NFATCA Report: The Mind of a Collector

By Jeff Folloder

The mind of a collector. It’s a strange and curious thing. I would like to be specific and declare that I am not talking about somebody who acquires things; many of us do just that. I am talking about somebody who enlists a deliberate process—a theme, if you will— that adds extra elements to the pursuit. A collector “has it bad.” I admit that I often occupy both modes in my life, even in terms of NFA weapons. Allow me to elaborate.

I’ve been what many would call an HK “fan boi” for many decades. It started off innocently enough. If it had the HK brand and I had the money in my pocket … I would buy it. No particular rhyme or reason. It said “HK” and I had to have it. From my nearly 60 years of perspective, that doesn’t really qualify as collecting. There’s no deliberation or theme. It’s just building a war chest. And then I managed to pick up an HK USP Compact factory cutaway with a translucent frame in a charity auction. Fascinating piece. I loved being told by George Schultz of Heckler and Koch that the item was a fully functioning firearm and that it absolutely would fire. Once. (Safety concern duly noted!) And then I had an opportunity to pick up another factory cutaway of a different model. Guess who has become a collector?

Sure, it’s a subtle difference. A gentle line in the sand, if you will. But it’s there and I suspect that many of you know exactly what I am talking about. I find that mindset is key in the whole drama of selecting an item to add to the collection. I’ve added a few pieces to my machine gun collection over the years. Yes, there’s a plethora of HKs that are representing the brand quite nicely. It’s the other pieces that presented a problem. How to choose? The “others” started out with me wanting to celebrate the intellect and wisdom of John Moses Browning. So, I added an M1919A4 (two, actually) and then a Ma Deuce. I found myself in acquisition mode, not collector mode. And that wasn’t nearly as satisfying as I had hoped. Sure, the guns ran great! Something was missing.

I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with a lot of great people at gun shows. I’d like to think that I used a lot of that time to soak up some knowledge and passion. Several years ago, I was chatting with a long-time vendor at Knob Creek. He and I always managed to chew the fat and swap stories and lore. He had almost always had an FN MINIMI on his table with a large price tag on it. I had never paid it much attention, but the last time we were chatting I asked him why the gun had never sold—it seemed to be a great piece, in great shape. He told me that it was one of his favorite guns and that he loved to shoot it. Under the pretense of running a business he had it for sale, but at a price that was too high to actually induce anyone to buy it. He then looked me in the eyes and asked me if I was interested. “Of course! I’ve always wanted a SAW and had never found the right one at the right time.” “Well, tell me how much you want to pay for it.” We got to a number and shook hands. A check was passed, paperwork was executed. The machine gun arrived a few weeks later in a giant box that was filled with the gun, spare barrels, parts, manuals, product catalogs … the whole shebang. I figured out my collecting mode. I want to acquire weapons that brought joy to my friends. Guns that made people happy. It’s not a bad way to go! I have managed to pick up a few more machine guns that fit this description. And I am in the process of adding one more as I write this article. The NFATCA understands the mind of the collector. We’re not just about righting the wrongs of onerous regulation and oversight. It’s also about something that brings so much happiness to so many of us. I am happy to say it again—for almost 20 years we have aimed to represent the interests of the whole NFA community in ways that benefit everyone, fairly. To make more NFA opportunities available to more people, more often and more equitably. We have accomplished many great achievements. We know that there is more work to do, though. We welcome your help and support; please consider joining or renewing today. nfatca.org / info@nfatca.org