One of the things I like to collect are non-gun items made by Mauser. Mauser made all kinds of non-gun items such as typewriters, hair clippers, cigarette lighters, and tools such as this Micrometer I recently bought.
Which came with the original old wood box with Mauser stamped into the lid and part of the paper label still showing on the side of the box. It also has the original German handbook and warranty booklet, and a small adjusting tool.
Collecting other items such as the original Manuals that came with your favorite pistol is fun to find. But beware, there are many copies and replicas around. You'll pay good money for original manuals.
I also have a Mauser branded swiss army style knife made by Victronox, bullets in their original German boxes (8MM), tons of pictures and postcards of WW1 & WW2 soldiers holding their Mausers and various accessories. Of course I have collected many books on Mausers, and some modern pins, patches and t-shirts.
I'm not looking to part with this micrometer, as it is in pristine condition with all of the items that would have come from the factory, but I see them often on Ebay.
Do a search for "Micrometer + Mauser" and then save it to your favorite searches. You can save that search and tell Ebay to send you an email anytime a new item is listed that matches. I see two on there now starting at $1 + shipping, but without boxes. Over time, you'll see them ocassionally listed with boxes, or paperwork, etc.
You can also often find the Calipers that Adler shows above on Ebay in various conditions, with and without plastic Mauser labeled pouches. I have one of these too in my collection. I also have some plastic water guns in the shape of a 1914 pocket pistol, and a C96 water gun. I even found a french pulp fiction book called "Le Mauser ne s'use que si l'on s'en sert" which shows some 1950's busty babe pulling an HSC out of her thigh high's... but I can only read a little french... I'm sure it's a gripping novel. I think the title is "Only wear a Mauser if you plan to make use of it".
What non-gun items do you collect? What have you found out there? Did you know there is a Mauser museum in Obendorf Germany that includes many non-gun items, including a 3 wheel motor bike and a car? Who has visited this museum? Here's the URL for the Waffenmuseum in Oberndorf:
http://www.waffenmuseum-oberndorf.de/Never enough Mausers!
Tim Burke
