Got a question for ya's

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Sat Jun 02, 2012 5:25 pm

Easy. Just give it to them, especially if it is the vet himself. I have done exactly that, with old photos.
kevin

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:07 pm

I had a collection of WWII Iwo items from the 45th FS. I paid some really pricey money for them back in the day. I ended up selling them back to the family at exactly what I paid for them. I sometimes wish I had kept a few of the items, but don't doubt it was the honorable thing to do. At the time, I was saving every penny for flight school and had only purchased the items because of a personal friend who was also in the squadron and was having a documentary done about him. I could ill afford to have a total loss on my purchase. At this point, I would have kept one of the items and sent the rest back to the family for free. Seems that one of the family members had sold them off to a pawn shop, whilst others were unaware they were gone.

Ryan

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7818

RyanShort1 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 02, 2012 8:58 pm

Mark Allen M wrote:

Well sometimes it's not that easy. Take for example: Your uncle was KIA before you were born and you have his Purple Heart. Now his daughter-in-Law wants it. Neither his Son or your Father are still alive. Between the two of you who should have it more? ... Just asking your opinion :wink:

And no this is not a trick question lol

I'd say that the following factors would weigh in the matter for me.

1. How did I end up with it and why?
2. Which of us will do the best job of passing it on to future generations who will keep it and tell the story of the man who earned it? (ie. Does he have grandchildren?)

Ryan

hbtcoveralls · **Joined:** Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:51 pm **Posts:** 151

This is becoming a growing problem in the internet age. I'm on another forum for Militaria collectors and there have been instances of collectors posting items, uniforms, medals etc for discussion and study on the forum and then being contacted by family members demanding (often not very nicely) to have the item. It's easy to say to sell it to them for what you paid, not so easy when the value is high, or if the value has increased since you purchased it. There have also been instances of people fraudulently claiming family ties to an item and harassing a collector to have it. I think ultimately, each item and each story is different and no one answer fits all situations.
Tom Bowers

P51Mstg · **Joined:** Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:36 am **Posts:** 1202

Tom Bowers........ The can man????

I can say this about giving it back.... Once the vet dies or the "newness" of getting it back wears off... Chances are its ending up on eBay and you aren't getting the check. PLEASE keep in MIND that the FAMILY used to have the artifact and for some reason let it go. You pulled out your hard earned dollars to buy it for some reason and its yours. Think how much stuff ended up in the trash because of the family.....

Mark H

Enemy Ace · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2012 10:08 pm

Rog-o. It's yours. If they want it they can buy it from you if they really want it that bad. And there's no reason to sell at a loss or for just what you have in it. If you want to keep it tell them to go jump in a lake. I have seen too many people who didn't give a rat's about someone and their stuff when they were alive but after they died they get all grabby when they hear something has some value. That goes for vets too. Too many of them didn't care about their stuff back in the day and gave it away/ sold it or whatever but now they're older and wanna show up with all the medals at events. They can apply to the DoD for replacements. Can you?

carlisle1926 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 12:02 am

It is funny that ya'll are speaking of this. I've posted on here in the past month or so about the box of artifacts and letters of a P47 Pilot that was KIA in NewGuinea. I bought the box from a guy that had found the box thrown in the trash after the brother of the pilot recently passed away. I've been contacted by some very distant relatives (great nephew of pilot's mother's sister) wanting to take possession of the box. I am trying to get the contents of the box displayed in a museum. I can't say that I'm that willing to just hand it over. I'm going so far as to travel to the next 58th FG reunion to collect more stories and info on the pilot. I feel like the pilot's story is noteworthy and the artifacts deserve to be seen to educate the public. I fear that it would just be forgotten again if I handed it over.
If the son of the pilot was contacting me, my view on not returning the box would be much different. But, he had no offspring.

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