Insert title text here ...

Collecting can be as big or as small as you like. It can also be as expensive or as cheap as you like. This is some of the

" Junk " as my wife would call it that i have accumilated over the years. Collecting can be quite frustrating, especially if you are after something in particular, or collect in an area that is quite specialized, or sometimes people often start collecting and wonder when their collection is going to get to the point where you are either really pleased with it or when you can show or display it with pride. There are items in my collection which are taken to shows and some dont even see daylight. I think that i mentioned in the bayonet section that my father gave me my first item many years ago. It was a ww2 Yugo bayonet. At a young age i became very interested in the Great war and used to go to Antique fairs and collect WW1 postcards. But that was at a time when you could pick them up for 20p. I managed over time to build up a nice collection, some which i display and some i have no room for, and again are just boxed up, waiting for that time when my wife will let me have someof it in the house..NO CHANCE!! But now even postcards have gone sky high and if you collect say for example Irish postcards ( ww1) then you can pay anything for them. Thirty pounds upwards is not unusual. I was lucky when i got my first job as i had a lovely little shop not far from where i lived in London called PUGG

Antiques,a lovely littel shop full of military goodies!! and virtually everytime i got paid at the end of the week......

( handed to me in a little brown envelope ) i would nip down there and buy something.My first purchase was a ww1 German Pickelhaube, it cost me a weeks wages, that was 30 years ago..i bought it for £60, its one of the few items i have indoors. i then would maybe buy a cap badge or a bayonet. i started to build up a nice littel collection..but to my horror the shop closed down.

I think its very rare that you can pick up a bargain these days, although i did find a guy at a show selling ww2 British Mkll helmets for 15 quid. Stick a net on one of these and see how much they go on e bay for!!

I think i have got to the point now where i like collecting Irish gear if it is cheap enough or of interest, modern or old as long as i get enjoyment from looking at it. I love collecting books as well, and they can still be picked up very cheap. Long gone are the small little junk shops that used to line the high streets with hidden treasures waiting to be found at a bargain..everyone has wised up thanks to television..

My advice to anyone just starting to collect is to start small, pick a topic, or something of interest and just enjoy collecting..Something that is affordable..and also buy from someone that you can trust and who will answer all your questions as there are a hell of a lot of copies out there..

And dont get married !!

Take care Mad Paddy Steve