[NEMO]

Originally Posted by ARPCDHG

Usual great detail Jon.

Yes, loved your Within The Island Fortress - it stopped just when it was getting to the juicy ones - ARP, AFS/NFS etc!

Would love to see an expanded and updated A People's Army, featuring full uniforms, period photos etc.

I'm desperately trying to hide a smug smile after several decades of militaria dealers giving me, at best, a confused look or at worst, patronising/sneering response when I stated I collected Home Front - those same dealers are now desperately straggling to buy it themselves.

Even more surprising is the throught that SOME dealers are faking Home Front memorabilia, from dodgy shoulder titles to elaborate ARP helmet designs - all something that was unthinkable back in the 1980s, when seemingly, all ARP helmets, no matter the rank/design were a fiver!

There now seems to be less HF material available and the prices for what there is - particularly on ebay - are quite often ridiculous, with the sellers seemingly disproportionately greedy. I also have noticed that there seems to be far fewer HF collectors to say 10-15 years ago, mostly just a rump of long-term hardcore collectors. As a result, prices of some items, such as factory ARP badges - which I've always thought were overpriced, as though they are interesting, are not that amazingly scarce and always turn up on ebay - have dropped: they seem to sell for around £75, whereas 10 years ago, they were regularly fetching silly money, around £200 each!

Just wish I'd collected way more HF memorabilia back in the day: I'm sure I'm not the only one who kicks themselves when they remember items that slipped through their hands they should have picked up, e.g. enamel 'Danger - Butterfly Bombs' sign for £40, 10 years ago at Stoneleigh.

Jon - I recently just saw your PM to me from January (I received no notification) and have replied to you via PM.

I Can remember buying a beautiful Home Guard officers BD named and complete with a military medal ribbon for the Great War cost me 18 quid ( knocked down from 20 ) and been openly laughed and and ridiculed by dealers as I walked round the Leeds fair with it over my arm Completely all long the lines of " What the f"&K you bought that piece of crap for ....." it had been hung on the stall all day till I bought it .......all the clever dicks missed the significance it was a rocket anti -aircraft unit clearly shown by the insignia