WWII items big sellers at Civil War show

Go to a Civil War show these days and you may come home with a helmet worn by a GI at Normandy.

Nearly 10 percent of the record 450 tables at the Chickamauga Civil War Show in Dalton, Ga., this weekend are featuring World War I and II collectibles.

“World War II is the next big collectible market,” says Mike Kent, who has put on the Dalton show for 15 years.

I spent several hours at the show, which had at least 1,200 visitors Saturday.

I expected to see items from the Revolutionary War and Indian Wars, but seeing that many WWI and II uniforms, holsters and guns sharing space on the same table as Civil War items was a bit surprising.

In the old days, dealers of Civil War and world war items didn’t mix, Kent told me.

But with a tougher economy, many dealers are willing to market collectibles from all wars.

“There’s such a demand for those items. There are so many collectors. And the items are much more available and much more affordable than some of the Civil War stuff is,” Kent told the Daily Citizen earlier this week.

The show, which concludes Sunday, goes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $8. Children 12 and under are free if accompanied by a parent.