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Collector's Connection, Inc.
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| More German Medals..... |
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The Current Time is..........
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We only specialize in the finest and rarest examples in Imperial German War related memorabilia...
Our turnover of items in Imperial German memorabilia has historically been rather low, due to the rarity
of items to offer as well as our reluctance to sell them ! When we are able to locate items and offer them for sale, they do tend to go rather quickly...high quality items in suitable
condition within this genre are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, and with each passing year will only continue to disappear into the hands of major collectors. Due to the tremendous amount of inquiries that were recieved from our clients throughout the years, Collector's Connection decided many years ago to search for high quality
reproductions of many of the more difficult to obtain items...as a suitable and more cost effective means, to allow more collectors to be able to display Imperial items within their collections.
Within this page you can view some of our current listings, as well as locate links to our catalogue to view our complete inventory. Original and reproduction Imperial offerings will be listed within these pages, as we attempt to locate and offer as many unique and unusual items as possible ! | |
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| Orden de Pour le' Merite' with Oak Leaves c. 1917 A Brief History and Overview Here we have a near flawless example of a very difficult to locate and highly coveted Imperial decoration for valor, with a heritage and tradition as fascinating as the soldiers it was presented to. The Pour le' Merite' or "Blue Max" has earned its' place in history as not only one of the most beautiful decorations ever created, but also of being one of the most universally respected and admired decorations ever awarded. Awarded to less than 100 individuals, this decoration was the highest military honor that the Crown of Imperial Germany ever bestowed upon a soldier. The Blue Max was awarded only in recognition of an act of exreme valor, or of supreme service to the Empire of Germany. Although earlier versions of the award had been occassionally presented to individuals for superior diplomatic accomplishments, or even foreign dignitaries, by the end of World War I it was only awarded to men who had performed superior battlefield accomplishments. With the fall of Imperial Germany at the end of the war, the award ended its' long heritage of distinguished wearers due to the fall of the Empire and hence no need for an Imperial decoration. Although the last Pour le' Merite' was awarded in World War I, it would continue to be worn by it's holders with honor throughout their lives. The list of wearers of this Order included some of the most notable military figures in German history, and although not awarded again after the Great War would eventually be worn by several of the highest ranking officers of the Third Reich as well...including Reichmarschall Hermann Goring, and GeneralFeldmarshall Erwin Rommel. For specific information in regards to purchasing this outstanding and original example, please click on the picture to the right and you will be redirected to our Imperial catalogue. |  |
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Pickelhauben Spiked Headgear of Imperial Germany Simply click on the picture at left, and you will be redirected directly to our available inventory of both original and reproduction Imperial German headgear ! For many years an overlooked and truly undervalued area, the collecting of Pickelhauben has experienced a rebirth within the last decade...as collectors rediscover the beauty and regal charm of these unique and often difficult to locate helmets. Although originally produced in great quantities, the ensuing of nearly 100 years since the fall of Imperial Germany in World War I has necessarily resulted in the loss of many due to the simple passage of time. During the war the nicest examples of these spiked helmets had often been privately purchased officer's grade headgear, and though modeled after a standard regimental theme each hand produced helmet would possess individual characteristics. Among the German Officer Corps these helmets were a symbol not only of the wearer's regiment, but often of the wearer himself as well. In addition to the distinctive regimental crest worn on the front of the helmet, it was also quite common and acceptable to bear the owner's family crest, as well as a crest of the particular Prussian district which the wearer originated from. These were obviously more decorative than protective in nature, and often had several different interchangable spikes for various ceremonial uses. After the war, these helmets held no less importance than they had during the conflict, as often the helmet was retired to a place of honor within the wearer's home and became cherished family heirlooms in the process of the passage of generations. |
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Original German Uniforms One of our most extensive areas of inventory, we have been locating and "hoarding" these historically important tunics for two decades...we only search for Officer Grade Uniforms, and have been able to obtain many notable examples throughout the years. Many of our purchases have been made directly from the original owners themselves, and often we have been able to recieve complete sets...including their Visor Caps, Trousers, and even the boots ! As the years have progressed, good sources for locating such items have declined dramatically. The natural passage of time have claimed many of our World War II veterans, and even " vet bringbacks " are now only showing up at estate sales. We became active in this area in an era when good quality merchandise was available in abundance, even at your local yard sale...and once again, these are items which we have been holding on to for many years before offering them for sale. To view our available inventory of both original nad reproduction German uniform items, simply click on the picture on the right and you will automatically be redirected to our catalogue ! |  |
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World War Two Weaponry Reproductions Originals in this area are now practically impossible to obtain at any price, as any actual working examples are illegal to own by ATF regulations...and any examples of such are obviously held by their owners, due to the simple scarcity and historical interest thereof. Any of the known examples which have been located throughout the years, have been required to be deactivated by strict regulation. They are not allowed to be firable, or repairable back to firing condition by these regulations...which effectively means that you have to turn them into toys, in which case they aren't really weapons anymore. Although effectively "destroyed" in the process, even these non-firing examples will still sell for astronomical prices...and we believe undeservedly so, as by alteration they are simply no longer a true historical collectible.
