Whether it’s antiques, storage belongings, sports memorabilia or items being sold at a pawn shop, it seems like there is a reality show for everything these days. And thanks to Discovery Channel, you can now add military collectibles to the list.
Premiering tonight at 10pm ET, Combat Cash follows Bob Chatt and Owen Thornton as they use their knowledge, experience and money to pursue rare military artifacts. Also referred to as militaria, these items include tanks, GI Joe figures, World War II flame throwers, Saddam Hussein propaganda banners and Vietnam war-era helicopters.
As much as Thornton and Chatt enjoy what they do, don’t be fooled into thinking this is just something they do for fun in their spare time. Because there is such a high demand for the obscure artifacts they track down, they have been able to turn the hobbies of others into a money-making business for themselves.
Discovery Channel is rolling out two shows tonight as part of the special premiere. In the first installment (10pm ET), the two men find a a propaganda banner with Saddam Hussein’s image that was reportedly removed from a building in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. They have also been hired to find an operational WWII Japanese tank, easier said than done when it’s estimated there are only 10 in the world.
In the second show (10:30pm ET), Chatt and Thornton fire WWII guns to add realistic sounds to a video game project. They also attend a D-Day event to deliver a rare helmet and negotiate a “DUCK” amphibious vehicle, and Thornton suits up to storm the beaches with hundreds of WWII reenactors.
The unique aspect to Combat Cash appears not to just be the artifacts the two men find — which is pretty cool in itself — but the bond they form with the military enthusiasts they are hired by and encounter. It’s one thing to find a piece of history from WWII, but there’s something special about attending a D-Day event or hanging out with soldiers that can literally put the reality in the overused term reality TV.
Lookin for James Wadford about that hitler book please email jrawt101@ gmail.com
Check two sites CMP and gun broker
If anyone has any WWII German items to sell drop me a line
Thank you
Steve
Nazi’s T-Rex dinosaurs? Good grief
What does that have to do with Military.
I am taking a huge leap of assumption here… You do not play first person shooter video games?
If you did, and also enjoyed fantasy (stuff thats not real), and WW2 history, yiu might be able to stretch a bit of imagination out and see how fighting Nazi dinosaurs would appeal to millions of players world wide.
Hugh i understand where u are coming from. video games are cool but were hoping for a military show that depicts the everyday joe who collects this expensive stuff for a hobby. How collectors buy and resell to support stuff the collect.
Im not the only one thinking this, have you seen the gun broker threads or the CMP thread?
Instead of nazi t rex’s dont you think a nice report on the thompson smg or the BAR or why people are going crazy for tiger stripes or helmets would have been better?
FS: You have seen TWO episodes and already written off the series because you didn’t like a video game connection. If you watched closely there was some super sexy ‘gun porn’ of an MP-38 being filmed at super slo-mo 500 frames per second in that segment. I don’t know where you all got your ideas and expectations from regarding COMBAT CASH, but no network is going to just show gun show transactions and field stripping weapons for 1/2 an hour. Always keep in mind, the segments have to be entertaining to a broad viewership. Watch the next two on the 25thand we’ll see if you still feel so cheated.
What does helping to design a video game have to do with collecting militaria??
Are you serious…Did you even watch the show?
Just another weak reality show. When will these TV stations put something decent on? These two guys remind me of the skipper and gilligan
Wow…the level of support for ANY show about militaria, Mil vehicles, patches, gear is so strong..
How many other TV shows on today (since the amazing MAIL CALL), show stuff that you are interested in? ZERO. So stop bitchin and make your pitch to the networks for a show where old geezers sit around and talk about how cheap the stuff was ‘back in the day’… Jeeez.
Well, I guess if I found a jacket somewhere and payed $100 bucks on it because I knew I could $500 for, why not buy it? Not sure if you know about a California Resale License, meaning to own a business or resale in California you need to have one, also meaning you cant elude Uncle Sam. By having by appointment only, I agree! I have a family business and If I knew I could make ends meet by appointments only, that would get rid of half the M****S that dont know anything.
by appointment only means you never have to open to the public and you get to write your hobby / storage area off. Good for him he found a way to fight uncle sam, but charging $500 for a jacket I can get for $100 in ohio ( his words), dont think I’ll be making an appointment any time soon.
