The justly famous "Baltimore Show" is March 19 and March 20 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland. This is just east of Exit 16 off I-83, easy to get to from anywhere in the eastern U.S. This is THE BEST gun show in the entire U.S., held once a year, and well worth the visit. It's like a museum where you can buy the exhibits. Well, not all exhibits. There are usually several dozen superb displays, including Civil War cannons, select items from the NRA, Springfield Armory, and Harpers Ferry museums, and presentations by several living history groups, etc. This is a high-class gun show, and handguns made after 1898 are totally banned. You won't find greasy surplus imports, camouflage clothes, blowguns, or other junks, just 950 tables of good collector grade merchandise ranging from very affordable to the best, rarest, and most valuable items. Dealers wait for years to get a table for this show, and they come from all over the world. The entire family will enjoy this show, and the catered food is excellent- (we recommend the crab cakes and the fresh sliced roast beef.) Stop by and say "hi" to John at table M29.

Be careful out there, and keep up with the news for your own protection. (Our "News & Notes section is one source.) We also recommend frequent visits to some of the other excellent websites dealing with specialized topics. For those interested in "Trapdoors," Al Frasca's http://TrapdoorCollector.com is loaded with factual info about this popular collecting field. Their Bulletin Board or Forum has insights from some of the top experts in the field. Among tidbits recently discussed there were the authenticity of two "Officer's Model" rifles currently coming up for auction, with estimates in the $30,000 range. One in New England is apparently heavily restored, or enhanced, and the location of some of the original parts was noted by one credible poster. A questionable "officers's model" in California has claims [in the small print for which an auctioneer cannot be held liable for the accuracy of] asserting it was made for "Wolf Shipley, a Superintendent of Springfield Armory," in the description apparently provided by well known author R.L. Wilson. Before bidding on an expensive item like that, it might be good to know (as was pointed out on the forum) that no one named Wolf Shipley is known to have any connection with Springfield during the trapdoor era. One would be well advised to inquire about the reputations of the cataloger and auctioneer, and if they have ever been involved with shady dealings in the past. Caveat emptor- especially on a $30,000 item!

Jeffry Stevens visited museums, lots of them, and apparently did not leave empty handed. Before you read the story (link below) you need to know that few of the museums were able to accurately identify what had been stolen among thousands of items which had been recovered. This is a really difficult task for items that do not have maker names, model markings or serial numbers. If some of your collection was stolen, could you adequately describe it and then prove it was yours if it was recovered? In a future newsletter we will share out Collection Inventory System in case you want to use something like that. Meanwhile, some good digital photos would be a good start. Okay, now you can go read about this (recently deceased) crook (with some touchy-feely quack medical excuse for his choices) at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/jenkins/20050219-9999-7m19jenkins.html

By now, with plenty of new things to worry about, you may be wondering about insurance coverage for your collection, or business inventory of collectibles. Some coverage may be available from your automobile, or homeowners' policy. Some places also write "fine arts" coverage that applies to antique/collector guns (but not shooting guns). The NRA also offers various types of coverage. The outfit we use is Collectibles Insurance Agency http://collectinsure.com

They will write separate policies for collections and for dealer inventory, and they include coverage while stuff is taken to shows etc, and you can easily add extra coverage if hauling more than usual. They are good people to deal with, have minimum paperwork and rates are lower than most other places we are aware of. In addition to guns, they cover just about any type of collectible, so you can insure your uniforms, militaria, books, etc, with them, or your spouse's collection of whatever's. We don't get a kickback or discount from them, but are just passing on what we hope will be useful information.

Everyone has seen the British spike bayonets and the "bowie" bladed cousins for the No. 4 Mark 1 Enfields. There are also similar bayonets made for Sten guns, and later the EM2 rifle. While we have been ignoring these, Graham Priest has been carefully studying them and doing serious research. His book is an amazing history of between the war development, wartime production, and post war use, told in exceptional detail that will appeal to the collector as well as the historian. He has opened up an interesting new collecting field that offers a wide variety of items to pursue, with most still available at very affordable prices. Priest covers the bayonet, the scabbards, and the frogs, with detailed descriptions and photos of virtually every variant known. The "dispersal codes" used on WW2 British material are explained along with the circumstances related to production of war goods while under attack with limited resources. Equally fascinating is the discussion of wartime and later distribution throughout the world to many uses, along with numerous photos of troops armed with the bayonets, scabbards and frogs. Besides the obvious British made weapons, those made in North America, Pakistan, South Africa, Italy, Belgium, and Australia are covered.

The "spike" bayonet was made as Bayonet No. 4 Mark I, Mark II, Mark II*, and Mark III, so you need to get at least four to get your collection started, along with at several different scabbards. As an example of the detail included, you will find for the "Scabbard, Bayonet, M5" made in the U.S. by Victory Plastics: a photo of the plant, a map, and the blueprints, photos of at least two frog variations and two rivet variations. Among the 20 or so pages of tables listing known variations of bayonets, scabbards and frogs, you will find a check list for NINE variations of the M5 scabbard. Detailed photos are provided of most marking variations with excellent captions, and sharp, clear photos (even on web gear!). Now you can figure out if those funny markings are maker marks, inspectors, or unit, or rifle numbers, or updated nomenclature applied to existing equipment.

In addition to the comprehensive details in the text, Priest carefully documents everything with detailed footnotes, reflecting his background as an educator. His thoroughness also reflects his zealous bayonet collecting habits which led to his first book "Brown Bess Bayonet:1720-1860" in 1986, and status as a prominent member of several distinguished bayonet collector groups.

(Note- there is no record kept of who answers these questions and we do not collect any personal data on any individuals, only the number of people who respond on each category.)

This is the end of the OldGuns.net Newsletter