Hello {FIRST_NAME|my friend}!
Great news - Our June catalog will be released next Monday! But it's nearly the end of August? Well yes, there is that. I hope that you find that it was well-worth the wait. We certainly had quite a lot of fun putting it together. Unfortunately we seem to have fallen prey to the concept that every catalog has to be bigger and better than the one before it, and that has become a tall order.
We have also learned that many of you are not receiving these emails, or if you are - they are often delayed due to spam filters, etc. So, we will send the graphics-heavy email out earlier, and a small text reminder email Sunday night. I don't want to overwhelm your email inbox, but I also hate hearing from unhappy people who learned too late of a new catalog posting. Like all things, there is a balance to be found there somewhere.
Speaking of feedback, a number of folks said that they prefer the photo preview to my (fascinating, or so I thought) stories from the road. In that spirit, here are a few highlight photos for Catalog #103. These by no means reflect the whole catalog, or even the 'best' items. They are simply what struck me while browsing through the photos that had been processed to this point. Click on any of them to enlarge.
(These may run afoul of pop-up blockers, depending on your internet browser.)
Catalog 103 features a nice collection of inert WWI ordnance. Seemed like these would be quick catalog descriptions, until I remembered that one cannot simply take someone else's word for what is or is not inert - you must personally disassemble and check each and every one, which is exactly what we did. All were delightfully empty. There are, however, some special considerations:
PLEASE NOTE: AGM policy is that ALL inert ordnance ships to addresses within the continental United States ONLY. None will be sent overseas, and nothing will travel via the US Postal Service.
If you have an alternate US address, that's fine, but let me know before the catalog opens so that we can note your account. Otherwise, if I see overseas buyers reserving ordnance, I will be (hopefully quickly) kicking it back into play, and freezing reservation privileges on those accounts. I know, it's not fair, 'the man' just doesn't understand collectors, etc. Perhaps true, but it is what it is. One of the reasons why some of these pieces are so much more desirable now than they were just a decade ago is that quite simply, what used to be readily available in Europe is no longer so. |
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| In addition to grenades, catalog 103 is filled with Purple Hearts and Distinguished Service Cross groups. We are fortunate to have a number of very nice sets to offer, each one a fascinating and inspiring historical artifact. There are also items such as unidentified examples, certificates, and an autographed WWI DSC recipient's photo. My favorite is perhaps not the prettiest DSC we have ever had.. but the provenance is unsurpassed. Private First Class Donald J. Emery wrote home to let his people know that he had earned the DSC, along with the British Military Medal (also in the group). In his letter, he includes a hand-drawn sketch of the award, and even makes note of the specific number stamped on the cross arm. My friends, THAT is provenance. |
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EXPANDED Web Only Bonus Section
A change for Catalog 103: the 'Web Only Bonus Section' will be much larger than normal. Several customers have emailed to ask that items still available from the previous list be left on the site when the new catalog comes out. Don't know why we didn't think of this ourselves. Rather than create a new section, we have merged the previous catalog items with the new items that had to be cut when we were making the print version of the new catalog. Yes, even in the internet age, we still have a print catalog. For now, anyway. |
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Other Catalog 103 highlights include:
- WWI Visored Experimental Helmet: Pattern No. 8
- 2nd Uhlan Guard Regiment Officer's Tschapska c. 1844-1851
- WWI 20th Engineer Officer's Purple Heart Medal: Awarded for Merit
- British Boer War Slouch Hat: Enlisted Issue: Sherwood Rangers
- British Boer War Slouch Hat: 2nd (Queen's Bays) Dragoon Guards
- Spanish-American War 8th Pennsylvania Officer's Uniform Group with Campaign Hat
