History Bound, LLC

Militaria are artifacts of military collected for their historical significance. Objects such as weapons, uniforms, medals, helmets, pins, swords, photos, papers etc. all fall into this category. Militaria can be defined as a piece of gear that may have been issued or purchased by a member of the military. It also can be extended to patriotic items usually during a time of war. In general, the older and rarer an item, the more value it will have. Militaria includes, but is not limited to weapons, uniforms, belts, buttons, medals, flags, documents, pictures, etc.. Individual items can be nice, but related items from one individual, especially well documented, can be a real treasure.

Original United Confederate Veterans 19th reunion medal. Memphis, Tennessee. 1909.

Personal interest and finances are the two biggest factors in choosing what you want to collect. Many people collect from a particular era or war. Some collect particular items, medals, belt buckles, patches. Other collectors collect by nationality. Certain wars are more sought after than others and items from some are harder to find than others. As with anything collectible, price reflects rarity and condition.

Great original Civil War tintype of two brothers.

Some tips when viewing someone’s collection:

1) You should always ask before touching.

2) Edged weapons have a handle for a reason. The blade of any edged weapon should be handled as little as possible. The oils and dirt from your hand react with the composition of the blade, and if not properly cleaned each time it was handled, over time corrosion will start to show.

3) Treat every firearm with respect and treat every firearm as if it is loaded. Never dry fire a firearm, it is not good for the gun.

Original Italian 5th Battalion Signal Corp brassard.

Be aware that fakes and reproductions are sometimes offered as the real goods. Some are obvious - and others are so good that even the best can be fooled. No one person can be a master of every facet and time frame of militaria. There is no one single way to tell reproductions and fakes from real items. Reproductions are made for reenactments and as commemorative items are not necessarily meant to deceive collectors. Fakes on the other hand are purposely made to deceive collectors.

HUGE TANKS CROSSING THE SOMME.

Educate yourself in your field. Quality reference books are your best source. Reference books are expensive but worth their weight in gold to serious collectors. Public and College libraries can a great resource. Some librarians are even willing to help you research a subject. There is also the internet. Be careful of relying on one website for all your information. If they cite books and other references that is a good sign.

Colorful WWII patriotic campaign fan.

It is a good ideal to keep an inventory. Keep a record of what you bought, where you bought it, who you bought it from and how much you paid. The reason for doing this is for insurance purposes in the future. Most insurance companies will add a fine arts rider to your policy; however, you have to furnish an inventory of your collection. You do not want to wait until you have two or three hundred pieces to start your collecting data for your inventory.

Original 1943 U.S. Navy WWII CPO blouse.

Do not attempt to clean any item until it is appraised; proof of authenticity can be difficult or impossible after the fact. Care and treatment of your collection is extremely important. Some of the reference books give details on how to clean, preserve and care for your collection.

Number one rule, if you do not know how to clean something, do not experiment. There are knowledgeable people out there who will gladly give you advice. You can totally destroy the value of something by cleaning it the wrong way. You will need to learn what is the best care and treatment for what you are collecting.

GREAT EARLY WWII GERMAN PARATROOPERS BADGE.

Open Arms receive you in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. 1917

Let’s get the facts out of the way first with a quick look at the two words in the title.

Minnesota: A state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state on May 11, 1858. Known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, the state’s name comes from a Dakota word for “sky-tinted water”. The large majority of the residents are of Scandinavian or German descent.

Postcard or post card: A rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope and at a lower rate than a letter.

Steamboat Landing and Union Station. St. Paul, Minnesota.1905

Postcards give you a window to the past…

Nicollet Avenue from Third Street. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1908

and into the Minnesota way of life. Ya sure, you betcha!

Girls Wanted. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1908

A land of sports enthusiasts…

St. Thomas College 1905 Football team.

and

Paynesville Minnesota Golfers 1918

culture.

Casey Jones WTCN TV Promo 1960s

There are lots of beautiful places and interesting sites throughout the state.

