'M-Nu EGA Emblem Refinisher USMC

Here a little something that you don't see very often, "M-Nu Emblem Refinisher" used to refinish those worn out EGA service coat and cover emblems. This was listed as WWII but could also be later.I could use a whole gallon of M-Nu to refinish some worn out buttons I have. For the EGA collector who owns everything!

WWII USNR WAVES YN2

Hitting up a local vintage clothing shop I just happened upon this beautiful WWII Yeoman 2nd Class WAVES uniform jacket. As I didn't have one in my collection it was great to finally pick one up. First off I was impressed that it still had all its collar patches, Navy Rate and the Honorable Discharge patch in Navy Blue was still over the right pocket. I added the wide ribbons rack from my spares with what I believe she might have had when she left the service. Better yet was it still had the name tag of the Woman Sailor stitched in the jacket. It appears she enlisted in 1943 at the age of 23 and passed away in 2006 and had no next kin. How it ended up here In LA I do not know but I am glad it is part of my collection as it will be well taken care of. I plan to send for her military records soon and I hope to update you with her career. Our Women vets shall not be forgotten.

WWII USN Phm3c USS Broadwater APA 139

I believe the best feature of collecting WWII Navy Jumpers is learning about so many historic ships that I would have not otherwise known about. So many great jumpers come across on ebay and I wish I could purchase them all but that isn't possible. Here's a great example of such a Jumper named to a Pharmacist Mate 3rd class who was on the USS Broadwater a Haskell class Attack Transport. A classic jumper with pedigree!

WWII USMC Frazer's Solution Bottle M2 Jungle Pouch

Who is Mr. Frazer and why do WWII Marine Corp collectors obsess about his foot solution Bottle for athletes foot? The Frazer's Bottle is the most difficult component to locate to complete the WWII M2 Jungle First Aid Pouch, they are rarely found loose and complete M2 with the bottle can easily fetch over $125.00. The Chase Chemical is quite appropriate as it appears collectors are always trying to chase down one of these bottles. I have had been assembling an M2 pouch for years now and I was finally able to locate a used bottle for my Iwo Jima display. Buyers beware as there are repo/fakes out there that people are passing off as originals using old medicine bottle. How do you tell the difference? It should have a small hole in the opening that makes it difficult to refill.

WWII USMC Cpl. 6th Marine Division

This 6th Division grouping showed up on a local ad. This is a WWII USMC 6th Division grouping complete with jacket and kelley helmet. It is amazing what comes out of the woodworks.

WWII PFC 1st Marine Division Vandegrift Jacket

Another plus in collecting 1st Marine Division is the wonderful Australian custom made Vandegrift Jackets made for Marines while they were based in Australia in the early 1940's. This is a nice example of these types of these style of jackets and makes collecting 1st Marine Jackets a bit of a challenge as there are so many types of variations.

WWII USMC First Aid Pouch FAKE

One of the most difficult pieces of gear to pick up for the 782 gear collection is the USMC specific depot made First Aid pouch. I've been collecting since the early 1990's and this only but the second time I have seen one of these for sale. This is considered the 3rd variation by militaria collectors. By all means if you see one of these for sale pick it up as you might not see one for a very long time. UPDATE 2/6/19: This is one of those posts I've been meaning to get back to. Through two different collectors that this was actually a fraudulent repo from the 1980s-90's. Apparently sometime in the 1980s a Marine Depot closed down and a "dealer" was able to purchase a lot of WWII era materials. This was one of those items that were reproduced using original spare parts and material. The button snaps even have the writing in the dome snap. This was part of the reason why it was so difficult to know it was a reproduction as it was made with original material. The only odd aspect was the name on the back didn't check out to anybody but since the name was Greek, I assumed it was a loan lease item to Greece and had since been returned. It was relayed to me the dealer traveled the country and selling these fraudulent at Gun Shows. Besides the shape of the pouch one other way of telling you might have a fake is the male buttons don't have the stamping on the back in the inside of the pouch. This really is the only times I was burned in a big way, but the work was so well done, it took some great convincing to evidence from two unrelated collectors. So buyer beware, it even happens to the best of us.

WWII Sergeant 1st Marine Division

I can see why the Old Breed can be so addicting as the 1st Marine Division was a division that saw much combat in the Pacific Theatre during WWII not to mention the Korea War and The Viet Nam war. Here is a nice representative WWII 1st Marine Division Sergeants jacket. If only these jackets can talk!