What to do w. war trophies?

[Aglifter]

My grandfather brought back various items from WWII (SS dagger, etc.). My grandmother would like them taken away now. I have no desire to own them/sell them, or even really have them in my house, at the same time, I don't wish to disrespect my grandfather. To my knowledge, he just put them up in the attic a very long time ago, and told his family to leave them alone.

The closest parallel I could think of, in my life, are some of my old trophies, bars I tied in knots, etc -- which have meaning to me, but I wouldn't expect my descendants to worry about them...

OTH, I could see a later "Aglifter" feeling something for them -- similar to how I feel using the old tools/guns, etc. And I would expect them to keep my old bars, but those will be something useful to my family for a very, very long time, if they exercise at all.

Do the war trophies of ancestors have any particular meaning to vets? I could see old medals, etc meaning something to them.

[mekender]

Ive got a real soft spot for history... so if i were adamant about not keeping them, i would find a museum to donate them to... it is a shame when history gets lost forever because someone doesnt want to keep something..

[Fivetoes]

If they have value, why not convert them to cash and buy a new gun to remember your grandpa with?

[Darrell]

The neighbor bought an SS dagger on eBay some years ago, not sure they still allow such things to be sold on their site.

I had a landlord many years ago who collected Nazi memorabilia. Going inside his cabin to pay the rent was a scary experience--he had SS daggers, medals, you name it on display. He had a lot of Nazi portraits, oil paintings and such, hanging on the walls, too; they were evil/spooky to behold. It was like a Night Gallery episode when the rent came due. The guy was scary enough without all the props, that made him even moreso.

[Rod]

The neighbor bought an SS dagger on eBay some years ago, not sure they still allow such things to be sold on their site.

I had a landlord many years ago who collected Nazi memorabilia. Going inside his cabin to pay the rent was a scary experience--he had SS daggers, medals, you name it on display. He had a lot of Nazi portraits, oil paintings and such, hanging on the walls, too; they were evil/spooky to behold. It was like a Night Gallery episode when the rent came due. The guy was scary enough without all the props, that made him even moreso.

The landlord's name wasn't Skellinger by any chance? He was a First Shirt I was under one time who was fascinated by the German Army of WWII. Always wondered what happened to him.

[JAG2955]

Ag, for some, it's a desire caused by some gruesome thoughts, that an implement could have been used to kill another human being.

I look at it more like being a guardian of a historical object. I have a nazi marked pistol, rifle, and bayonet, but I do not own them because I hope that they killed someone. I own them because if I didn't, they might be lost to the ages.

This will go deeper than I anticipated, but here goes: Every plebe summer, the incoming USNA class goes to the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C. It is a very sobering experience, seeing man's brutality on other men. I realized more so at that point than others that it is my duty, both in the military and out, to ensure that it does not happen again.

Keep the dagger and the gear, or find someone who will remember it for who stood against it, not for why it existed.

[Aglifter]

Thanks Guys -- the thought that they would end up in the hands of some neo-NAZI scumbag is precisely why I don't want to sell them -- or, frankly, give them to a museum. (bad family history about donating some furniture at the request of one, only to see it sold for "fundraising".)

I'll put them somewhere where they can sit for another 50 years or so until someone else wants to mess w. them.

[SeekHer]

One side of the family has been collecting war memorabilia since you kicked them out of the USA for being loyal to the crown and the other side since the Boer War…The last that we participated in was Korea and the only military left are a few cousins in the USA and of course Israel…

Lots of times the stuff brought back was what they could remove from dead bodies or from captured prisoners that they really had no part of the action resulting in the demise or capture…This has been going on since the very first battles were fought…Of course it’s significant to them just as your bent bars are significant to you…

I had a great-uncle, a quartermaster corps warrant officer that brought back 25 WW1 German and Bavarian helmets, you know Pickelhaubs with the spike on top and at least a dozen Lugers including an artillery model…His brother, a Sgt. Major in a line company, came back with 18 Mausers, 6 different Lee-Enfield SMLEs and a bunch of British, German and American Revolvers, some Lugers and a Russian rifle and revolver…

Everyone came back with stuff, unit insignia and rank badges, hat badges (Undress), swagger sticks, uniforms (theirs and the enemies and allies), buttons, knives, mess sets, belt buckles, documents and most prized enemy flags--battle & others and medals…

You don’t want the stuff in your house then contact any of a number of reputable militaria dealers and see if they will buy them from you…If they are quite rare or just unique, see if a local museum would like them on permanent loan (you get a little tag saying you loaned it) or an outright purchase…Depending on the amount, do like Fivetoes said and buy something that would remember him to you, whether that be a new firearm or just a dinner with your grandmother in a nice restaurant (that was their favourite),,,

Send an E-mail to half a dozen dealers with the description of the items and see if there is any value…There are lots of German militaria collectors out there that have no affiliation whatsoever with Neo/Aryan/Skinhead assholes as well as legitimate military knife collectors…

You shouldn’t have great difficulty riding yourself of the offensive items but whether you get a new XD(M) out of it ir just a box of bullets depends on the items…Some knives are selling in the tens of thousands of dollar though…

[Jered]

I'll save you money and take it off your hands for free.

[DwightG]

I guess I can't understand your feelings.

I have a couple of things my father brought back from WWII, a rifle, a set of Jap binoculars, a couple of Filipino knives, a couple of Jap flags. They are inanimate objects and possess no "evil spirit" of their own. To me they are cherished possessions. Not because they represent imperial Japan (who when it came to sadistic butchery made the nazis look like amateurs) but because they are the spoils of the victory that put those SOB's down and a memorial to one of the men who had a small part in defeating them. Dad was no more special than any other GI but he's MINE. The souveniers are kept in proud memory of him. I hope to pass them on some day to my own son and hope he'll also keep them in honor the sacrifices of his grandfather.