Advance Guard Militaria

AGM's Holiday Sale opens on Thursday December 3 at 3:00 pm US Central Time. 585 items total; most nicely discounted from their original retail price. This is our not-exactly-annual-but-exciting-when-it-happens 'buy high, sell low, live on volume' sale! For a full preview, visit: https://www.advanceguardmilitaria.com/NewsDetail.aspx

Collectors, your input is requested! While working on the big bayonet catalog last evening, I described a M1905 bayonet made by Springfield in 1913. This morning, still in M1905's, I ran across another and thought that the serial number sounded very familiar. Turns out there are two with sequential numbers: 556227 and 556228. They both went through the Ordnance repair / rebuild process prior to late 1918 (blades are now blued), and the subsequent finish wear is more on on...e than the other, so clearly did not just sit side by side all their lives; by random chance they have ended up together in this same collection. Which brings us to the big question, and I am interested in your opinion as a collector: 1) Dude, that's awesome! Sell them together!! or 2) Meh.. quirk of fate, but who cares? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Working away on Catalog 117 (We decided last week that #116 will be the Halloween Sale.) #117 will be bayonet-a-palooza -which we all know - is among the more awesome options for paloozas. So, which are rare, which are common? You might think that a giant pile of S.98/05 bayonets would be a fairly easy day of cataloging.. but no, I am pleased to discover that the gentleman who assembled this collection had excellent taste in bayonets and a great eye. Consequently, there i...s quite a bit of interesting nuance: scarce makers, unusual variations, etc. #117 is going to be an awesome catalog.. er, 'palooza'!! Having a slug of 98/05 bayonets on the work table always brings back memories of one of the first big collections to come our way. Fairly early in the history of AGM, we got a call from Ken McManus, who had purchased a few things from us at the old St. Louis show at Jefferson Barracks. He explained "I want you to come and buy my bayonet collection." And so, without really knowing what we were in for, we did! 400+ 98/05 bayonets later, we learned a lot about which were common, which were not, and how those small details often relate directly to other aspects of the story of WWI, as well as the turbulent Weimar years. With this new collection that I am working on today, I find myself 'rediscovering' many of those details by browsing through the older AGM catalog descriptions looking up various makers, variants, etc. and appreciating all over again the kind consideration that was extended by Mr. McManus 20 years ago. We did not know him all that well before this, but apparently he thought well enough of us from our limited dealings at the shows to make that call. In the two decades that have passed since, there have been many other such calls (and now emails), but we never take it for granted. The trust and friendship that we enjoy with our customers is the very foundation of this business. I hope that should the day arrive that you consider selling, or simply shifting focus - give us a call!

Apparently, the correct gift for 245 years of service is a 37mm shell. I sincerely hope it was at least embellished with some cool trench art!