The tag on the case reads: “mfg by South Salem Studios, South Salem, N.Y.”

When open, the case has 30 compartments, some holding more than one ship.

A model of a destroyer.

These models had some fine detail work, including booms and anti-aircraft guns

QUESTION: I own a case of miniature models labeled “U.S. Navy Miniature Models, USN Bureau of Aeronautics, Special Services Division.”  I assume that these models were a teaching tool to teach individuals to identify U.S. Navy ships during World War II.  The case measures 27 inches x 14 1/2 inches.  When open, the case has 30 compartments, some holding more than one ship. There are a total of 45 miniature ships, which are extremely delicate and highly detailed.

Each ship is screwed to a piece of quarter-inch plywood and everything is painted Navy gray. Each ship has its name on it. On the bottom of the plywood is the manufacturer’s name and type of ship. The tag on the case reads: “mfg by South Salem Studios, South Salem, N.Y., Contract No. Na(s)-1846.”

A few of the ships are made by “Comet Metal Products Co. Inc., Richmond Hill N.Y.”  Considering age and use, the ships are in good to excellent condition. A few have  bent masts and there are a couple of very, very small pieces in a bag. I purchased this at auction several years ago and now have an opportunity to sell it.  I would like to know more about my set and its approximate value.

–  LM, Jasper, IN

ANSWER: According to Henry I. Kurtz and Burtt R. Ehrlich’s “The Art of the Toy Soldier” (Abbeville Press, 1987): “With the outbreak of war in Europe, Comet began angling for a U. S. government contract to produce small-scale identification models of warships, military vehicles, and aircraft. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought those efforts to fruition, and within a few days after American’s entry into the war, the Comet plant in Richmond Hill, NY, was running on a round-the-clock, seven-day schedule producing scale models for the War Department. A retrospective New York Times article (Sept. 13, 1959) noted that ‘from 1941-1945 Comet produced more than 10,000,000 models of defense items.’”

Abraham Slonim founded Comet in 1919 as a die-casting firm. The firm developed a time-saving centrifugal casting apparatus in the 1930s. As the 1930s ended, the firm looked to expand its product line and in 1940 Comet introduced its line of “Brigadiers for Metal Soldiers.”  The company sold primarily to department stores such as Brooklyn’s Abraham & Straus. When World War II ended, Comet issued its soldiers and products under the Authenticast trademark.

Individual ships sell between $20 and $25 in very good condition and $30 and $35 in fine condition. Assuming an average value of $25 per ship, your set has a “book” value of $1,125.  While some may argue that I should add set value (an additional increase in value because you have a complete set), I am going to deduct a little. Today’s buyers expect a discount when buying in quantity. Your set has a value between $850 and $900.

Collecting militaria can be a minefield (pun intended), filled with misrepresented items and down right fakes. A good reference book can cost upwards of $60-100, but it will save you money in the long run. Many reference books are self-published or printed in small runs and become collectible in their own right. Having a reference library gives you an advantage over collectors who do not buy reference books.

2. Use Discussion Groups

Online forums and discussion groups are an excellent resource for collectors, but use caution because they are often homes for self-proclaimed “experts” that spread inaccurate information. Forum moderators are typically chosen because of their expertise, so follow what the moderators are saying until you get a read on the other members.

Two excellent militaria forums I frequent are US Militaria Forum and are Wehrmacht Awards.

3. Utilize an Inspection Period

If you are dealing with someone that does not offer an inspection period and you are not 100-percent confident about the item offered… walk away! For live or traditional auctions, the inspection period is before the bidding starts, so if you are not sure about an item, do not bid because all sales are final! Many eBay sellers offer an inspection period, but they are not obligated to. Make sure you read and understand the seller’s terms before placing your bid.

Make sure you utilize the inspection period. Items, such as this WW II face mask for a rocket launcher is very fragile and stiff from sitting in its original box for 60 plus years, and is being sold as-is. If you are not 100-percent confident about the item offered… walk away.

4. Buy the Item, Not the Story

You are going to hear a lot of stories as you build your collection. The only stories that are worth paying extra for are ones with verified provenance. Items with ironclad provenance sell for double or even triple what the item alone would bring. Provenance depends on the item, but may include: original bill of sale, photographs, affidavits, newspaper articles, oral histories, service records and other government documents.

