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.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

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Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms series was first published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1943. The Post published the paintings as a series after the United States government declined it. The posters were such a huge success that the United States government changed its mind and the Office of War Information later issued the series as posters as an incentive for War bond purchasers.The original “Four Freedoms” paintings were taken on a Bond raising tour covering sixteen American cities, allowing almost a million and a quarter people were able to see the paintings in person. The more than $130 million dollars worth of bonds sold by the Four Freedoms Tour helped shorten World War II.

Mike Wilcox

Wilcox & Hall Appraisers

Of all WWII US Airborne military collectibles, Original helmets are one of the hardest items to obtain for a collection. There were three main types used in WWII. A fiber (cardboard) liner was used early on. This was soon replaced by high pressure (fiberglass) liners made by Inland and Westinghouse.

Original fiber airborne liners are so rare, they are virtually nonexistent. Inland liners are also quite rare. According to www.toppots.com, of the 1,900,000 Inland liners produced from 1942 to 1943, approximately 75,000 were converted to airborne configuration. It’s safe to assume that many of these left in Europe and other theaters.

Westinghouse manufactured liners appeared later in the war and they are the most common, but finding original airborne Westinghouse liners is not easy because of the high demand for airborne militaria. It is unknown how many airborne configured liners Westinghouse made.

Due to the popularity of WWII airborne collectibles and the scarcity of original helmets, the market is minefield of forgeries. That is why I was elated when my friend agreed to sell me my first Inland para liner. It took several years of coaxing, but we eventually agreed on a price and I am delighted to own it.

The kicker is where my friend found this piece of rare headgear; it was rescued from his relative’s costume rental store! When my friend found the helmet, it had General stars hot glued to the front, which he carefully removed (with no loss of paint). The store had also hot glued a bevo weave store tag inside the crown of the helmet over the Inland stamp. I debated over removing this label, but eventually I carefully removed the tag and kept it with the helmet.

The liner has been repainted, but it looks wartime. Strangely, there are traces of 6th Army Div decals beneath the paint. Creases in the khaki web A-straps indicate they have been folded up inside the liner from use as an infantry helmet. It is very fortunate they were not cut off like many Airborne Inland liners I’ve encountered.

With my Inland sitting proudly in my collection, I will now search to find an original leather chin cup for it, and an original M2 or M1-C shell to mate this liner with. In the meantime, I’ll use a regular fixed-bale M1 shell, which was appropriately used by airborne personnel as well.

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

Militaria-Filled WWII Bunker Discovered in Denmark

A German WWII bunker was found on Denmark’s North Sea coast by archeologists. The bunker has been untouched for 63 years, the Danish newspaper, Politiken, reported. According to Jens Andersen, director of the Hansholm Bunker Museum, wind blew away a layer of sand that had been covering the bunker and its booty of collectibles, exposing the military holding for the first time in more than six decades.

Archaeologists who inspected the site found the interior had not been touched since German troops abandoned it. An interior rife with military antiques includes chairs, bunks, cabinets, pieces of uniforms and bottles of ink.

According to Germany’s English-language newspaper The Local, this historic military bunker is one of more than 5,000 Nazi bunkers that line Denmark’s North Sea coast, part of what was known as the Third Reich’s “Atlantic Wall” line of defense.

At Both Christie’s and Sotheby’s, Bacon Brings It Home

In London, Christie’s and Sotheby’s held high-profile contemporary art sales, hoping to capitalize on recent escalating sales by well-known artists. At Christie’s, high estimates coupled with minimum guarantees made for a disappointing combination on July 1, despite exciting results for a Francis Bacon piece.

According to Bloomberg.com, healthy bidding accompanied a set of three self-portraits by Bacon titled, “Three Studies for Self-Portrait,” 1975. The artwork fetched $34.5 million, bought by an anonymous buyer by phone, and was the most expensive lot for the auction. The works of three other artists, considered pre-auction standouts, had mixed results. A Jeff Koons’ sculpture went for $25.6 million after being estimated at almost $24 million. Lucian Freud’s 1980 “Naked Portrait with Reflection” brought in more than $23.4 million after having a top estimate of $30 million. Lucio Fontana’s “La Fine di Dio,” on the other hand, estimated at close to $16million, did not sell.