It’s a buiness, buy low sell high….Like we all want to do. Some of you ‘old timers’ (and I’ve been collecting since the late 60’s), are missing the point on pricing. “OMG the values are too high, the sky is falling”… So what if values go up. Good for you and the hobby IF you already own a few of the rare treasures you should have bought for $10 in 1978. Here’s another news flash – Repro gear and uniforms (espcially GI crap), has driven the price up. When a repro WW2 Garand belt costs $100, then it only makes sense for a real BOYT 42 to be worth $200 plus.
Just stop and think this through before being so negative all the time.
By appointment means not having to interact with wannabees who use a nom de guerre (Ben Dover), when flaming the hard work of others.
Staged? Who cares! Pawn stars, Pickers, Storage wars, Auction Hunters……Take a guess, they all in the same boat. Why did it look staged to you critic buffs, because if they showed how long it would actually take for a piece to sell. You would have nothing to type about.
Yea and they all suck. Auction hunters those two guys are clowns and why is that one guy always yelling?
Storage wars..that chick is hot, thats the best they have going for it.
Pawn stars..chumlee what can i say. fake fake fake.
Simple shows for simple minds.
Here is the REALITY. Bob’s shop is by appointment only so that he doesn’t have tire kicking wanna be buyers coming in and telling stories of the item they bought 40 years ago they found in a cave. Kudos to that, so now you dont have to leave your finger prints on a legit item and not a repop. To the hobby collector this may seem fake because your still learning, however to a true militaria collector or dealer, a fixed bale WW2 Medic helmet is truly worth $1200.-$1500. For you Ebay lifers, guess what we are all cheap, because we want to get it at the cheapest price so we can double our money. So that bike that sold $2600 will sell again at double the price or to the first person that walks in and says I will give you 4k for it.
The same type bike just sold on ebay in better condition for $2,676.66
Can you say STAGED
Not the same bike – That was a Danish post war semi civilian version. Often mistaken for the original BSA WW2 military versions…Hence the lower price.
Our bike came from England with Colin and his family. He was in Southern California for a week while the deal/filming was done.
Here is the ebay ID so people can see and make their own minds up
Item number: 190624633404
The bike is probably for sale at Chatt’s shop, but you’ll have to stand in line for an appt.(good luck). You’ll probably have to jump out of an airplane to buy it for more than what he paid though ??
Is that bike for sale right now at Thatt’s shop?
Full of fluff and filler
I really liked it when Bob bought a jacket for $100 then said he will be able to fleece his california buyers for $500. I thought he does this because he loves to help people and Orphans.
Lets see. Bob C. wants to pay $4000 for the bike and Owen wants to pay $4500. I know lets go pay even more money and jump out of an airplane ( atleast 3 0r 4 Hundred) studio paid for it I know but it was sooooooo fake.
Are you saying the sherman tank owner (Bob) really bought that japanese tank? Why did you have to fly the bike owner over from england to buy this bike? Its ALL staged
Colin from England was coming to Disneyland with his family. The bike paid for his trip. There is reality in reality.
That to me would have been a better story that what was shown. Instead you showed a monty python actor selling a bike
Ben Colin was a real person who (like many in this hobby), is eccentric to the point of absurdity…What you saw was all real, and funny as heck.
Bill K purchased the Windtalkers HaGo replica (he has two of the 4 made now). It was a real deal.
Having been a militaria dealer for over 40 years, The Jerry Springer Show is more believable. $4500 for a para bike? Going price is $100 to $1500 for a good one. $1250 for a Medic’s Helmet? Are you kidding me? How many re-enactors walk around with that kind of cash and pay an outrageous price with only giving it a glance? Couldn’t they find someone that really knew something about militaria? Or was this supposed to be a spoof?
I will buy two WW2 folding airborne bikes from you at $100 each right now.
Still waiting to buy those $4500 Airborne bikes for $200? Crickets, crickets.
That medic helmet looked like a repop
I am a producer on the series and I can assure you and everyone else chiming in on the medic helmet…I was the real deal (NOT a prop),and the twins who bought it are genuine collectors and now proudly display the helmet.
Guys you have to remember, if you are an advanced militaria collector it may look staged. Transacations don’t always go down so clean and easy. But to joe average who doesn’t know too much about all this cool stuff it is entertainment. All the stuff you see was real, it really happened and the comedy/humor just comes out of the long friendship Bob & Owen share. Hope you enjoy the next two episodes on January 25th. Thanks you.