5. Build your Network

Look for Militaria shows in your area and attend them. They are an opportunity to meet other collectors and build your network. Military Trader has an excellent event calendar. In online militaria groups and forums, follow posts by members that collect things you are interested in and email them, or send them a private message introducing yourself.

6. Collect the Best

Whether you are collecting military postcards or Damascus German daggers, strive to collect the best examples. If you are contemplating the purchase of an item you intend on upgrading later, don’t waste your money. The flaws you see in the item are the same flaws a future buyer will see when you try to sell it. Items with detracting features are seldom investments because their rate of appreciation is not significant. It’s best to hold off and wait for something you cannot upgrade.

This WWII Imperial Japanese Army helmet with a 2nd pattern cover is in very good condition, and 2nd pattern covers are actually harder to find than the 1st pattern. If you are contemplating the purchase of an item you intend on upgrading later, don’t waste your money, as the flaws you see in the item are the same flaws a future buyer will see when you try to sell it.

7. Be Patient

It takes time to learn that some “collectible” items are always available, while other collectible items appear on the market in intervals of: every few months, once a year, every couple of years, or practically never. New collectors understandably lack the experience to be able to make distinctions on scarcity. Being patient will save you money in the long run because it will lessen the odds of making purchases you will regret later.

Chris Hughes is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in 20th century militaria and the owner of Rally Point Militaria and Vietnam Uniform – Military Collectibles sites.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Brimfield, Mass., is a small New England town with a population of about 5,000 or so. Settled in 1706, it shows its traditional New England quaintness rather well. It has its large, steepled church, and with the leaves of autumn or the snow of winter, looks the part in any Norman Rockwell painting. And then for one week every spring, fall, and summer, the population doubles with 5,000 antique dealers converging on Brimfield to create the “Antique Capital of the United States.”

I am WorthPoint’s Worthologist for vexillology, or flags. Naturally, I was drawn to the booth of Rae McCarthy of R&R Collectibles from East Hampton, Mass. Her specialty is the American flag as a collectible, so I wondered if the American flag was still in demand.

“At the point of 9/11, we did a show 10 days after and we actually sold out of flags, all in one show. For two years we sold a lot of flags, and it’s kind of dwindled off, but we’re coming back to people… wanting the older flags, and of course those are hard to find,” McCarthy says.

Rae refers to the historic U.S. national flags as being bestsellers and usually that means flags with less than 50 stars, which has been official since only 1960. The 48-star U.S. flag was official from 1912 through 1959, when the 49-star flag became official when Alaska became a state. But that only lasted until Hawaii joined the Union in 1960. Traditionally, when a new state joins the Union, regardless of the date, the new star on the flag is made official on the July 4th following admission.

“A lot of people buy for condition, too. They don’t necessarily think they want wool flags because of their age. They may think they like the blue on that one better,” McCarthy continues. That is also true of other flags that may look better within a home décor.

A wool Vice Commodore flag used by a yacht club is another example of a flag that would work in a nautical décor. It’s small size—about one foot by two feet, with red field and sewn cotton stars and anchor—means it can easily be framed and displayed. A similar sized wool flag of Bermuda, with its silk-screened coat-of-arms and Union Jack on red, I found, also makes for a nice display, too, even without a frame. The values were each less than $100.

A different dealer featured a rather large U.S. national flag that was probably once a U.S. Navy standard wool ship flag. It still showed its halyard, or rope, attached to the heading, but with no markings to determine its origin. It was very large, probably about the standard length of about 10 feet by 16 feet, and in deteriorating condition that it impossible to unfold just to verify the number of stars. However, we can determine its age through the hand stitching of the stars and the hand sewn grommets, which places it near 1850 or so. Its value could be $800 to $1,500, it’s value held down because of its size and generally poor condition. A similar small flag that can be framed and displayed, even in the same condition, could have the same value if not more.

Besides wool, flags were also made from cotton, linen, and even muslin, which was used through the early 20th century.

“Small flags are more in demand. Big flags are hard to display, so we go through a lot of small flags,” McCarthy says of her inventory. Good advice for collectors or patriots.

To watch a video of Tom Carriers’ discussion of flags with Rae McCarthy, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or flags.

