Do we share a love of history?

A search of various collectible forums as well as Facebook groups will turn up an all-too-common discussion — someone being outraged by the mistreatment of an object of historic value. It might be the result of a helmet that was manhandled on “Antiques Roadshow”, or it might be a vehicle that was refurbished in a way that someone didn’t approve of.

Either way, the response is often the same: “History” should be treated with respect.

As a lifelong student of history, I’ll be the first to contend that objects aren’t history. There is also no reason to get upset that something you don’t own was treated badly. Yet, for some reason, the love of history — especially military history — can result in some of us taking a strange ownership over the past.

It is why movies and TV shows are scrutinized to the point that nothing will satisfy some hardcore collectors out there.

What makes all this really odd to me is that while we may have a shared love of history, we often times fail to understand what it even means. History isn’t an object, but nor is history simply what happened.

In fact, history is really only our modern/contemporary interruption of past events.

In other words, history didn’t even happen — it is only our view of what happened, and really only if it has been remembered. There are countless untold stories that are forever lost to time because they weren’t properly chronicled. They’ve been forgotten, but those events still shaped our world today. Those events are certainly more important in fact than an object from the period!

I have a deep respect for history, and I have a deep appreciation that those items in my collection have endure the test of time. Yet, as I have previously written, I also understand that nothing will last forever. I will do my best to ensure what I own today is preserved as well as possible, but at the same time I understand that not everyone will have the same love of old helmets, tattered uniforms, and other militaria.

It may be viewed as “junk” by some, and that should be OK. One man’s trash is truly another’s treasure.

Case in point: How many of us would look past an old torn-up pair of blue jeans not realizing that they were worth a not-so-small fortune? In fact, a pair of work pants, purported to be the oldest known pair of jeans in the world, sold at auction last December for $114,000!

Another issue I have when I hear that we have a shared loved of history is what is meant by it? Too often “history” in this hobby only means “military history” and often that is even segmented into specific categories. The same guys that may seem outraged that a German pickelhaube was mistreated on a segment of “Antique Roadshow” or a gun collector may be equally infuriated by someone refurbishing an old cannon likely wouldn’t pay much attention to a U.S. Army canteen from the Vietnam War offered at a garage sale.

Is the latter item not as historically significant?

Then there is the issue of what I would describe as “bad history.” As a helmet collector I’ve often heard the nonsensical story that General Adrian of the French Army encountered a wounded soldier who survived a shell blast in the trenches in early 1915 because he had a soup bowl under his kepi. This inspired Adrian to create the first modern helmet. It is in a word: DUMB.

The French Army had already experimented with helmets, and its cavalry units were wearing helmets when the war broke out. Likewise, not even the French Army issued soup bowls. Rather, it was likely that the early skull caps were so uncomfortable some troops simply used them in place of mess tins!

Finally, I would encourage everyone to try to expand their appreciation of history if and when they can. I didn’t know much about the history of blue jeans – full disclosure I wear cargo shorts and cargo pants, not jeans – but I found a recent PBS documentary on the subject to be quite fascinating.

Moreover, my interest in history goes way beyond that of a modern military nature. I’ll confess and say that I enjoyed visiting the Neue Burg Museum in Vienna to see its collection of historic musical instruments almost as much as the city’s impressive military museum. I like to leave a museum knowing more than when I went in.

So come by my tables at the annual Ohio Valley Military Society’s Show Of Shows next February and I’ll be happy to discuss the Diet of Worms from 1521, talk about development of broadcast media in the early 20th century, or tell you what I learned about the development of musical instruments during the Renaissance. My love of history goes way beyond just the objects from the past.