February is a busy month for me and the shop because it is also the month of the Show of Shows (SoS). This annual event is held in late February, at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville, Kentucky. This the largest military show in the world with over 2,200 tables of militaria. It takes weeks of work to organize, price and prepare for this show. This year, I will display a collection of British Cavalry Helmets and other similar items that I recently purchased from a Wisconsin collection. Next time I will report on my efforts and try to take many pictures. Those of you that love military collectables owe it to themselves to take the short trip to Louisville and enjoy this world class quality extravaganza of militaria.
A Unique British Cavalry WW1 Collection: British Cavalry Helmets, British Cavalry Uniforms, and More
This collection was a challenge because I know very little about British cavalry items. Additionally, most of the items were a mixture of old and new. There were original early 20th century helmet bodies with newer liners, cords and plates. Many of the items were decorators with little historical collector value. The collector also created many fantasy pieces. He enjoyed sewing up uniforms with added braid, leaves and chevrons that un-representive of any known military organization. He liked to mix US Civil and Indian War uniform styles with British Guard and Colonial uniform styles to create a hybrid, quite unlike anything that I have seen. Hopefully, one can tell that it was difficult to determine a value on such items. It is similar to selling military items that have been framed. The cost of the frame is very expensive and can run into the hundreds of $’s. However, the framed item rarely means as much to the new buyer as it did to the original owner.
The family that I bought this collection from were both realistic and understanding. They helped every way possible to make this a pleasant experience. The dog’s name is Don Carlos.