Latest Photos & Some Thoughts Regarding Auctions

Hi there! Today I am back with some new photos and also some thoughts about posting auction links. Some collectors are against publishing photos and links to eBay auctions in this blog and forums. As I have mentioned in one of my first post, there is a voting poll on the right hand side of this blog with which you can express your opinion. Please make use of it, so that I can adjust the blog to your needs. Personally, I do not think that posting links & photo previews will significantly increase prices because:

1) I am not publishing secret data, it is just a summary of - in my opinion - interesting auctions which you can also easily find yourself using search terms like "Luftwaffe", "German aircraft", etc. So, everybody can find these photos. The ones that are extremely difficult to find (e.g. because seller offer them in a wrong category or use wrong descriptions) will most likely elude also my search.

2) Although many people are usually interested in one photo, only the highest bidder will get it. And I think, if the highest bidder is so keen on spending a high amount of money, he must be even more keen on finding these photos himself. He will find them also without my or anybody else's help and would outbid bidders that are willing to pay less anyway.

3) Not all of the people who buy photos will keep them for themselves. I think the majority is using these photos for a personal book project or will share/trade sooner or later with other historians in order to get photos for their personal project. I think not many people spend hundreds of €/$ just to keep all these photos for themselves. But of course, I can't support this statement with statistical numbers as they don't exist. It is just my opinion having contact to many people who buy such photos and knowing myself how it difficult it is to find photos for my own book.

4) Many historians don't necessarily want to own the original but they are much more interested in the information that a photo contains. So, often an average scan from ebay is all they need. They don't want to bid at all and perhaps just ask the seller for a better scan after they explained the reasons to the seller. These people don't increase prices at all.

I know there are many different opinions and probably there is too little "evidence" to tell that this or that is 100% correct. If you don't agree with my opinion please use the voting poll on the right. I don't want to upset the majority of you. That is not and never was the target of this blog! Your LW Collector.

PHOTO ALBUMS & GROUPS

Luftwaffe pilot training photo album 250171030944


Group of 20 Luftwaffe and other photos (One Fw 190) 180164728117


Very nice grouping of Me 323 Photos (17 in total) 280158124319


FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

Very sharp Me 109 Photo withWerknummer and victory bar(?) 230176692919


Two Me 109 (winter camouflage) & Fi 156 Photos 250170945511


Fw 190 Photo 280158122806


BOMBER AIRCRAFT

Do 17 Photo 160163343388


Do 17 Photo 190157893548


Damaged Ju 88 Photo 280157962519


Ju 88 Photo 110175562223


He 111 with unit insignia Photo 320164191023


He 111 Photo 110175559553


DESTROYERS

Crash-landed Me 110 Photo 180164995963


Flying Boats & Marine

Blohm & Voss BV 222 Photo 150166791139


BV 138 in-flight Photo 110175564994


GLIDERS

DFS 230 in-flight Photo 180164996907


Go 242 glider Photo 110175561121


LIGHT AIRCRAFT

Fi 156 with running engine Photo 280158378092


DOCUMENTS

Letter from 10./JG51 160163337855