The animated Paul Bunyan. Brainard, Minnesota. 1950s

Not just a land of over 10,000 lakes but also of over 10,000 postcards…ahh… Minnesota.

Ya sure, dontcha know.

Exonumia is the study of coin-like objects such as token coins and medals, and other items used in place of legal currency or for commemoration. This includes arcade tokens, badges, coin tokens, counter stamped coins, elongated coins, encased coins, medallions, military medals, souvenir medallions, tags, trade tokens, transit tokens, wooden nickels, and other similar items.

Original Charles Lindbergh medal issued by the U.S Congress. Lavrin Cardin Fraser, sculpter. Issued by Act of Congress May, 1928.

Some tokens were used for advertising, political purposes, exhibitions among other uses.

Flip side of Charles Lindbergh medal.This large medal measures 2.75" in diameter and 1/4" thick.

“Tokens” are often made of cheaper metals: copper, pewter, aluminum, brass and tin were commonly used, while Bakelite, leather, porcelain, and other less durable materials are also known.

The Broadway, New York City. $1.00 trade token.

Local stores, saloons and mercantiles would issue their own tokens as well, usable only in their own shops. Railways and public transport agencies have used fare tokens for years to sell rides in advance at a discount.

A 8 A R.C. of C. token. Large 1 3/4" diameter brass token.

The key point of difference between a token and a coin is that a coin is issued by a governmental local or national authority and is freely exchangeable for goods or other coins, whereas a token has a much more limited use and is often (but not always) issued by a private company, group, association or individual.

H. Schneider BOSTON BAKERY - Carson City, Nevada.

In the case of “currency tokens” issued by a company but also recognized by the State there is a convergence between tokens and currency. The best known example, the trade tokens of Strachan and Company, were issued in South Africa in 1874 and are today recognized as that country’s first widely circulating local currency.

Blaine & Logan Presidential campaign coin. 1884. Minted by P.L.K. Krider of Philadelphia.

When a new stamp is issued by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), it is offered for sale in only a single city on one day and then throughout the country after that day. That date of sale in a single city is designated as the “official” First Day of Issue.

Fleetwood cachet

A first day cover (FDC) is a stamped envelope, postal card or other postal material that was processed at the post office where the stamp was issued, and has a postmark indicating the first day of issuance city and date. The cancellation will often be specially designed for the occasion and frequently will say “First Day of Issue” or something similar.

Fine set of four Apollo Soyuz FDCs. Nice Fleetwood Cachets.

The first official commemorative series of postage stamps (Nicknamed – Columbians) were issued in 1893 in conjunction with the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago that year, and marking the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyages.

Fine group of 5 FDCs of historic trains. (one not shown).

Collecting First Day Covers are a popular part of stamp collecting and there are plenty of resources, and information, dedicated to the subject. One of the most interesting components of a First Day Cover is the cachet. Cachets are the artwork that is added to the envelope, complementing the stamp subject. Only a small percentage of all pre-1930 FDCs that exist are cacheted, because most collectors and dealers of that period were happy enough to have an uncacheted FDC. Certain cachets are sought after and cachets in general will enhance the value and the collectability of the first day cover.

Official Cachet. Cancelled on board the U.S.S. Philadelphia, Nov. 10, 1940.

A conversation or contact via amateur radio is referred to as a QSO or a QSL. A “Q” code message can stand for a statement or a question. In this case, QSL means either “Do you confirm receipt of my transmission?” or “I confirm receipt of your transmission”. A QSL card is a written confirmation of that contact.

QSL card - Dayton, OH. to Ferguson, Mo. 1948.

QSL cards are a part of HAM radio tradition, sent to confirm radio contacts made around the world. In the early days of HAM radio after World War I, operators were required by the FCC to log all their contacts. The confirmation cards helped track radio activity when scientists were still learning about radio wave behavior.

