Concept in Definition ABC
Miscellanea / / July 04, 2021
By Javier Navarro, in Nov. 2017
The fondness for everything that surrounds the military world is known by the term militaria. In other words, it is the collecting of objects with some relation to the armies.
As in all hobbies, in this scenario the focus is usually on one thematic specialized: weapons from World War II, old uniforms, war decorations, soldiers' helmets, war-themed posters, etc.
The militaria phenomenon
This type of collecting generates its own world. It is common for fans to buy and sell objects and for this they use forums specialized in Internet. This hobby is associated with specialized stores, military history museums, catalogs, magazines, fairs and, ultimately, a wide range of resources linked to this type of collecting.
All kinds of specialists coexist in this world, such as historians, appraisers or weapons experts. Of course, members of the military or war veterans are people with a penchant for this mode of collecting.
The militaria phenomenon should not be interpreted as a simple accumulation of objects, since behind any military object there is a historical account of events
In this sense, any historical reality has, directly or indirectly, some relationship with a war episode.
Beyond the collection of military objects and their dimension history, it must be taken into account that everything that surrounds the military is linked to some symbols, a esthetic and a mindset. It should not be forgotten that the symbols of an army represent a general idea: the defense of the homeland against any possible threat. From an aesthetic point of view, military uniforms call the attention both men and women. With regard to mentality, the military world is associated with ideas such as the leadership, the courage, protection or honor.
The world of collecting
Each type of collecting has its own name. The best known are philately, numismatics and bibliophilia. Other less popular are dollophilia or vitolphilia. Collecting can focus on any type of utensil, from the most common to the most sophisticated and rare.
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Topics in Militaria