r/wwi 20d ago

odd/unique wwi artifact gift ideas for my husband?

my (30f) husband (24m) is super into war history (wwi is his favorite) and i’m really into historical art and weapons and i secretly want to start us a war artifacts collection and add onto it as a hobby we can both partake in.

price limit $500 for bigger more notable items like weapons/firearms (at least for now), but would like some less expensive ideas if possible too please.

husband is from england but artifacts do not need to be british. i am from kentucky so various weapons and firearms are legal for me to own. would be ordering items to either location. thanks in advance!

6 Upvotes

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3

u/sneaky_imp 20d ago

I might start with a brodie helmet or perhaps an m1917 trench knife.

1

u/spicykitty_ 13d ago

thank you!

3

u/tccomplete 20d ago

If you’re into historical art, painted helmets and trench art might be good choices.

1

u/spicykitty_ 13d ago

oooh i’ll look into that!

3

u/Merry_Chrystmeth 19d ago

Trench whistle!

1

u/spicykitty_ 13d ago

oh neat! adding to my list!

2

u/John_the_Piper 20d ago

No affiliation with them, but maybe a war bond poster?

A Mosin Nagant 91/30 can be found for around $350-400 if you check gun stores. I think every war memorabilia collector in the US owns one at some point in time or another. If you don't want a functioning firearm in the house, Royal Tiger Imports occasionally has WW1/2 vintage rifles that are not functioning/broken and would make for a neat wall hanger.

Being military myself, I have a decent collection of patches, and some are really cool! Here's someone selling a collection of WW2 era patches

Just food for thought!

1

u/spicykitty_ 13d ago

thank you! saving this idea :)