CHATSWORTH : Prized Military Memorabilia a Link to the Past

Bruce Herman’s Chatsworth office is a memorial to a time that is no more.

The 35-year-old building owner, who works out of his home, collects military memorabilia ranging from his favorite collection of Prussian generals’ helmets to a rare drum from the 73rd U.S. Army regiment, an African American unit that served in the Civil War.

“Honor was such a prized virtue then,” Herman said of the Civil War era. “You had men fighting to be the color bearer and carry the flag even though the chances of being killed were great.”

Herman began his collection at age 10 when his grandfather--who he describes as his best childhood friend--began taking him to flea markets. His grandfather told Herman war stories he’d heard from gunfighters and Civil War soldiers he’d known as a child and from his own grandfather, a Prussian soldier.

Herman’s ancestry is part of the reason for his love of Prussian memorabilia. His great-great-grandfather served in the Franco-Prussian War, fought from 1870 to 1871. He also graduated first in his blacksmith class and received a pocket watch that has been handed down to Herman.

Herman’s collection of Prussian and Bavarian generals’ helmets are enclosed in a 6-by-6-foot glass case in his office. A mid-19th Century Prussian regimental flag with hand-embroidered silver thread serves as a backdrop for the display.

Herman said he hears about items for sale by word of mouth and by meeting collectors at military antique shows. Herman said he searches for items that haven’t been restored, repainted or repaired.

“You can go out and buy junk all day long,” Herman said. “One of the main things to a serious collector is purity.”

Last July, Herman went on a relic hunt at a Revolutionary War camp in central New York. Using a metal detector, he found knife blades, belt buckles, a solid silver British coin and a 70-caliber musket ball.

Though Herman, a self-described frustrated curator, derives great pleasure from collecting, he said he also feels an obligation to try to preserve history.