QSL card - Ashland, Oregon. to Overland Park, Kansas. 1966.

QSL cards are collected by both radio amateurs and shortwave listeners as confirmation of having received the signal of a particular station. A typical QSL card is the same size and made from the same material as a typical postcard, and most are sent through the mail. The standardized card, with call sign, frequency, date, etc., may have been developed around 1919.

QSL card - Bison, Kansas to Ferguson, Mo. 1950.

A while back we acquired a ham operator’s whole collection of QSL cards. We put those items up for sale. We received a call from a gentleman who wanted to give us some background about the QSL card he just purchased from us. He was browsing through our cards when he made a discovery. One of the cards displayed his call sign! It was one that he had sent, when he was a young man, to that operator over 40 years ago! He was very happy to have a memento of his early days as a ham radio operator.

W4MTL Hapeville, Georgia. Fine vintage Ham Radio QSL postcard. Dated 1948.

QSL cards are a ham radio operator’s calling card and are frequently an expression of individual creativity. As a result, the collecting of QSL cards, especially interesting designs, has become an add-on hobby to the simple gathering of printed documentation of communications over the years.

During the Victorian era, one of the favorite pastimes was collecting small, illustrated advertising cards that we now call trade cards. These trade cards evolved from cards of the late 1700s used by tradesmen to advertise their services.

Clark's Spool Cotton. Classic large trade card with 1895 complete calendar.

By the 1880s, trade cards had become a major way of advertising products and services, and a trip to the store usually brought back some of these attractive, brightly colored cards to be pasted into a scrapbook. They were issued by manufacturers of all kinds of products and were given away to potential customers. With the development of color printing trade cards began to be increasingly sophisticated in there designs. As the designs became more attractive and colorful, collecting Trade Cards became a popular hobby in the late 1800s.

VINTAGE VICTORIAN TRADE CARD. ADVERTISING COFFEE.

Caracas Sweet Chocolate. Walter Baker & Co. Dorchester, Mass.

Some manufacturers put out a series of Trade Cards on a particular subject, hoping to induce collectors to keep returning to the store in order to obtain a complete set. Some of the products most heavily advertised by trade cards were in the categories of: medicine, food, tobacco, clothing, household, sewing, stoves, and farm.

Wonderful set of 90 Arm & Hammer Bird Series Victorian Trade cards.

Great vintage Coca-Cola trade card. Produced by Wolf & Co. Philadelphia.

Some Trade Cards, particularly those produced by tobacco companies featuring baseball players, later developed into Sports Card collectibles and lost their function as a business advertisement.

Postcards became very popular as a result of the Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893, after postcards featuring buildings were distributed at the fair.

1893 Official Souvenir Postcard. World's Columbian Exposition. Produced by Charles Goldsmth. Undivided back. Unused condition.

1901 brought cards with the word “Post Card” printed on the reverse (the side without the picture). Written messages were still restricted to the front side, with the entire back dedicated to the address. This “undivided back” is what gives this postcard era its name.

The “divided back” card, with space for a message on the address side, came into use in the United States around 1906. The back is divided into two sections, the left section being used for the message and the right for the address. In 1908, more than 677 million postcards were mailed. So began the Golden Age of postcards, which lasted until about 1915, when World War I blocked the import of the top quality German-printed cards.

One of the hallmarks of the Golden Age of postcards was the Hold-to-Light postcard.

The term Hold-to-Light is sometimes designated with the initials ‘HTL’. The postcards image changes when held up to a bright light. This gave the viewer the illusion that the scene was being viewed at night with lights a blaze.

St. Margaret Catholic Church, Old Orchard Maine. Produced by Reichert Bros., Boston. Hold into the light and the windows appear to be lit.

There are two types of postcards that fall in this category. These two types are transparency and hold-to-light and there is a difference between the two. The hold-to-light postcards generally contained cut-outs on the top layer of the postcard revealing another colored layer underneath that would be illuminated under light. Cut-out postcards allow for very specific areas to be illuminated. The transparency postcards do not have cut-outs. They have a separate image or plain colored tissue between the front and back layers that illuminate under light.