At Sotheby’s auction the following day The New York Times reported brisk sales of contemporary paintings by Bacon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hirst and Marlene Dumas. Dumas’ 1995 “Visitor” sold for $6.3 million, two times Sotheby’s high estimate. Sotheby’s estimated the Bacon, a portrait of George Dyer, at $15.5 million: it sold for $27.4 million.

Mega Summer Antiques Show in Baltimore

The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show will take place August 28-31 and expects 30,000 in attendance and more than 550 international dealers, according to the official Web site promoting the 28th installment of the summer event. Following on the heels of the American Numismatic Association’s event in the same convention center, the antiques show will include an Antiquarian Book Fair, fine art, furniture, porcelain, silver, American folk art, home accoutrements, jewelry, furniture, glass and textiles. Among the highlights is a lecture series from renowned experts in the fields of silver, jewelry and antiquities.

Pictured is a World War II German model 1934 Police helmet. The helmet has double decals on either side. One decal is the German Eagle with swaztica in silver and black and wreath of silver and black surrounded in black with a silver colored border representing the German nation. The second decal is the Nazi party flag with swaztica on a white background surrounded by red with a black border this decal represents the Nazi party. The helmet is made of a medium grade steel not used in the combat helmets of the same type. Police helmets were painted black with a brown leather nine tongued liner and black leather chin strap. These helmets were worn by Police unit throughout Germany and the occuipied countries who were not involved in combat operations. The model 1934 helmet was made as a light weight alternative to the much heavier steel combat helmet. Many helmets are found in Antique Malls, Gun and Militaria shows and on line auctions. Experience is the best teacher to collecting these items but there are a few things to look for when deciding whether to buy and old helmet or not. Is it real or a reproduction? First of all if it is a German World War II helmet with a high price tag proceed with caution. Look carefully at the paint job inside and out, smell the helmet. If you smell paint put it down and walk away. No further descussion is needed. A helmet that is 60 plus years old should not smell like paint. If it has a decal check the edges of the decal with your finger. If you can feel the edge of the decal with your finger it is probably a reproduction decal to make the helmet more valuable. These decals were heated when originally placed on the helmet. Original decals are very thin and adhere to the roughness or smoothness of the helmet. If the decal appears thick and covers the texture of the steel then it is probably a fake. If the decal is painted do the smell check. You can also purchase a small battery powered black light to check the paint. If the paint refects or luminates in the black light the paint probably has a synthetic material in it which indicates it was made after World War II and therefore not original to the helmet. Smell the liner inside, if it smells musty like old leather that is a good thing. If it smells new then that’s what it is and not original to the helmet. Look for pry marks inside the helmet around the liner, mix matched or damaged rivets or screws. This might indicate someone as changed or replaced the liner. Maybe the helmet was brought back by a vet without the liner and the new owner wants to increase the value by adding a liner. You can not collect anything without good reference material. You can start with more inexpensive books and create your own library on whatever are your collecting interests . Books with a military interests in mind can be found on line and at some books store although usually very limited. Check used book stores for great deals on some of these books. On line www.idsabooks.com is a good start along with www.schifferbooks.com among others. After you have made your purchase use a damp soft cloth to wipe the inside and outside of the helmet down. Make sure not to get the helmet liner wet and insure the helmet dries and does not rust. A small amount of light oil can be used but it is best to keep this away from the decal which could damage it. Blackrock or other leather cleaner or preservative will work on the chin strap. If the helmet liner does not need these things do not use them. One of the biggest mistakes collectors make is trying to make the item better or newer looking than it is. Preserve and protect the item do not change it. If it has a little rust or wear and tear leave it alone. If you start changing or “improving” the item, the value starts going down fast. And it’s originality and desirablity as a collectable will suffer sometimes to the extreme. I have seen many expensive items reduced to 0 value by well meaning collectors. The retail value on the pictured German Police helmet is $350.00 to $450.00 When looking at these helmets or other collectables take your time and look over the item carefully. Do not be rushed into a purchase and beware of a person selling the item that knows nothing about it. By the same token beware of the good story that seems to accompany some items that people are selling. You will make mistakes it’s all part of that experience I mentioned earlier, get over them and move on. The rare find makes collecting a piece of our history all the more exciting and rewarding. Like my mother once said, “you could have worse hobbies” Thanks, Mom

I’ve attended the KC Military Show for over a decade and I cannot think of a time where I left the venue empty handed. Admittedly, this time I tried my best not to purchase anything because I just bought a WWII 2nd Bn. Ranger uniform group and I did not want to test my wife’s generosity with more purchases this month. I got sidetracked from my plan when I peeked at Allan Henderson’s table and saw a beautiful Eisenhower D-Day letter with a price I could not pass up. I had to snatch that as well as a few small dollar items. The rest of my time was spent visiting with friends and watching them spend money.