- WWII American Field Service Set: Served with the British in Syria & North Africa
- WWI 4th Division Officer's Distinguished Service Cross Group: 2nd Lt. Arno S. McClellan
- New Zealand Otago Infantry Battalion Officer's Cuff Rank Tunic: Wounded at Gallipoli
- French WWI Camouflage Painted Adrian Helmet
- WWII 6th Marine Division Casualty's Purple Heart and Camouflage Uniform Lot
- WWI 27th Division Soldier's Distinguished Service Cross & British Military Medal Group
- WWI 29th Division 115th Infantry Sergeant's Distinguished Service Cross Group
- WWI 50th Aero Squadron Pilot's Grouping: Lt. Albert N. Parker
- WWI 26th Division 103rd Infantry Sergeant's Distinguished Service Cross Group
- WWI 3rd Division Uniform & Headgear of Brigadier General Ora E. Hunt
- WWI 82nd Division Uniform of Brigadier General John J. Bradley
- WWI 2nd Division 6th Marines HQ NCO's Uniform & British Gas Mask
- WWI USMC 6th Machine Gun Battalion Uniform
- Turkish WWI Type 2 Hand Grenade
- Imperial Russian WWI M1912 'Lantern' Grenade
- British WWI No. 2 Mk. II Grenade
- British WWI No. 1 Mk. II Hand Grenade
- 17th Battalion Royal Welch Fusilier's Battle of Mametz Wood Archive: 7-12 July 1916
- British WWI Rimless Brodies Helmet with First Pattern Liner
- British WWI No. 32 Mk. I Rifle Night Signal Grenade
- Soviet WWII 240th Rifle Division Battle Flag
- SS Enlisted Soldier's M40 Helmet, Belt & Buckle, Canteen & Bayonet: GI Souvenir
- Luftwaffe Officer's Dagger: First Pattern by Eickhorn
- Luftwaffe Flight / Fallschirmjäger Obergefreiter's Fliegerbluse
- WWI 88th Aero Squadron Distinguished Service Cross Recipient's Uniform & Photo Lot
- Mexican Sombrero Recovered From Villist Raiders: Columbus New Mexico, March 1916
- 26th Division 'Fighting' Chaplain Michael J. O'Connor's Uniform & Painted Helmet
- WWII US Marine Corps Engraved Purple Heart: PFC John Bulbak (Guam)
- WWII US Navy Engraved Purple Heart: CM1c Robert L. Shrader
- WWII 15th Air Force B-24 Radio Operator's KIA Purple Heart & Air Medal Group
- WWI American Red Cross Canteen Service Woman's Uniform
- Civil War Army Campaign Medal: Numbered
- British 1857-58 Indian Mutiny Medal: 90th Light Infantry
- British WWII ATS Grouping of Sergeant Vera Snow: British Army Staff, Washington DC
- WWII Uniform & Archive of WAC Catherine Samaha: 7708 War Crimes Group
- Spanish-American War Hospital Stewart's Accoutrement Lot: w/ 1895 Diagnostic Tags!
- WWII Uniforms & Archive: Capt. Anna Patton, one of 76 Commissioned Female Doctors
- US Army Emergency Ration: American Compressed Food Company 1906
- WWI AEF 2nd Aviation Instruction Center Pilot's Uniform
- WWI 82nd Division 320th Field Artillery Soldier's Uniform Group w/ Camouflage Helmet
- WWI 82nd Division 328th Infantry Soldier's Camouflage Helmet, Medals & Photographs
- WWI 4th Division Uniform of Lt. Col. Troy H. Middleton: DSM Recipient
- Mills Eagle Snap Experimental Three-Pocket Rifle Ammunition Pouch
- WWI Aviator's Leather Coat
- Austrian WWI Trench Club
- Imperial Russian WWI Stender Hexagonal Stick Grenade
- Imperial Russian WWI Lishin Stick Grenade
- Imperial Russian WWI Zaslavsky Stick Grenade
- WWII 8th Air Force Pilot's Red-Lined Officer's Ike Jacket: Attributed to P-51B Ace
- 1920's - 1930's Aviator's Flight Suit, Fleece Boots, Helmet & Goggles
- WWII 429th Bombardment Squadron A2 Flight Jacket
- WWII 1st Armored Division Soldier's KIA Purple Heart: Battle for Djebel Achtel 1943
- WWI 32nd Division Field Artilleryman's Uniform Group: Painted Helmet & Purple Heart
- WWI 332nd Infantry Soldier's Triple-Patch Uniform & Personal Items
- Imperial Russian WWI M1914 'Bottle' Grenade
- Imperial German Soldier's Oil Portrait
- British 1857-58 Indian Mutiny Medal: 53rd Regiment
- Japanese 1889 Type 22 Murata Bayonet & Scabbard
- Several new offerings from our friends at Military Mode Publishing - look for them in the General Interest & Reference section
And much.. much.... MUCH more. I could go on and on, but the longer these emails are, the more likely they are to get zapped by the 'spam' filters. There should be plenty on catalog #103 to keep everybody's heart rate sufficiently elevated.
Want to browse the print version of the catalog before the website opens? Now you can! Click here for more details.
We look forward to hearing from you on Monday!
Best regards,
Jeff Shrader
AGM
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