Militaria.
One area of the secondary market seeing higher values is Militaria. This is an expanding area for collectors interested in both in history and the human story behind the objects. Items found at auction can include anything from an early cannon ball to weapons, call-up rosters to personal diaries, uniforms to early tintypes. Objects from important battles carry the highest premium on the secondary market. For instance in 2009 Bonhams London sold a Union Jack flag, flown at the Battle of Trafalgar for £384,000 (over $500,000 in 2009 exchange rates). Provenance is key here, with numerous fakes on the market, especially in popular collecting areas such as the American Civil War. Sometimes it is hard to divorce the human story from the object, monetary value being a meager recompense for loss of life.
19th century cannon balls for sale at a Militaria auction 2017.
A letter home to mom and pop from training camp. ca.1944. Militaria auction 2017.
Civil War tin types 1861-1865. Militaria auction 2017.