16 WW2 Stuart tanks imported into the UK

[Mike K]

This type of thing throws up the old dilemma: should we profit from history .

Me. I think of the people who had to drive those tanks in the most arduous conditions e.g., in the North African desert ..it would have been hell, the heat and not to mention being shot at . Did those young guys make huge profits for their endevours ?

Call me anti-capitalist.. call me a socialist.. call me a communist even.. it's a conscience thing for me... and it's why the world is going downhill fast.. greed.

Mike

[malcolm erik bogaert]

couldnt agree more with you ......thats why the world is in shit shape at the moment...greedy bankers etc.....myself I knew things would go pear-shaped when you have pen-pushing accountants running the MOD instead of good old fashioned Generals as for those that made the supreme sacrafice on all sides and fronts...the modern world dosnt care...apart from payng lip-service once a year best regards malcolm

[chris vickery]

This brings up an interesting debate, one that I have heard many times over...

Remember that if it wasn't for the many vendors of militaria and mv related parts we as a hobby would not exist.

In defence of those who do make a profit, it is fair afterall to make something as one needs to make a decent and reasonable living.
Many of these vendors have laid out huge sums of money and investment over the years to aquire, sort, and store much of the surplus parts we are fortunate to still be able to buy.

Afterall, I am sure that the importation of the Stuarts was a very large investment, not to mention a risk and I am sure was a lot of leg work, legalities and pure dirt and sweat....

[malcolm erik bogaert]

again a fair point...I can remember years ago my old dad used to buy ex WD motorcycles and the like for his own use and everybody used to laugh..in the 1970's he was exporting machinery to the Arab world in the shape of Range-Rovers...he was in business and had to make a profit to survive...Mike is a very shrewd and hard headed businesman but again he's doing it for profit and not to see more tanks in Mons in 2009!most of us in this hobby are collectors who sometimes are able to turn a quick buck or two.....dont be fooled by the big boys they would have the shirt off your back in ther name of profit!! best regards malcolm

[Neil Ashley]

As Chris has commented if it were not for the dealers the hobby would be a lot poorer.

When I first joined the MVT at the end of the seventies you could count the number of tanks in private ownership on one hand. Now as we all know its a rich mans hobby and their are large numbers of rare tanks in the UK.

Those old enough will remember Ian Mcgregor importing the first of the Canadian Shermans and Sextons from Portugal and selling them at bargan basement prices off the dockside. Unfortunately it will not happen now.

Two or three years ago I was told about a batch of rebuilt unissued T34/85 in eastern europe being cut up because the dealers did not consider there was a enough profit in them to warrant importing.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

This cache of Stuart tanks was not a secret to those in the know, as are other caches. Yet, it takes several entrepeneurs (Mike worked with Joop Staman on this deal) working together to finance, buy, ship and sell caches of WW2 material like this and make them available to collectors. Of course these are shrewd businessmen, otherwise they would no embark on such an adventure and not go bankrupt! But it´s up to the collector to decide whether they get a good deal out of buying them. It´s mostly up to private enterprise to secure these historic artefacts. And yes, sadly sometimes they are worth more as scrap than collectibles. But if it´s up to the military, every old tank would get shot up on the range!

H.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

This cache of Stuart tanks was not a secret to those in the know, as are other caches. Yet, it takes several entrepeneurs (Mike worked with Joop Staman on this deal) working together to finance, buy, ship and sell caches of WW2 material like this and make them available to collectors. Of course these are shrewd businessmen, otherwise they would no embark on such an adventure and not go bankrupt! But it´s up to the collector to decide whether they get a good deal out of buying them. It´s mostly up to private enterprise to secure these historic artefacts. And yes, sadly sometimes they are worth more as scrap than collectibles. But if it´s up to the military, every old tank would get shot up on the range!

Hanno has a point... whether we consider these deals as "deals" or not is irrelevant - either the vehicles are available or they're not. Perhaps ever. If someone chooses to invest a fortune of his own resources in sourcing, transporting and shipping them into one location, who are we to argue? They may otherwise have ended up as fodder for the scrappie - and god knows that old steel is worth enough!

The day of cheap anything (let alone armour) has passed... it's now up to the collectors to define how much something is worth. Either you want it or you don't... but don't bitch too much, because one day there won't be any more left!!!! Yeah, that's a scary thought...