! You obviously appreciate the history and the wonderful story that these artifacts represent. Too often on eBay, groups like this are broken up and scattered all in the name of profit. Thank you again and God Bless. Tom"

"Greetings from Southampton, England. I am a WW1 medal collector and have just come across your listing via the British Medal Forum. Had to send a message - this has got to be the best WW1 listing that I have seen. If it were in the UK, I would be on my way to view it. Good Luck with the sale. Tony"

"Russell, I just read the list of the questions and first, good for you for declining the end early with the brutal lowball offer, and second, to echo much what was already stated, kudos to you for keeping such a complete record intact. I hope (but know) you will hit the proverbial home run with this auction; if the email traffic is any indicator, this ought to prove to be an interesting couple of days. Again, well done and good luck. Dave"