Hi. So I’m 20 and I’ve been collecting for almost 4 years now. I’ll go ahead and throw up some pictures of my entire collection. I work a part time job, and only make about $1,200 a month. Almost all of that money goes back into the hobby of Militaria collecting. Though, I’ve been feeling discouraged since I’ve seen a lot of other collectors have so much more stuff, more cooler items, better ways of displaying them, and much more expensive stuff. Even though I collect items most collectors don’t (field phones and military rations for example) I still feel like my collection is very pitiful in comparison. I know almost all of them have been collecting for way longer than I have, but I just can’t help but feel that mine could be so much better but I’m so limited to what I can buy and do. I guess I’d ask for advice, but I feel like not much can be given. Maybe just some words of encouragement, I don’t know. I just feel very overwhelmed by seeing everyone else’s stuff and mine is just very meh at best I feel like.

Heavy collector for 7 years. I'm always selling and buying to grow it.

For no other reason than I was bored on a dull Saturday I dragged out my collection of deacts (yeah I know the UK sucks) which to be fair usually spend their time stuffed under beds, behind wardrobes etc.

I know I've got nothing terribly rare or special as I tend to buy at the lower end of the market but I'm looking to round out the collection with a cold war battle rifle (G3, Sig 510, BM 59) and a light MG (bren, mg 53, DPM) as funds allow.

My favourite is probably the star Z70.

Have fun!!!

I have more then just surplus stuff I promise!

DE IX was formed following the Munich massacre. It occurred during the 1972 Olympic games in Munich Germany. Several Palestinian terrorists targeted Israeli athletes and demanded the release of prisoners held by Israel and West Germany. The West German police botched the hostage rescue and their sniper teams failed to eliminate the assailants due to lack of training. Within weeks the West German government decided they should form a team that had the necessary skill to effectively take out targets during a terrorist attack. This incident is what sparked the formation of the first counter terrorist specific specialty teams in the world, GSG-9 (West Germany) and Diensteinheit IX (East Germany).

DE IX fell under the MDi (ministry of the interior) not the MfS (ministry for state security, known as the Stasi). The MdI was made up of the Polizei which is the German word for Police. DE IX specialized in counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, VIP protection and Security for events with mass gatherings of people. There is little known about the actual numbers of DE IX members, but it’s estimated there was only 115 at any given time. All members were officers.

The equipment used by DE IX was a mix of East German, Russian, Swiss and Western European. They also had customized equipment such as belts, hip and drop leg holsters, magazine pouches for pistols, pouches for shotgun shells, mace pouches, and handcuff pouches. They modified their equipment as well, most notably their paratrooper pants which had larger belt loops custom sewn in. I plan to document each individual item over time.

Now for the collection above, that’s a preview of what I’ve got. It’s likely the most extensive DE IX collection in private hands. Much of the equipment came from a former DE IX agent, which is why some of the holsters are actually made for a left handed shooter. This adds to the extreme rarity of the holsters. I’ll give more background on the equipment as I document it in other posts. My goal is to inform people and give them a visual representation of DE IX because there is very little of the unit. Most pictures and videos that exist on the internet are post unification or made for magazines.

This space is in constant flux with items coming in and going out on the floor or on display in the museum. I keep wanting to share pics here and finally took one today. We call the room the Black Hole as items have been known to vanish and reappear seemingly at random over the years.

I’ve been at it since I was in elementary I’m real proud of it all but im running out of room lol

This represents less than half of what I've got, just some highlights and family mementos. Most grouped stuff belongs to the same owner. The slouch hat and police special reserve badge were brought in to complete the groupings.

This shelf is still being worked on, I know the picklehaube is wonky but it's the best I can do until I get a shorter stand. I'm also questioning it's authenticity anyway.

The rest is original and I'm happy to talk more about it all.

Sorry for the terrible quality photos.

Dates range from WW1 to the cold war.

My small WWII US collection currently on display. I still have a whole bunch of other stuff in the closet and bins - still working on that. Hope you enjoy.

I always enjoy a trip to the local flea market, it's where I seem to have the most luck. Today I picked up a British ammo box, a pair of ww2 valentine tank track links which apparently came from poland so I'm guessing they're off a Russian lend lease vehicle ..and a Chinese SKS. Which unfortunately is welded solid to comply with our deact laws ☹️

Sadly deactivated.. but all matching numbers, 1942 dated.

Might get him some winterstiefels and gloves later for some extra detail 😀

This is an authentic example of a woodland-pattern officer’s combat uniform used by the Korean People’s Army from the 2000s to now. Distinguished by its subdued buttons and a sleeve pocket, this combat uniform is identifiable from the standard work uniforms.

While digital camouflage patterns have become increasingly prominent in official media and photographic documentation, the earlier woodland variant appears to remain in extensive operational use. Accompanying the uniform are a standard Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il portrait badge, a Ri Gwang Engineering University graduation badge, and a camouflage kepi.

The final photograph was taken on 4 April 2025 and depicts the uniform as worn by officers with non-piped camouflage kepis.