WHY WE COLLECT

WHY WE COLLECT:

     Hi, I am William Perez, founder and owner of BSR Militaria. Here is my story of what got me into collecting. At age 6, I grew up listening to my Grandfather’s stories of his time in the Army. It was his stories and my imagination that founded my addiction to militaria.

     After the War, my grandfather was posted to a cavalry unit in Germany, where he drove tanks. One very snowy winter, his normal patrol route was cut off by deep snow. As the days grew shorter at that time of the year, he and his other comrades did some off-roading in the snow. As the tanks continued off road, occasionally they peaked over hill tops to establish their bearings. Slowly, they would descend the hill tops and continue forward. On one of the hill tops, the tank to my grandfather’s left began to slide off-course and into a forgotten German bunker. In the commotion, the tank overturned which required additional assistance. It would take several hours until the help could arrive, so my grandfather and his comrades set into the bunker. To their amazement they found this bunker fully stocked and untouched since the end of the war – full of Hitler Youth uniforms and German Lugers!

     I remember growing up playing with his bring-backs. These are what got me into collecting! Unfortunately in the 90’s, his home was broken into and all, but one, of his bring-backs were stolen. From that day on I began buying items to show my grandfather and to make up for what was stolen. All that remains is a single Hitler Youth belt buckle that is framed and displayed on my wall.

     It’s because of this that BSR Militaria was formed with an aim to find and sell antique militaria while also preserving each piece and its history!