Congressional Library . Postmarked 1908. Hold into the light and the windows appear lit. Fine undivided back.

Bern Switzerland. Bundespalast. Hold to light postcard. When held into the light the sepa tones change into a night scene. The lights of the building are lit, the moon appears as well as Swiss flags, all in color.

The Spanish American War is an often overlooked time in American history. The war lasted less than a year yet out of it came some of the most well recognized heroes. The war and the years that followed have left the collector with a treasure of collectible militaria.

Wonderful full color card of a Private - Infantry. Span-Am period full color embossed card shows in great detail just how the soldier was expected to wear his uniform.

The Spanish–American War was an armed military conflict between Spain and the United States that took place between April and August 1898, over the issues of the liberation of Cuba. The war began after American demands for the resolution of the Cuban fight for independence were rejected by Spain.

Original Spanish/Cuban money. 5 Pesos. From the Banco Espanol De La Isla De Cuba. Dated Habana, 15 de Mayo de 1896. Payable in Plata (silver). Back of bill has the Spanish Royal crest.

During the years from 1868-1878, Cubans fought for autonomy from Spain. That war concluded with a treaty that was never enforced. In the 1890’s Cubans began to rouse once again for their freedom from Spain.

The revolution in Havana prompted the United States to send in the warship USS Maine to indicate high national interest.

Tension among the American people was raised because of the explosion of the USS Maine, and newspapers that accused the Spanish of oppression in their colonies, agitating American public opinion.

BATTLESHIP MAINE. These were worn in mourning for its loss. Unlike many of the Whitehead& Hoag pins of this period, the Maine rides on dark water and the sky is dimmed.

On April 25, 1898 the United States declared war on Spain following the sinking of the Battleship Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898.

Original Henry Reuterdahl water color; -- TORPEDO-BOAT ERICSSON RECONNOITERING OFF SANTIAGO OBSERVE THE ERECTION OF THE SPANISH BATTERIES

George Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy, best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. He was also the only person in the history of the United States to have attained the rank of Admiral of the Navy, the most senior rank in the United States Navy.

Dramatic posed and ornate stereo photo of Admiral Dewey.

The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. As a result Spain lost its control over the remains of its overseas empire: Cuba, the Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and other islands.

After the war, President William McKinley’s second term, which had begun promisingly, came to a tragic end in September 1901. He was standing in a receiving line at the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition when a deranged anarchist shot him twice. He died eight days later.

MEMORIAL LIFE OF WILLIAM MCKINLEY OUR MARTYRED PRESIDENT.

With the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, 43, became the youngest President in the Nation’s history. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt prepared for and advocated war with Spain in 1898. Lieutenant colonel Roosevelt organized and helped command the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment—the Rough Riders—during the Spanish-American War.

Vintage silk with Rough Riders markings on both sides and front.

Roosevelt believed in a strong foreign policy. He steered the United States more actively into world politics. He liked to quote a favorite proverb, “Speak softly and carry a big stick. . . .” He won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War, reached a Gentleman’s Agreement on immigration with Japan, and sent the Great White Fleet on a goodwill tour of the world.

The president dispatched sixteen U.S. Navy battleships of the Atlantic Fleet and their escorts, on a worldwide voyage of circumnavigation from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909. With their hulls painted white except for the gilded scroll work with a red, white, and blue banner on their bows, these ships would later come to be known as The Great White Fleet.

U.S. Battleship Nebraska. Built on Puget Sound , Washington. Great color photo card of this White Fleet ship

The fleet consisted of four squadrons of four battleships each, with their escorts. Roosevelt sought to demonstrate growing American military power and is the origin of the expression “Gun boat diplomacy.”

The Nations Pride. The Great White Fleet.

When looking at books it helps to know the parts of book mentioned in its description.

