I would suggest buying what you think you will enjoy the most , it is your hard earned money after all . I put down what I would buy if I started right now but that isn ' t all that is out there . My collecting has been all over the place , started as WW 2 Allied items , jumped 19 th century bayonets to WW 1 Victory Medals and Canadian items , went to German daggers , moved to German and Canadian Red Cross and medical corp , it is seeming to be moving slowly to WW 2 helmets and Soviet items . The one common factor , I like what I buy . I might buy something for cheap if I know I can use it for trade but probably 80 % of what I have ever bought I still own , I have walked from items because I didn ' t find them physically appealing or have no desire to own one I am not a gas mask guy at all , but remember it is your money to buy what you want . I know a person that does nothing but collect WW 2 gas cans , I don ' t see the appeal but he has 50 and can tell you more than you would ever think was possible about a gas can .