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Whether it’s newspaper clippings saved from the day that will “live in infamy” or uniforms worn by the brave sailors stationed at the Hawaiian base, Pearl Harbor collectibles have a significance that is difficult to overstate.

“There’s just nothing that compares to that instance in history,” says WorthPoint Worthologist Chris Hughes.

Japan’s stunning strike on the U.S. Navy’s fleet at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, sank or damaged 21 ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, destroyed 188 aircraft and claimed more than 2,400 lives. The attack—the deadliest ever committed by a foreign power on U.S. soil—also plunged the nation headfirst into World War II. Before the attack, Americans had expressed little support for joining the war, but the devastation on Pearl Harbor quickly changed public opinion.

Because of Pearl Harbor’s historical importance, memorabilia can be difficult to find. Hughes says that war posters—many carrying the rallying cry, “Remember Pearl Harbor”—provide one of the easier points of entry for new collectors. Stressing sacrifice and strength, these colorful works can be had for anywhere from $75 to $250.

Reproductions are common, so Hughes warns beginners to be wary of posters priced for much less.

Clippings from magazines or newspapers chronicling the attack are also more common. WorthPoint’s sister site, GoAntiques, has Newsweek magazine issues from both the day of the attack and the week after, as well as an edition of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin printed on the day of the attack. The site, however, cautions that the copy of the newspaper may be a reproduction.

(left) Newsweek’s prescient cover story; (right) Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s Dec. 7 front page

For more seasoned collectors, personal items seem to hold the greatest appeal.

During the 1940s, sailors at Pearl Harbor sported white, “Donald Duck” type hats adorned with ribbons listing the ship to which they were assigned. Collectors, says Hughes, will often collect those ribbons if they list a ship that was sunk at Pearl Harbor.
Purple Hearts awarded posthumously are also sought-after collectibles.

“To find a medal group that’s named to someone killed at Pearl Harbor, that’s a Holy Grail item to a medal collector,” says Hughes. “They’re out there. They exist, but they sell at a premium.”

Photos taken by military personnel and personal correspondence from those who served at Pearl Harbor are also highly valued.

Hughes says collecting Pearl Harbor memorabilia takes patience and perseverance. In addition to GoAntiques, he suggests attending militaria shows and digging around online for items.

“There are discussion groups on the Internet that are very welcoming to new collectors,” shares Hughes.

To find out what your Pearl Harbor items might be worth, check out worthopedia.com or Goantiques’ PriceMiner tool, which is available by subscription.

Chris Hughes is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in 20th century militaria and the owner of Rally Point Militaria and Vietnam Uniform – Military Collectibles sites.

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The artillery shell that exploded Monday and killed a Civil War relics dealer outside his Chesterfield County home was a cannonball about 8 to 10 inches in diameter, a federal official said yesterday.

The explosion outside the rear garage of Sam White’s residence off Bradley Bridge Road left a small crater in his asphalt driveway and sent pieces of shrapnel shooting through the side and roof of his detached, two-car garage.

“And there were pieces that just flew out and landed in the yard,” said Bill Dunham, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office in Chesterfield.

“Basically, it was a large cannonball,” Dunham said of the bowling-ball-sized shell, which sent what he described as a 5to 7-pound chunk of shrapnel through the roof of another house about a quarter-mile away.

Dunham said investigators believe they know how the explosion occurred, but that information is being withheld until the investigation into White’s death has been finalized. Dunham would only say that White was “working on” the shell when it exploded about 1:20 p.m.

“We have enough information that we believe we know generally what he was doing and how it happened,” Dunham said. “But we can’t say with 100 percent accuracy that that’s exactly what he was doing.”

White, who was well-known in the Civil War community and ran a relics business from his home in the 14100 block of Granite Pointe Court, cleaned and disarmed Civil War period military ordnance for about $35 each, according to his Web site.

After Monday’s accident, local, state and federal authorities converged on his house to inspect the remaining munitions he had stored in his garage. Concerned about the potential volatility of some of the ordnance, authorities removed about 75 items, about half of which were destroyed at county-owned property next to a nearby landfill, state police said yesterday.

Late Tuesday, after police had removed many of the munitions, authorities called on Army and Marine explosive-ordnance-disposal experts from Fort Belvoir and Quantico Marine Corps Base to examine other items that were considered questionable.

“They were a great help in identifying what goes and what doesn’t, what’s dangerous and what’s questionable,” Dunham said.