The show had approximately 280 tables (50 less than last year). This should not have been a surprise considering gas prices and the economy in general. Despite the smaller turnout, there was plenty of very nice militaria for sale. My interest is primarily in WWII and Vietnam, so my observations have that bias. I noticed more high-end German headgear this year, as well as some nice US and Japanese headgear (see images). There were a lot of US medals and medal groups, but most were higher than market price in my opinion. I did not see many breathtaking uniform groups for sale, but my friend picked up a very nice 511th PIR group on Friday with Ike jacket, two shirts, two OS (Overseas) caps, and trousers. Later that night we ID’d the Airborne vet in NARA as well as other sources.

The show had other staple attractions including military vehicle displays and static impressions. I noticed an impressive table of German Lugers as well as several WWII USMC and Army uniform and equipment displays. There was also a table of veteran buffalo soldiers to hear stories from.

One unrelated highlight that I need to mention is that on Friday night I had the best barbecue in my life at Hillsdale Bank Barbecue (Street: 201 Frisco Hillsdale, KS 66036 Phone: (913) 783-4333). It’s outside Kansas City, but so worth the drive. I had a half rack of spare ribs, coleslaw, baked beans, and sweet potato fries. Their sauce is award winning KC style and the meat was smoked to perfection.

I am definitely planning on attending the KC Military Show and Hillsdale Barbecue next year!

KC Military Show Hours:
Friday 5pm – 9pm
Saturday 9am – 5pm
Sunday 9am – 3pm

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

I came into possession of two pins or badges that I inherited from a relative’s estate. They were acquired in England sometime during World War Two. Any information that anyone may have concerning these would be appreciated.

The first is a cross-shaped badge (about 3″ across) that is gold plated or enameled, has colored gems or glass on the wings of the cross, and has a circular center bearing the busts of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The inscription around the busts reads in latin, “Victoria Regina Magnae Britanniae Albertus Dux Saxoniae.” On the obverse side, there is a depiction of a male and female couple seated in a chariot being pulled by what appear to be two angels. Also, there are two angels above the couple holding circular objects (perhaps wreaths or crowns?). Around this depiction there are words that say, “Felices Quos Jungit Amor” and “Die X.M. February MDCCCXI” Last statement is somewhat faded.

Second item is a brooch or pin that bears a coat of arms featuring a lion on the left and either a horse or salamander (can’t really tell which) on right, a shield in the center that says “Honni Soit Qui Mal Y Pense” (Supposed to be an Order of the Garter motto), a crown atop the shield and some words inscribed below the shield (which are somewhat faded) — “Dieuet Mon Droit” The words are faded in that phrase, so that’s what I can best make out. The coat of arms is mounted on a circular, black background, and from the outer perimeter of the circle there protrudes a number of alternating short and long gold spikes, giving the whole badge the appearance of a sun with rays.

If anyone has any ideas as to what these items may be, I would appreciate your help. Photos of these items are posted on the worthpoint website.

At the start of World War II, equipment issued to troops by the Japanese Army typically was based on European designs. As the war progressed, material shortages became extreme and the Japanese took many measures to minimize the use of metal in any form. Metal features such as buckles on packs, helmets and other equipment were replaced by cloth or rubberized leather.

The Army officer’s frame pack shown here is an early war issue of a German design. It features metal roller buckles and rivets. The interior is lined with canvas and has the previous owner’s name (Hiroshi Zaki) painted inside the flap. The pack’s construction and workmanship is of high quality, in stark contrast to later mass production versions made of thin canvas sewn with cloth tie closures.

The approximate value of this item is $275-$350. Packs and other equipment for officers are of higher quality than equipment for enlisted personnel.