Kicking Off Your Collection of Militaria
If you are new to the militaria collecting hobby, start off by browsing the militaria forums. These sites, like British Militaria Forums and the U.S. Militaria Forum, offer an opportunity to talk to experienced collectors, ask questions, and potentially avoid being ripped off the first time you buy militaria.
Online Sellers
When you are ready to start making militaria purchases, there are many ways to do so online. The website e-militaria.com has an impressive collection of military artifacts. Its collection focuses around the U.S. and Germany, with World War II and pre-World War II categories for each nation. Dan Gleason, the collector who maintains the site, would also be happy to look at, or even purchase, the items in the collections of people who view the site. His contact information is at the bottom of this page.
Don't neglect good old eBay for finding great deals in military antiques. A recent search for militaria on eBay turned up the long-sleeve shirt of a Russian airborne trooper, an 1870-1871 French Republic medal, a Lithuanian Army AK bayonet frog, and more.
Local Sellers
If you'd like to be able to see the whites of someone's eyes when you buy militaria from him, get off your computer and head to your local militaria dealer. Army surplus stores, which are fairly common, might have a great collection of military medals or helmets tucked away behind all those generic duffel bags and combat boots.
Having trouble finding a local dealer? Go to Militaria Webring, which can help you find hundreds of military antiques dealers around the world. The site divides them by geographic category as well as by war.
Larry Stone Books is a site maintained by a truly enthusiastic militaria fan. Larry has links to lots of sites that relate to militaria and to war in general. Some of his recommended sites are Indochina Militaria, a resource for finding military collectibles from the Vietnam War, and Jon's Swords, a militaria site that specializes in, as you might guess, swords.
Ephemera, like training manuals for soldiers, are a good way to get your collection started inexpensively. Then you can move up to weapons and uniforms. Whatever item you are thinking of buying, you might want to get its authenticity verified by a fellow militaria hobbyist or two. Then again, you don't want somebody else to snatch up your great bargain. Tell the militaria dealer you want a day to think about it, and then do all the research you can overnight.