However, they do remain a critical element, purely for display purposes, and are the finishing touch necessary for any reenactor to complete an ensamble. |
| The next best thing to an original, and in a price range within reach
of any collector... Especially suitable for reenactment purposes or historical presentation pieces for research...as well as being quite useful in drama and theatre applications, and even serious collectors may find what we have available of great interest ! The high quality and realistic prices may surprise you, and may actually convince you not to buy an original piece from us or anyone else...but that's O.K., because even though we are proud to offer the finest examples of original historical items of interest, these products are so close in detail that they go far beyond the realm of mere costume jewelry ! |  |
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Officer Grade Collar Lintzen As we have discussed within the German Items page of the website in detail,
a tremendous amount of officer grade rank collar tabs were not only produced, but survived the war. All rank grades including general officers are available, for every branch of the German military. We have a sizeable amount of these items in our current inventory, but can also locate specific pieces as requested. We also have access to some of the finest reproduction quality insignia items, as a more cost effective means of acquiring some of the more difficult to locate items ! Whatever your insignia needs require, we can provide a solution to fit your situation ! |
| At right, German Cross in Gold
Most often described as the single most beautiful decoration ever produced by Nazi Germany, the German Cross was actually awarded
in two separate grades, distinguished by either a Gold or Silver wreath arond the center swastika disk. Implemented in 1941 as an award to rank in between the Iron Cross First Class, and the Knight's Cross. For consistently superior perfomance of assigned duties, in a position of command or great responsibility to the Reich. More specifically, the award was designed for repeated acts of heroism, which did not justify the awarding of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Not only a difficult award to qualify for during the war, but now also a quite difficult award to obtain in the collector's market. Original examples do appear often enough for us to obtain the awards at competitive prices, however there exists a growing interest in this historic piece and demand may soon exceed supply. |  |
| At left, Knight's Cross and pictured above, German Cross in Gold award ceremony It is interesting to note here, that the combined estimated value of the decorations on the table as pictured would be in excess of $ 75,000 today ! As examples of the Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross in even average condition, currently sell for as high as $ 5,000 and nicer condition original award pieces can claim as high as $ 25,000 in extreme cases. Valuation and especially identification and verification of originality in this area of collecting should definitely be handled with care, as even knowledgeable and experienced collectors are at the mercy of many unscrupulous yet extremely talented forgers of these beautiful and scarce awards. Some of the forgeries are virtually indistinguishable from originals, except to the most experienced eye. Mr. Heron reports that within the last year alone a client known to us for many years tried to sell us a very old Souval made KC copy, that our client had held for many years as the centerpiece to his military collection...and was more than a little upset when we informed him that his $ 10,000 piece was actually worth less than $ 500 as a forgery, and the client was actually quite difficult to convince of the truth ! Over 50 different manufacturers were contracted by the LDO to produce these awards, and each manufacturer made their own dies to produce
the components. Each completed piece was then hand finished in the style of its' particular craftsman, and although each manufacturer produced detail characteristics specific to the dies used, no two manufacturers pieces looked alike upon
close inspection. |
| Officer's Feldmutze, or Visor Caps Also another popular veteran's take home, there are a surprising number of these peaked caps still circulating within collecting circles. Perhaps simply because they could be stuffed into duffel bags so easily, but more than likely due to the overall magnificence of design inherent in these caps...our vets knew quality workmanship when they saw it, and they also knew they would never see them again. Or so they thought, as who could have anticipated the continued popularity of these visor caps, over a half century after the end of a war that lasted only six years in total ? Nice condition examples of these officer's feldmutzen are still appearing in sufficient numbers to keep up with demand, although we do anticipate prices beginning to rise again after a few years of drifting within a certain range as they appear to be currently. |  |
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Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Issued as an additional award grade to the Knight's Cross, a recipient would have been awarded the
Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross in a special ceremony conducted by Adolf Hitler personally. With each increasing grade of the award which included one higher grade, known as the Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds, the total amount awarded decreased substantially. In fact another, even higher grade known as the Oak Leaves with Swords and Diamonds, in Gold was also awarded...but only once, to Luftwaffe Ace Hans Rudel. Interestingly, Rudel had several copies of the award made for wearing purposes, which throughout the years have even managed to work their way into a few unknowing collector's possession. Original examples of the Oak Leaves, as pictured, sell for in excess of $ 1,000. |
| The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, 1939 Although original provable examples of this coveted decoration are becoming scarce, Collector's Connection has several quality pieces available to the discriminating collector. Our sources for locating documented examples remain both enduring and reliable, however asking prices are becoming rather unstable...we do offer locating services for unique memorabilia such as this, and are always available to discuss special requests. |
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Replacement Knight's Cross Due to the ever rising cost and uncertainty of obtaining suitable original manufactured examples of the Knight's Cross, collectors throughout the years have often sought the highest quality reproductions available...simply to fill a missing item in a collection, or even for reenacting purposes. In fact, it is well known that during the War even soldiers in the field wore what was commonly referred to as a "jeweler's copy" in combat, and kept their original award piece at home...this was the level of admiration which the holder of a Knight's Cross had for it, as they wouldn't even risk losing it in the field ! We had searched
for years for a reliable manufacturer which could offer us consistant access to the highest quality replacement available, and the search took us around the world ! For a complete description of exactly why ours are the best you will find, simply click on the picture of the Knight's Cross to the left ! |
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Imperial Iron Cross 1st Class We are always looking for WW I German items, and have many fine examples currently available for sale. As we approach 90 years since the end of the War to End all Wars, Imperial items such as these are rarely located beyond the hold of a collector...because real collectors know the one undeniable fact of any hobby : Antiques only get older, and value tends to only increase with age ! And Imperial Collectors in particular are aware of a lurking "boom" in this hobby, due to another undeniable fact : With each passing year these become increasingly difficult to find, and within 10 more years will be considered "war relics"...and then prices will once again escalate, as everyone realizes how few are really left. Get yours while you can, before we delist them from inventory for our own investment benefit ! For historic purposes, we also carry an impressive array of reproduction Imperial items...and once again, we truly believe that ours are some of the finest available anywhere or we simply wouldn't offer them ! |
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