Military Officer - January 2006 - (Page 57)

Presentation Sword: This sword belonged to Captain Successful collecting takes work and, more speciﬁcally, research. For a true collector, the continuous quest for knowledge is itself rewarding. This is clear when talking with enthusiastic collectors and dealers, as they love their subject and are happy to share their knowledge. Cammaroto recommends four common-sense steps to take before laying down money for an edged weapon. He uses the acronym RHIP: research, handle and inspect an edged weapon, and only then purchase. Samuel Mallock, who retired from England’s Royal Marines in 1835. It was presented to him by the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd’s to honor his “energy and gallantry at the storming of Fort Mudros on the coast of Spain” June 4, 1805, as noted on the inscription on the blade. The sword has many distinctive and beautiful features including a diamond-knurled ivory grip and a polished steel blade that has been elaborately decorated in blue and gold. Research Successful collecting means continuous research. An understanding of edged weapons, their history, and the many types is a good start. Some nonmilitary organizations also have issued edged weapons. For example, fraternal organizations such as the Masons and Knights of Pythias have produced swords, with their style and decoration representative of a member’s rank within the organization. During the Third Reich, millions of edged weapons were produced for roughly 20 organizations. Political party daggers and the Hitler Youth knives are examples of nonmilitary edged weapons. Collectors can research different kinds of edged weapons using books and the Internet; visiting dealers, collectors, museums, shows, and shops; and handling and inspecting the weapons directly. Books. Choose an area that interests you — by weapon type, his- torical period, war era, country, or manufacturer. Chances are good that there is at least one book about the weapon you want to collect. Books about edged weapons can be found at general libraries, military libraries, museums, and on the Internet. One of the best places to ﬁnd good resource books is at edgedweapon or militaria shows. One of the best resource examples is Thomas M. Johnson’s eight-volume series Collecting the Edged Weapons of the Third Reich. Johnson published his ﬁrst volume when he was an Army ofﬁcer. Not only does he cover the weapons, but he also gives sound advice about collecting. For example, Johnson recommends collectors obtain the original sales catalog for a particular weapon when possible. The photographs and descriptions in the catalogs are invaluable and show exactly how a particular piece looked and the correct accessories that went with the piece. Internet. The Internet offers an abundance of information, but surfer beware! Not all of the information on the Web is accurate. Still, the Internet is a valuable resource for reading and viewing photographs and ﬁnding other collectors, dealers, shows, books, etcetera. Dealers and collectors. Talk to dealers and other collectors. Talk to everyone you can at shows as well as people outside the show circuit. Ask around and you will ﬁnd reputable, Categories of Edged Weapons Most collectors develop a theme or a category to focus their collecting. Some of the most common categories for collecting weapons are: ■ Axes ■ Bayonets ■ Children’s swords ■ Cutlasses ■ Daggers ■ Dirks ■ Halberd Spears ■ Hatchets ■ Hewers ■ Knives ■ Kris ■ Lances JANUARY 2006 ■ Pikes ■ Sabers ■ Short swords ■ Spontoons ■ Swords ■ Tomahawks MILITARY OFFICER PHOTOS: TOP, NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM, LONDON; LEFT, ARMED FORCES HISTORY, DIVISION OF HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY 57

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - January 2006

Contents Features Departments From the Editor Chairman's Page Board of Directors Nominations Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Member Books Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Cover Story: On the Edge Storm Stories Our Brilliant, Bloody Future eXtreme Seniors Pages of History Information Exchange MOAA Scholarship Donors Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - January 2006

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