Baystate Militaria - Scott Kraska started collecting at the age of six. It may not have been the military, but at a young age he was officially bitten by the bug. "I had a collection of stamps, coins, leaves, rocks and even bottle caps," he said. "As a child, I was fascinated by the variety and design of objects. "His first real collection began in elementary school with US postage stamps, which led to rocks and minerals. "I wanted to show things and experiment, but I was never satisfied for long; I had the drive, but not the direction."
In 1980, he picked up a copy of Francis Lord's Encyclopedia of the Civil War, and the situation changed. "I couldn't put the book down, I read it and re-read it until I practically fell," he said. "The world of US military history was the most exciting field I had ever seen, and I was hooked." As a teenager, Kraska tried to build a significant Civil War collection, but was discouraged by the amount his small income could buy. "After a few years my collection could fit into a large shoe box," he recalled. "I brought the whole stash to my local antique store and was shocked that the Civil War items were so expensive."
Baystate Militaria
Kraska credits the shop owner for creating the monster. "He looked at me thoughtfully and said, 'What about World War I?'" Kraska said. "The rest was history. 27 years later I have hundreds of WW1 uniforms, bands and thousands of items. I also served in the Spanish American War, World War II, and Vietnam.”
Bay State Militaria
Kraska said that the military has become more than a hobby and a lifestyle for those who collect it. "Every day I can make people happy," he said. "How many people can say that about their work? Through collecting I have made friends all over the world, people from all walks of life. We may be different, but the love of history unites us. In this -fraternity, you judge. on what you know not how much money you make or what kind of car you drive."
Organizing shows for veteran bands is another aspect of Kraska's hobbies. "Bringing some joy to those who sacrificed so much and continue to live with their sacrifices years later can be one of the most rewarding things a collector can do," said Kraska. "I encourage everyone to try it." Respect for veterans is linked to respect for the military for Kraska.
"One of the most interesting things I've been able to do is recreate one of the best World War KIA groups in existence," he said. "The set belonged to an officer in the 26th Division Artillery who was awarded the Cross of Service and was later killed before receiving it. The mother kept these items for years, including a shoebox full of his uniforms, personal effects , medals, photos, letters. , documents and everything just to divide the lot in the sale of the property." Kraska spent the next two decades tracking down and reuniting all the components of the group. Today, everything is reassembled properly, except for the medal documents. "The band is the biggest part of my collection and my favorite find, bar none," he said.
Many progressive collectors, like Kraska, follow the natural process of combining the love of collecting with a desire to educate others and pursue this goal through publishing efforts. "My greatest achievement, as I see it, was the creation of my book on the uniform and insignia of the Coast Guard in Vietnam, which was published this year," he said. "It's just a collector's reference work, but it was a lot of hard work to do and over four and a half years in the making. I couldn't have done this journey without the help of my co-author and good friend mine. Steve Kirby."
Questions: With Wwi Collecting Expert Scott Kraska
Kraska said it was an interesting journey. It was very difficult to find signs that no collector had ever seen and to try to find anecdotal accounts to piece together the history of units that existed in such a short period of time. "Many collectors spend their lives building collections of knowledge and never share what they learn," he said. "Write a book about what you know. If you don't have time, write a short article.
Kraska offered two words of general advice to new collectors: be careful. "The world of online sales and auctions has opened new doors for bargains," he said, "but it has also created new opportunities for thieves and liars in the hobby." Specifically, he proposes a four-part plan:
No. 1. "Clarify your content," said Kraska. "This means they buy references and visit other collectors." He encourages fans to educate themselves before spending.
No. 2. ‚"You know who you're dealing with," he said. "Ask the collectors who are the good and who are the bad." Kraska said it takes time to look at dealers who deal in counterfeits and learn the types of items and the types of items that counterfeiters like to carry.
John Hancock Document Signed
Number 3. "Get a guarantee," he said. "If the sellers who sell you things won't support what you bought or only give you a few days of testing, look elsewhere."
No. 4. Last but not least, Kraska said that patience is the most important thing. "The collection is a long process of learning and then acquisition," he said. "Finding great stuff takes time. If you try to rush, you'll end up with things you later regret or don't want. Worse, you might end up with something fake."
"My philosophy is that I will not offer any item for sale to my customers that I would not be satisfied with in my own collection," he said. "My business, Bay State Militaria, equals collectors and museums. It offers items for all levels of collectors with thousands of items in stock and fast inventory."
Scott Kraska is the owner of Bay State Militaria in Leominster, Massachusetts. Bay State Militaria is a mail order company that specializes in militaria from 1898-1975 and focuses on the US military, especially WWI and WWII. He organizes over 30 exhibitions each year and updates his website www.baystatemilitaria.com every Wednesday evening at 9:00 p.m. with 75-100 new units. All items purchased from Bay State Militaria carry a genuine lifetime warranty.
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We buy, sell and sell military war memorabilia from all countries and all eras. It is an honor and a privilege to bring you the history of wars past and present from our online store and our store located in South Milwaukee, Scott Kraska, following his lifelong passion for militarism ten years ago Bay State Militaria- established. The business became one of the main suppliers of quality for the 19th and 20th century American and foreign military in the United States.
We are all in this together. In order to report on the state of various aspects of the military collector market, Military Trader seeks to discover and share the opinions of the hobby's leading dealers and collectors. This month we had the privilege of speaking with Scott Kraska. Many recognize his name as one of the leading merchants in the Spanish American, World War I, World War II, and Vietnam militaria under the Bay State Militaria banner. Some may not know, but he is also a prolific author and collector, specializing in US WWI volunteer material and Vietnam Brown Water Navy items.
Scott has been a military collector since 1979. A 1990 graduate of Babson College, he spent years selling, collecting and displaying militaria for computer software companies before founding Bay State Militaria in 2005, following his first love.
According to Scott, Bay State follows some very simple rules: "1) We guarantee the authenticity of the items we sell for life, and 2) I don't offer anything on our website that I don't put in my personal collection."
Ww1 German Tent Pole Complete With 3 X Wooden Tent Poles And
August 1, 2015 marks Bay State's 10th anniversary. Scott commented, "We hope you all enjoyed working with us as much as we did!"
Although the Bay State offers a wide range of military relics, Scott is best known for his expertise in US World War II items. With over 34 years of experience in buying, selling and collecting, he has a strong sense of passion. We are pleased to present his answer to "10 Questions About US WWI Collecting."
Military Businessman: Thank you very much for meeting with us. I understand that you have a hand in all aspects of the military, but in the shows, WWI stuff seems to take center stage in your offerings. Tell us about your personal collection and how it came to the attention of the First World War.
Scott Kraska: Well John, I started collecting
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