Militaria, also known as military memorabilia, are military equipment which are collected for their historical significance. Such items include

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

s, knives, bayonets, helmets and other equipment such as

uniform A uniform is a variety of costume worn by members of an organization while usually participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency serv ...

s, military orders and decorations and

insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. An insignia, which is typically made of metal or fabric, is a standalone sy ...

. The act of

collecting The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual ''collector''. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obvi ...

militaria has roots in souvenir hunting, a practice first made popular among soldiers during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. During the war, soldiers would walk through battlefields and trenches, taking military equipment and personal items from enemy POW's or, in most cases, dead bodies. Soldiers would send these items home to loved ones through post or in their belongings upon going home. Militaria collecting became nationalized during and at the end of

, through the 1917–1918 War Bonds Drive and the 1919 Victory Loan Drive. Captured German Pickelhaube, Stahlhelm, and other military equipment were showcased around the country as war trophies, some later being distributed to purchasers of bonds.

References

* Denney, Rev. A. H. ''Militaria: Collecting Print and Manuscript'' (Balfour/Planned Action, 1973) * Duckers, Peter. ''British Military Medals: A Guide for the Collector and Family Historian'' (2nd ed., Pen & Sword, 2021) * Gaylor, John. ''Military Badge Collecting'' (Pen & Sword, 2018) * Johnson, Derek E. ''Collecting Militaria'' (Arthur Barker, 1971) * Johnson, Derek E. ''Collector's Guide to Militaria'' (Luscombe, 1976) * Newman, Peter. ''Discovering Militaria: An Introduction to Collecting'' (Shire, 1969) * Sterne, Gary & Irene Moore. ''The International Militaria Collector's Guide'' (Leo Cooper, 2004) * Wilkinson, Frederick. ''Collecting Military Antiques'' (Ward Lock, 1976) * Wilkinson-Latham, R. J. ''Collecting Militaria'' (Gifford, 1975) Collecting {{mil-stub

References

Further reading