Militaria covers a lot of ground, and this is where the pieces sit that do not belong under badges, buttons, medals or postcards.
It is also the most personal end of it. A brooch sent home from a ship, a badge worn on a lapel for fifty years after the war ended: these are things that were kept because they meant something to somebody, not because they were worth anything, and that is usually what people are buying here.
Sweetheart brooches are the clearest example. A serviceman would send one home to a wife, mother or girlfriend, usually carrying his regimental badge or the name of his ship, and they were made in everything from silver and enamel down to cheap white metal. They sold in huge numbers in both wars, and the ones that have survived were generally kept in a jewellery box rather than a collection.
Enamel lapel badges appear here too: association and ex-service badges, home front and civil defence badges, long service awards, all small things people wore day to day.
Mixed lots come through as well, usually a tin or a box out of a house clearance with a bit of everything in it. They are worth a look if you are starting out, as they tend to work out cheaper per item than buying pieces one at a time.
What sits in this part of our militaria changes more than any other, so it is worth a look each time you visit.
