My collecting interest is largely insignia orientated, although I do also have a side-line collection devoted to Australian Military Zippo and other brand cigarette lighters. My insignia collection is mostly airborne and special operations unit related and after over 40 years of active collecting, I have found that I need to try and restrict my focus somewhat in order to keep my collection somewhat manageable. The insignia areas that I collect are either time-period or geographically focused and are roughly broken down as
- Pre-1945 Airborne & Special Operations insignia from all nations
- Dutch East Indies / KNIL Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Pre-1954 French Indochina Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Pre-1974 Thai Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- All African nation’s Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Australian Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Australian Skydiving Club patches (military and civilian)
- Burma/Myanmar Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Cambodian Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Cuban Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Laotian Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Special Air Service (SAS) unit insignia from all SAS units
- Vietnamese Airborne & Special Operations insignia
- Pre-1919 Aviators qualification insignia
- The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) insignia
- Mercenary, private armies and resistance/insurgent unit insignia
I am slowly trying to streamline my collection to remain within those areas and as time permits I list items from my ‘trade boxes’ on eBay (user ID jules118) to cull the excess and raise cash for further purchases. I do, however prefer trading for items that I need from the areas identified above. So, if you have something that may be of interest to me please get in touch.
Some Specific Examples
These are some of the items that I am looking to add to my collection. Click on the images for a larger picture and more information. If you have an original example of any of these pieces for trade or sale, please contact me using the form below.
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