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Car Booting Ordnance

hicky1300

hicky1300

Well-Known Member
Wasn`t really sure of a suitable place to post this - so apologies if deemed wrong by some!
Thought I`d just share a couple moments from the interesting day I had on Wednesday.
There`s a fairly large Car Boot near me on Weds mornings that as yet I had not been to.
As I am taking a few days off to do some work around the house & take part in the Jubilee Celebrations I thought I would take some stuff/junk to the Car Boot
As I also still had some of my `surplus` in the van from the BOCN meet I thought I would put some of it out for sale.
Very interesting reactions as well as some interesting conversations!!!
I had 2 nice old ladies say I had the most interesting stall!!
I had 1 idiot of a scrap dealer take the piss!!
1 other lady who works at Orford Ness wanted a chat about the odds & sods she finds!
Another chap wanted an id of a round he had found whilst detecting locally (.50 cal)
Then one man & one woman wanted to buy some SAA items for their sons who have just started collecting.
Obviously everything I have is inert & safe & I do try to be discreet with the appearance of my stuff on the few occassions I take any to Car Boot sales. I do find it interesting/encouraging when people show an interest/share stories with me instead of looking at me as if I am some borderline nutter!!
The fact that there are some kids out there that want to collect militaria & learn about it.
Also my friends son (Josh 8) has also started collecting so I have now told him for each Cub badge he gets I will give him an SAA item - cheeky beggar got 3 off me last month so he got his collectors badge for doing a presentation about the 3 rounds (very well done according to his mother) so he got another for that badge!!
I have told him when he gets his tenth badge he can have a .50 round (i reckon this is a productive way of getting rid of some of my `surplus`??).

Question - is there an age limit for members?
Josh is very interested in the site & I have passed on the web address to several parents whose boys are interested.
 
Hello Hicky,, Ive just been having a look through some of bolos older posts to find out for you.....apparently the minimum age for new members is 13 and if 13 or under must have parental permission this is in line with the COPPA age check .See http://www.coppa.org/ for more information. .


 
I'm sure I have some stuff that he can have if he's interested.

Did you actually sell much ordnance at the boot sale?
 
@ Falcon I sold some Trench art cases, 2 x 1950`s 40/L60 cases, some linked 7.62 rounds, a 20mm Vulcan round, 3 FN FAL mags, 20 AK47 rounds on stripper & gave out email/phone no to 3 interested parties.
 
Scrap metal dealers!!!! They certainly do take the piss. Everything measured in weight! I sold a 120mm mortar at a car boot once and was told before hand, by a scrap metal dealer, that no one would offer more than his 7 scrap value! Well, wasn't I gutted when I had to find something to spend my 80 on!!!! Win some, lose some.
 
I would be cautious about selling this sort of stuff at car boot sales. Someone I know was selling tins of airgun pellets at a car boot sale and were confronted by armed police backed up with a helicopter. Apparently a member of the public had reported him for selling guns. If this was the reaction for airgun pellets then I can only imagine the hoo-ha that some of our stuff could cause.

As for scrap dealers, I have had it a few times where for example someone has had a case for sale for 20 and I have offered them 15. They then reply "I could get more than that in scrap" which obviously isn't true.

I was also once told by a guy that he had sold a brown plastic magazine for a 5.45mm AK74 earlier. Apparently it was bought by an Iraqi who said he had the gun to go with it back in Iraq but couldn't find a magazine for it.
 
I am all for young collectors and helping them out but I shudder to think about a gaggle of juvies on here with their lack of care about spelling and punctuation and all their jibber jabber.
I'd be in favor of giving them their own section with a couple of patient mods to mentor them.
 
Hicky I had a very similar experience a number of years ago when I had a clear out and car booted some stuff. There are so many great people out there who are happy to chat, share experiences and buy, it really is good to know that there is a healthy dose of common sense in the world when it comes to our collecting interest. I only had one bad experience that day when a very bossy guy reckoned it was all illegal (empty inert shell cases) and he was going to report me, he never came back. One old guy I spoke to used to work at the Ordnance Factory at Bridgend and remembers them transporting the shells. Click on the link below, its fascinating but now all gone but a few buildings.
http://www.bracklaordnance.co.uk/

Dave,
 
I do quite a few car boots and occasionally sell a surplus shell case or two. I have had various reactions and have had to withdraw items from sale when people tell me what they are going to do with them. The obvious people I dont sell to are those who are after them for scrap. Also, I actually had one guy admit to me that he wanted them to cut up and turn into "trench art" officers caps for sale on ebay! In such cases I have found the best thing to do its ask a ridiculous price that sends them scurrying away. To be fair however I have spoken to genuine collectors and interesting people so it isnt all bad :)
 
I sold some ammo tins and inert belts at a boot once and also had loads of interesting people stop to chat, it was unfortunately ruined when an old biddy phoned the police complaining there was an "inernational arms dealer" selling live ammunition.
An officer turned up and had no idea about ammo and what was live/inert so I borrowed his leatherman and pulled a few bullets, this satisfied him and I was ok to continue, pity I lost an hours trade :( still made a small fortune though.
 
With regards to the police/people complaining I now have a laminated piece of A4 with a statement on it that everything is safe/inert & legal & that I have been checked by Suffolks finest!! It also asks that if anyone has any concerns that they speak to me first - to date this has worked. If anything I find it makes people all the more interested.
I think that the area I live in helps as most people here over 30 are fairly familiar with firearms & some ordnance due to the old sites and current training areas.
I think if I tried it in a car boot at Reading or Basinstoke say, where I used to live, it would be different!!??
 
I occasionally set up at a car boot, more to declutter what we no longer need and if I have spare bullets and empty cases I take them along too. I normally end up giving most to interested young lads. Certainly when people see you have things on your stall that are different to the kind of stuff that other people have, they are more interested. You can have interesting conversations too. Most people who go around the stalls don't want to pay much and will haggle even if you offer things at a low price.
 
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