The ordnance units took some of remaining shells with them, Dunham said. “I think some of these items will be able to be returned to the family after they’re rendered safe.”

Although local and federal authorities are researching the issue, several officials contacted yesterday said it didn’t appear that White, who worked briefly as a Henrico County police officer in the mid-1970s, broke any federal, state or local laws in keeping the munitions on his property.

“We researched a lot of federal, state and local statutes, trying to figure out what governs items like this, what’s the proper way to store these things, if there is any recourse we have, and can we dictate where people put them,” Dunham said. “There’s a lot of unanswered questions there.”

A state law that makes it a felony to manufacture, possess or use explosive materials includes an exemption for firefighters, police officers and members of the military, along with people who possess, transport or distribute explosive devices for scientific and educational reasons, “or any other lawful purpose.”

Chesterfield Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Ken Nickels said it is unlikely that his office would prosecute someone for possessing explosive material that was a Civil War relic — depending, of course, on the circumstances and the intent of the person possessing the item.

Dunham said there doesn’t appear to be any federal explosives law that would cover Civil War ordnance, “except maybe a storage mandate.”

“If you have 50 pounds or more of black powder, you have to have it in an approved storage location,” he said. “But some of [White's] shells had only 10 ounces [of powder], so it would take a lot to aggregate 50 pounds’ worth.”

Dunham said Monday’s explosion, while tragic, has been a learning experience for law enforcement.

“We’ve learned a lot in this because in the past, we haven’t had an incident with these type of devices and this number of them,” he said. “I didn’t realize there’s such an interest in relics like this. There’s a lot of people out there looking to uncover and collect that kind of stuff.”
Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or mbowes@timesdispatch.com.

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“And it turns out,” Carrier says, “that except for the rare and antique specimens, flags are easy and relatively inexpensive to collect. They also serve as a window on geography, government, politics, history, art, language, culture and design. If you can decipher a flag, you can understand the community that created it.”

Flags trace their origins to the vellixum – a type of banner held aloft by a long pole used by the Roman Legions. “It was a way for generals to know where their troops were,” Carrier said. The word for the study of flags “vexillology” comes from the vellixum. Tom has been a Board member of the North American Vexillological Association or NAVA and founding president of the Chesapeake Bay Flag Association. For the NAVA Website see: http://www.nava.org/

“The history of the flag, as we know it, really dates from the period of the Crusades, beginning in the 12th century,” Carrier said. “The flags were still a way of telling who was on the battlefield, but heraldry began to establish precise rules as to color and design at about this time.”

“Some of the basic rules of heraldry still apply when designing a flag,” Carrier says. “First and foremost, flags should not have more than three colors. They shouldn’t have writing or seals on them and they should have a simple design, one that can be easily recognizable from a distance.” The Virginia and New Hampshire state flags, for example, both have seals on a dark blue background so from a distance they are hard to tell apart. “On the other hand, the state flags of Ohio, Maryland, New Mexico and Texas, in contrast, are considered “perfect flags” — with bold colors and a distinctive design,” Carrier says. To look at state flags see http://www.50states.com/flag/.

There are many ways to collect flags. Some American flags are valued by their different star-patterns, for the placement was only made official in 1912 by President William Howard Taft with the 48 star flag. Serious collectors focus on early 19th Century and Civil War flags where it costs “several thousand dollars just to get started, because the star patterns varied widely throughout the 19th century.” Although the star pattern of the 48 star flag was consistent after 1912, the ones made with wool bunting before World War II have about a third higher collector value than the ones made of cotton or nylon when wool was used instead for uniforms.

An easier quarry is city, state and county flags, Carrier says, which tend to cost about $35 to $60 new. The goal of collectors pursuing national flags is getting ones that are made in the country they represent. “It used to be very difficult to get a flag of the Soviet Union.” Carrier said. “An individual in the Soviet Union couldn’t own or display a flag, because they were all the property of the state. Now, with its demise, they are flooding the market with a value of about $20 to $60.”

