Rinkya Links Newsletter
Issue 7, Last Update: 7/25/2005
Military Collectibles I: World War II
World War II dominates the stage of modern military history. The stakes were the biggest, the sacrifices the largest, and now even people who don't go in big for military collectibles would like to make that history seem a little more concrete by acquiring an item from that period. Regardless of the scope of your WWII collection, Yahoo! Japan is a great place to find additions for it. Because the Japanese are avid collectors of military memorabilia from around the world, YJ's offerings are by no means limited to Japanese or even Asian items.
As usual, I have some advice before you start shopping: do click on the "Translation" link before you bid, to be sure whether the item is an original or a replica. No matter which you're looking for, you want to be sure what you've found! Check the miscellaneous searches even if there is a search for your specific item. Usually I have found YJ sellers to be very careful about putting their auctions in the correct category, but that doesn't seem to hold as true for military collectibles. I've seen everything in the miscellaneous section. I'd also recommend checking searches of items similar to the ones you might want; for instance, check "Decorations" if you're looking for unit insignia. For other general suggestions to help you find your way through the many possibilities YJ offers, see our shopping tips.
Finally, bidders may not bid on items that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial or religious intolerance, or items that promote organizations with such views. This includes bidding on Nazi uniforms, armbands, Nazi insignias, Nazi flags, or any other form of Nazi memorabilia. Please note that it is illegal to ship Nazi items to certain countries, such as France and Germany. Rinkya will not participate in the proliferation of banned and offensive material to its worldwide customers.
Anyone bidding on Nazi merchandise will have their account closed.
Clothing
If the size of clothing items is important to you, please see our sizing charts, for proper conversion into your preferred clothing sizing system.
Weapons
Replica guns: Japan manufacturers some excellent model guns. Rinkya could not ship the genuine articles even if YJ had them for sale, but if you want an accurate model of what a WWII soldier carried into combat, this is the place to start looking.
Swords
Daggers
Accessories
T-shirts: These are from the apparel category and so are more likely to be modern T-shirts for military enthusiasts than anything else, but I include them for completeness' sake.
Cigarette lighters: Again, these are mostly of the commemorative sort, but there are some period pieces.
Flags
Decorations: Medals and other marks of honor belong here, of course, but you'll often find insignia of various kinds as well.
Insignia: Rank, unit, and service insignia are all found here.
Watches: Gotta have 'em before you can synchronize 'em, right?
Miscellaneous accessories: There is some repetition in these searches, but do not miss them if you're looking for accessories!
Documents
Maps: There are also some here.
Military scrip: More can be found here and here.
Stamps and other government documents: This is very stamp-heavy, so looking for other documents will require careful searching.
Printed items: These can be posters, pamphlets, forms, photos, or any other printed document. These searches are a little less "clean" than the others, but they're worth going through if you are looking for a document.
By-nation searches
Perhaps you don't care what the item is; you just want WWII items of a particular national origin. Here you go! Let me know if I missed someone.
General searches
Yes, these require the most patience, but you often reap the biggest rewards. For each I give the approximate number of pages that the search gave when I was writing the article. For these searches, I've broadened the scope from strictly WWII searches.
WWII in general
Modern military items in general
Nations and services
China
Germany
Israel
Japan
Russia
Soviet Union
United States
Military documents
Military watches
Don't forget our search engine has many military collectibles searches as well; for instance, scroll up to the top of the page and put "military watches" in the "Search Auctions" box on the left. Hit "Go," and look at all the possibilities! Thousands more than I can cover in a single newsletter!
Hopefully you've now got a good start on finding the World War II collectibles you want on Yahoo! Japan. If there's anything specific you're having trouble finding, just let me know.
Good luck searching and see you next time!
Suggestions? Comments? [*gulp*] Corrections? E-mail me at uriko@rinkya.com and tell me about them. Have a page about WWII collectibles or a related topic? You can make money by linking to this page via the Rinkya Referral Program! Want to receive announcements of the latest Rinkya Links Newsletter by e-mail? Join the Rinkya Mailing List! |
