The other day I was asked to help a new collector get started in building a collection of militaria. It was interesting for me since I grew up with dozens of collections. Thus, I had to really think about how one would start collecting. The new collector had developed a passion in the last few months to start buying historical military objects relating to his interests. I started by sharing with him a number of different categories of things to collect, from helmets to postcards to medals. Eventually, he settled on one. As back story, he did not come from a family of collectors and really only came to this as a grown adult. Before I could blink an eye, he was shopping on eBay. My sense for him, and this is true for many of us, is that eBay can be a fun recreational way of collecting whenever you choose. You can eBay anywhere and at any time you wish. There is no restriction on it, which is why it can be fun in the evening or out at a game. The flip side, as many of us know well, is that there are many problem pieces being sold on the internet. Our intrepid new collector stumbled upon what he thought were some great buys, and he was ready (and did in one case) to pull the trigger to buy. Of course, great rarities at cheap prices are a warning, and it took some long, but healthy, conversations to explain how to tell real from not. The challenge was that in coming to collecting in a modern retail world, the shiny and newness of things spoke louder than the wear one would expect from a century (plus) old object. We got him to think about collecting better, and he began to analyze things more carefully and thoughtfully. Ironically, I turned him on to a leading dealer in militaria who is highly regarded and goes out of his way to describe things. Our new collector distrusted the dealer because he revealed too many flaws. It again took some time to explain that disclosing issues of condition was honest and also helped buyers to thoughtfully evaluate the merchandise. In time, he made two purchases from the dealer, and hopefully this leads to more. The most interesting part of watching and advising the new collector was the emphasis I had to place on patience. He would see things that I had (and had acquired decades ago) and want to find the exact item. I had to explain that all good collections take time and that you cannot rush out and find everything in a day. I will continue to update everyone about how this process goes. My hope is that he becomes a major collector who can perhaps avoid the mistakes I made and truly build that great collection. On the other hand, maybe he will turn out just like me. Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.