Then there is, of course, Carrier’s first vexilollogical interest, flags of heads of state. “Just about every head of state has a distinctive flag — from Uganda, to Tunisia, to Sri Lanka, even the United States,” Carrier says. So one thing Edward Fenech-Adami, the president of Malta, and England’s Queen Elizabeth have in common are flags – though not the same flag. In fact in addition to a personal flag Queen Elizabeth has 16 other flags of her own across British Commonwealth countries. For the presidential flag of Malta see http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/state/symbols.asp and for Queen Elizabeth’s personal flag see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Flag_of_Queen_Elizabeth_II. Carrier has led tours at the White House with the U.S. Secret Service and the White House Curator to tell the history of the flag and seal of the president of the United States so they could better inform the visitors during the public tours.

But you don’t have to be a head of state to wave your own flag, Carrier advises. “A flag store will make-up a personal flag for you to your own design,” he said, “and then you can fly it whenever you want. Just remember the basic rules of flag design. My personal flag consists of my favorite colors, dark blue and gold, with my favorite design element, the star, one for each letter of my last name.”

I was talking with my friend Mike Bockman, a militaria dealer and owner of BBmilitaria, when we got on the subject of the Niobrara River that runs across the Northern part of Nebraska. I had canoed this river several times in Boy Scouts and Mike had canoed it with his family when he was young.

I was fascinated to hear that Mike obtained his first military collectible while canoeing the Niobrara when he was around seven years old. His family had stopped to picnic on the grounds of Fort Niobrara, an Army outpost established in 1879 to monitor the Sioux Indians. The fort was eventually abandoned in 1906 and little of it remains today.

While Mike was sitting at a picnic table on the fort grounds, he noticed a metal object in the dirt. It was an 1880-90’s Army Enlisted uniform button. Indian war era uniform buttons are not valuable. In fact, you can find them with little difficulty on the web for about $5.00, but what is significant about Mike’s button is that it is an artifact directly attributed to a time and a place. The button is a reminder that Nebraska and its people have changed since the time that button was worn on a uniform.

There is no doubt Mike held that button in his hand and thought about the soldier who wore it. Did this soldier have to skirmish with the Sioux that strayed off the reservation to harm settlers and steal horses and cattle? Did this soldier struggle to stay warm within the adobe walls of the fort during the deadly winters?

A discarded uniform button opened Mike’s mind to history and collecting. Many of Mike’s friendships and his livelihood as a militaria dealer are the result of him finding this now priceless button on the ground.

Chris Hughes is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in 20th century militaria and the owner of Rally Point Militaria and Vietnam Uniform – Military Collectibles sites.

After spending over 15 hours on a to jet to Beijing, my rubber legs ambled off the plane, through customs, towards the baggage carousel, where I waited to be reunited with my luggage. I was not too groggy to notice the gigantic Kentucky Fried Chicken mural and chuckle over its absurdity. Across the airport, I saw a man wearing something that caught my eye. As he approached me, I confirmed he was wearing a 1950s era MA-1 nylon flight jacket worn by US fighter pilots during the cold war era.

His jacket was nice. The knit cuffs were not blown out. Its sage green color was not bleached or faded and it still had the desirable nylon webbed tab on the front, where the pilot clips his oxygen mask. I have sold many of these vintage jackets over the last decade to China and Japan and I wondered what the chances were of this person acquiring his jacket from me. As I watched him wait for his luggage, I gathered up the nerve to approach him and ask him about his jacket. I quickly learned that although his English was better than my Chinese, he was not fluent. When I said, “cool jacket” things clicked and I could tell that he was pleased by my compliment. We exchanged a few more words and he allowed me to photograph him in his jacket. Then we departed in different directions.

Despite language and cultural differences, I was pleased to be able have a moment of mutual appreciation with a stranger over a collectible piece of vintage apparel. This could not have been a better introduction to China!

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WorthPoint’s Tom Carrier is at Brimfield, one of the largest antiques and collectibles shows in the world. Tom, a vexologist, finds two large flags with 48 stars, one made from wool and the other cotton. Tom compares the differences.

Videographer: Scott J. Shactman
Editor: Sharon Levy

WorthPoint – the premier Web site for art, antiques and collectibles

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Worthologist Tom Carrier is WorthPoint’s resident flag expert. At the Brimfield antiques and collectibles shows, he finds what he is searching for—some fascinating flags. Rae McCarthy from R&R Collectibles in East Hampton, Mass., is interviewed.

Videographer: Scott J. Shactman
Editor: Sharon Levy

WorthPoint – the premier Web site for art, antiques and collectibles