What's your favorite item in your collection?

[Jeff L]

And why? Sorry I should have specified your favorite item that's not a firearm.

-Jeff L

[SteveC]

Springfield Armory M1A is my favorite. Why? - Mainly because my Mom and Dad gave it to me. Best Christmas present I ever got, it covered the two Christmases I spent in Germany and I got to "open" it (celebrate Christmas with my family) in October of 1986. Secondary reason of course is the M1A is something of a "product upgrade" to the finest battle implement ever devised. That is my "cold, dead hands" rifle, I won't give it up until the Lord calls me home. And then I hope my son will cherish it as I have! Thanks for asking Jeff!

[5MadFarmers]

My wife. Without her the rest of it wouldn't happen.

Rarest isn't really "favorite" is it? I have some rare guns, one of a kind really, but those aren't necessarily my "favorite" item. Family items mean more but I'm not sure those are "favorite" either.

Hard to pick one. If I had to, and I think maybe it's a mood thing, today it would be the Remington Model 8. $60 at an estate sale. Stuff was going to be half price the second day so we returned. The owners were there and we had a chance to talk to them about the stuff - to include the Remington. They were very elderly. He was happy it went to a private owner and not a dealer.

It's what we do I think - just take care of the stuff until the next generation takes over.

[John Sukey]

That's an impossible question to answer.
No1Mk3 Prize rifle
Commercial Long Lee with target sights
Lee enfield Cav carbines
R.I.C. carbines
NZ carbines, (only 1500 made)
E.A.L Rifles
Martinis
Sniders,
.22 cal No1mk3's and No4's
Lee Metfords
Long Lee with .22 aiming tube
etc. etc.
I won't even start with the handguns
or machine guns.

[JBinIll]

I think one of my favorite items is probably worth the least and would be of little interest to anyone else.A WW2 7th Division patch my Uncle gave me when I was a youngster.He fought in the retaking of Attu and was wounded there severly enough to be discharged a year or so later.

[Michaelp]

1911A1 I got back from VN.
Gave it to a good friend recently.
Now a G33/40 I got from a friend who took it from a dead German paratrooper in France.
Complete with hood, sling, and rod. Also LW buckle from original owner.

[Larry G.]

My favorites are the two American Flag arm bands that my Dad wore in WW2. One is marked Southern France ,Operation Dragoon, Aug15,1944. It was his first action,a glider assault near the town of Lemuy. The second was marked Battle of the Bulge. His unit was attached to the 17th Airborne which went into action on Dec.26th,1944. He was a member of the 550th Glider Infantry Battalion. After the Bulge his unit and the 193rd Glider Infantry were so decimated that they were disbanded and the remnants formed the 3rd Battalion 194th Glider Infantry.

[raiderkin]

The 4 "cornerstones" of my collection would be an unissued M3 fighting knife with unissued M6 leather scabbard- Viner Bros 1943, a 1941 Johnson, with 3 barrels, ons sporter 30.06, one original 30.06 and one Mexican 7mm, original bayonet and the $49 bucks receipt that my dad paid for it back in the '60 s. My dad's 1944 Willy's jeep with .30 cal Browning MG that I built out of a Sarco parts kit, and lastly, my Uncle Tony's WWII USMC 1st Raider Battalion collection that my family had kept after he was Killed in Action on Guadalcanal during the battle for Edson's Ridge. 2 complete uniforms, ID card, Etched Purple Heart, Grandmothers Gold Star, Western Union telegram from Marines notifying them of his death, Original promotion orders from Col. Edson to PFC, and alot more. I wish that I had the opportunity to know him instead.....TOM

[Dan Shapiro]

MY dog tags.

[pcox]

My original dog tags from 1966, and my dads dog tags from WW2.

[John Sukey]

Missed the not a firearm thing.
Then it would be my Waterloo medal. or maybe the Victorian period Artillery uniforms

[thorin6]

My Camillus M4 Bayonet. It's a rubber handled bayonet most likely redone in Japan under contract to the US. My father carried it in Korea 1952-1953, and it was the start of my collecting milsurps and other militaria. If everything (non-firearm) were to go, that would be the last thing, along with my father's K98k WWII bring back and my Martini-Henry Mark II my son brought back from Afghanistan.

[LMDawson]

Mine would have to be two very basic items that my very best friend gave me. An M1-Garand En Bloc Clip from WW2 and a P38. I did a girl thing and strung them up together so that they make a ringing sound

Best Regards
Lisa

[jaie5070]

Tough one. One would be the geman bayonet my dear grandmother bought her 13 yr old grandson one summer. It took me 25 yrs to figure out it went to an 1891 argentine mauser. The neat thing is that I recently picked up a rifle that is less than 1200 away from having the same serial #.
The other would be a little book I found in a junk shop titled ARMY FRENCH. It's dated 1918.
john

[PhillipM]

My grandfather's 21 jewel hamilton railroad watch. He would often say, occasionally the sun and moon may get a little off, but this watch is always right. Mine is my ebony handled buck knife. Limited to militaria, I have five gold stars supposedly worn by Ike. I've been meaning to get some pictures uploaded to see what they really are.