Diagram of a Book

Book Cover or Book Board: The front and back covers are sometimes called the books boards.

Boards: The material used in the covers of hardbound books composed of stiff cardboard or a similar material.

Endpapers: These are first & last leaves found in a hardbound book. Half of each endpaper is pasted onto the inside of one of the covers & the other half joins that cover to the textblock. (The inside pages that make up a book are sometimes referred to as the Text block or book block.) The part of the endpaper which is pasted to a cover is called the Pastedown Endpaper, and the unattached half is called the Loose Endpaper.

Fore Edge: The collective edges of all the leaves opposite the spine or bound edge of a book. (Sometimes it is painted or gilded on higher end books.)

Headband: A decorative cloth band, sometimes colored or multi-colored, appearing inside the back strip at the top (and sometimes bottom) of the spine of a book.

Hinge: The flexible channel where the paste-down endpaper meets the free endpaper is the visually evident location of a hinge in an intact book. The entirety of the hinge, in both hand & machine bound books, is concealed behind the endpapers.

Joint: The Joint is a small groove where the books boards are attached to the book and bends when the book is opened. (The exterior junction of the covers and spine of a book, also known as the gutter.)

Paste-Down Endpaper: The portion of the endpaper pasted to the inside of a book’s cover.

Raised Bands: Some books have raised areas on the spine. In earlier leather books, they were the result of cords underneath the cover material that held the books covers on. In some modern books the raised bands are purely decorative and conceal no underlying cord.

Spine: The part of a book’s cover which wraps over the back of the book. (also called the Backstrip or Spine Cover) The surface of a book that usually faces outward when a book sits on a shelf.

Tail: The Tail is the bottom part of the book.

The world of collecting antique photos can sometimes be confusing. There are several types of antique photos. We will try to help clarify the types here for you.

Tintype

CASED IMAGES - This category generally represents the earliest types of photography. These include:

Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, and Tintypes. These photos date from 1839 - 1869

Daguerreotypes - Photo produced on a copper plate coated with silver.

Ambrotype - A negative image produced on a glass plate and viewed as a positive with the

addition of a black paper backing.

Tintype - A negative image on a thin iron plate with a black varnish to create a positive

image.

All three types of these images were normally inserted into individual cases for protection. Among the most highly sought after photos from this era are real Civil War scenes, men in uniform and early village scenes.

Carte de Visite

CARTE DE VISTE - (carte de visite) - Visiting Card. A photographic print generally measuring 2 1/2 x 3 1/2

inches and mounted on a card 2 1/2″ x 4″. These photos date from 1854 - 1905. As with

any photos, the collectors value will be determined by the subject matter. Popular collector

types include men in military uniforms, hunting scenes, people working at their trades eg.

candle maker, cook, glass blower etc. , political luminaries, railroads, villages and American Indians. Queen Victoria was an avid collector.

Cabinet Photo H.M.S. Pinafore

CABINET CARDS - A photographic print attached to a cardboard mount. These came in many sizes and

were popular from 1863 - 1920s. Most of the cabinet cards that you will find will have

only a family sentimental value. Again, the subject matter will determine the value of

these photos. War scenes are alway highly collected. Personalities of note, town and city

scenes, outlaws, storm damage, train wrecks etc. The normal photo of “mom and dad” has

little if any value.

Stereograph - 1906 Duck Hunting

STEREOGRAPHS - Two identical photographs mounted on a cardboard backing for use in a view to create a

3-D scene. These date from 1851 - 1930s. There are many surviving stereographs . The

popular scenes are of military actions, Spanish American War, Boer War, WWI . There are

many sets and series including around the world scenes in a set of over 300 photos.

Some of the rarest and most sought after scenes are from the old West, Indians etc. and

can bring values in the hundreds and thousands of dollars. Again - subject matter is the

key.

Feel free to email us with any questions or comments. We hope this has been of some help.

Fancy Daguerreotype case