mikie Posted December 18, 2018 Share #1 Posted December 18, 2018 Here's mine. My Dad took me to my first gun show in Clinton, NY in the early 1970s. I was probably 14 or so years old. I spotted this rusty, grungy, filthy old helmet on a table, price was $1.00. I fell in love and bought it. It was my first purchase of any military item. Dad sandblasted it. Pre-internet, only knew that French helmets were blue in WWI. I then went to WT Grant's department store and grabbed the color paint I liked best, since I didn't know the actual color. I made the liner out of fake leather cut out from a chair cushion my Mom was throwing away. I found an old badge of some kind, but there wasn't a hole on the front of the helmet to attach it through. No problem, we had a drill. It wasn't till much later that I realized that no hole meant it wasn't French. Maybe Italian? Oh well, it's French now. Much much later I found an original French WWI artillery badge. Brought it home and much to my surprise, it was almost the exact color I had randomly painted it 20 years earlier. So here it is. What was your first militaria purchase? Any good stories about it? I'd love to hear how you other folks got started. Mikie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted December 19, 2018 Share #2 Posted December 19, 2018 I think...if memory serves...that it was a WWII era Swiss helmet at a flea market for $15 bucks or so. When I was a kid I use to wear it around the flea market, and people would see it bouncing around the crowd and let me know if they had anything militaria when I sauntered by. I still have it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MECHINF-A15 Posted December 19, 2018 Share #3 Posted December 19, 2018 My first piece was purchased in 1957 at the age of eight. My Dad was both a hunter and an avid gun collector. I would often tag along with him on his gun shop trips. On a trip to JACKSON ARMS in Dallas, Texas (across the street from SMU) I found a mint Luftwaffe SD M40 helmet. Price was $15.00 and it was a size 53 (no wonder it was "mint.") My Dad bought it for me and it fit perfectly. I was "decked out" when me and the other kids played ARMY. From that point on I became "a collector." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulR Posted December 19, 2018 Share #4 Posted December 19, 2018 West German BW NCO Arty jacket back in 1986. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vostoktrading Posted January 5, 2019 Share #5 Posted January 5, 2019 It was around 1969. I was about 9 years old. My dad and I were at a surplus store in San Rafael, CA. They had British Mk3 "turtle" helmets for sale. I begged him to get it. He did. It was cheap and super cool for a kid to wear around while playing army with his friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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