Hamilton

HAMILTON - For 35 years, Wayne Thomas has appeased the insatiable appetites of war memorabilia collectors who squeeze into his tiny, cluttered shop at 2038 Greenwood Ave. in the shadow of the Hamilton Township municipal building.

They come to Armies of the Past Ltd. for everything from 25-cent buttons to war uniforms, helmets and figurines, not to mention the memories that come with them. A red wool uniform jacket with brass buttons echoes images of the elite British Coldstream Guard, founded in Coldstream, Scotland, in 1650 and still active in the British Army.

Incongruously, a straw purse that hangs on a wall and seems out of place was made in Hong Kong and once belonged to a Navy nurse.

Although Thomas estimates about 90 percent of his business now comes from online orders at www.aotp.com, he still welcomes customers to see some of his inventory at the store on Saturdays or by special appointment. They come, he said, to peruse his "high-end collectible stuff."

Over the years, the soft-spoken former Department of Transportation civil engineer has catered to movie companies, a television show, veterans and re-enactors.

Lately, thanks to the international customer base he reaches through his internet site, Thomas has seen a flurry of Japanese interest in Vietnam War artifacts and also from Northern Europeans.

"I don't remember the first thing I collected," Thomas explained on a recent Saturday afternoon. "I started collecting things as a kid and I never stopped."

Even now, he admits, when he buys 10 things for his shop, he keeps about eight for himself. He houses the most important collectibles in storage elsewhere in the township.

He locks the Greenwood Avenue store with a metal, roll-down garage-style door when it's not open for business.

There are badges, binoculars, medals, old photographs and muskets inside. Artifacts from the Civil War to Desert Storm are packed and piled wall-to-wall in the store that was once a house, then a bakery and a residence again before Thomas, who grew up just across the street, turned it into his Armies of the Past.

A smooth-skinned 72 with a white ponytail that is anything but military-style, the Mercerville resident knows his merchandise. Ask about a helmet with a pointed top and he describes a World War I German Pickelhaube. Looking for a button to spruce up an old uniform? Thomas points to a clear plastic mini cabinet of drawers meant to store screws. His is filled with buttons. By his own estimate, Thomas has "400 to 500" items in the store, his favorites being the cloth uniforms.

Some of his stash was almost featured in Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan." But the average soldier in World War II wore a size 36 or 38 uniform, according to Thomas, and the actors and extras on the production were larger and more muscular, requiring mostly size 44s. So the production company looked elsewhere.

He had more success with a British movie crew that came needing uniforms for a Boston Strangler movie based on the life of the late convicted murderer Albert De Salvo when they were filming in Fort Dix.

Thomas also supplied the television show "Burn Notice" with a pair of bayonets. The store made a television appearance of its own on the since-cancelled Discovery Channel show "Dirty Money."

The same sizing problem the movie company faced is true of customers who come in to buy: Most are larger than the older uniforms on hand. Add to that the fact that government cuts have resulted in less surplus uniforms being issued and Thomas' collectibles become even more rare, he explained.

A framed collection of medals sits on a chair that is sometimes occupied by one of the helpers who come in to talk to Thomas and assist with customers. A small figure of a soldier in a beige cloth uniform, probably used as a decorative promotional item, greets visitors who come in for one thing and often stay to look at all of the others.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Thomas could barely keep gas masks in the store. Customers aren't so jittery these days, he said, despite wars that have turned Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria into household words.

"After Desert Storm, they came in for a while and the business was good for that stuff. And then it just stopped," he noted.

The married father of two, Thomas was never in armed conflict himself, although he was in the National Guard reserves from 1963-69.

Twenty to 30 years ago, the owner used to go to Las Vegas trade shows where nearly 3,000 vendors would sell collectibles.

These days he gets new items from "pickers" (people who buy and resell), flea markets and walk-ins who respond to the "We Buy War Relics and Military Items" sign posted outside the shop.

While the internet has provided Thomas with a European customer base, eBay - for a time - took away some prospective buyers.

"It was popular up until a couple of years ago, but not so much anymore," he added. "Plus I used to issue a catalogue. Now I don't have to because I can list things on my website."

By Thomas' estimates, "50 to 60 percent" of his sales are World War II items. More than once, some of the World War II vets who came in got emotional, he recalled.

"Interest in Civil War items is a little soft, now. But there always seems to be an interest in World War II and the Army."

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