Know What Your Postwar Military Keepsakes May Be Worth

I · The math

Keep the record with the object

The useful change is not a guessed price. It is the difference between loose keepsakes and a documented service group.

A trunk full of objects becomes loose pieces

You are looking at papers in one box, medals in another, photographs without names, and items relatives may want to divide quickly. The connection between them can disappear before you know what to preserve.

One record keeps the family story connected

You have photographs, inventory notes, provenance cards, and a clear sequence for reviewing the collection. Each item can stay connected to the names, papers, places, and people that give it meaning.

	Now	With the book
First look at the collection	Opening boxes and handling items without a record	A first-box review that starts with photographs and location notes
Service papers	Documents treated as separate old papers	Names, dates, units, and records linked to related objects
Medals and insignia	Pieces separated from the person who wore them	Markings, condition, and family history recorded with the group
Photographs and letters	Unlabeled images and correspondence moved into separate piles	Fronts, backs, inscriptions, and connections documented together
A family decision	Guessing whether to keep, appraise, donate, or sell	A written record to bring to the next careful decision

The gain is a documented service group before its context disappears.

II · Inside the book

Thirteen chapters for one intact record

Across 106 pages, Faron walks through the first box review, service papers, names and unit marks, medals, uniforms, photographs, rebuilding the group, storage, and the decisions that follow. All 88 numbered methods are arranged in the order a family can use them.

1. The First Box Reviewpp. 3–7

Container photos, firearm and ammunition warnings, item numbers, and marking clues that set review priorities.

2. Service Papers and Separation Recordspp. 8–13

DD Form 214, orders, citations, specialties, and service numbers that confirm identity and assignments.

3. Names, Units, Dates, and Markspp. 14–19

Initials, laundry codes, unit abbreviations, and contract stamps that connect objects to timelines.

4. Medals, Ribbons, Badges, and Insigniapp. 20–25

Engraving, ribbon devices, cases, citations, and fasteners that distinguish complete official award groups.

5. Uniforms, Patches, and Headgearpp. 26–31

Labels, patches, ghost stitching, and named accessories that preserve original jacket, cap, and insignia relationships.

6. Photographs, Letters, Maps, and Albumspp. 32–38

Captions, postmarks, rosters, routes, and film pairings that identify people, places, and sequences.

7. Rebuilding the Service Grouppp. 39–44

Timelines, link tables, faces, handwriting, and container labels that separate proven connections from guesses.

8. Keeping the Service Group Intactpp. 45–50

Shared numbers, labeled packets, cross-reference slips, and indexes that prevent related items from drifting apart.

9. Keep, Appraise, Insure, Donate, or Sellpp. 51–57

Core archives, appraisal choices, donation terms, and insurance packets that guide irreversible family decisions.

10. Sold Prices, Buyers, and Offerspp. 58–63

Verified sales, comparable differences, fees, and written terms that expose realistic net offers.

11. Original Condition and Conservation Decisionspp. 64–70

Flaking, corrosion, mold, failed adhesive, and pest damage that signal when expert care matters.

12. Archival Storage by Materialpp. 71–80

Acid-free folders, photo-safe sleeves, inert compartments, and stable rooms matched to each material.

13. The Descendant Service Recordpp. 81–106

Service stories, sourced captions, interview notes, filenames, and backups for the next custodian.

Get the manual · $29

III · Who wrote it

Twenty-four years keeping service groups together

Faron Pettigrew has spent 24 years preserving military-family archives: trunks, papers, medals, photographs, maps, and the personal effects that connect them. He begins with names, unit markings, documents, original condition, and where each item came from. His first rule is plain: photograph it, record it, and keep the story together before anyone changes the collection.

IV · The offer

$29 once. No subscription. Yours forever.

A 106-page manual with 13 chapters and 88 numbered methods for building a written record of a postwar service group.

Know What Your Postwar Military Keepsakes May Be Worth

This manual gives you a repeatable way to make the first careful decisions while the collection is still in front of you. It replaces guessing with a written record you can keep with the family and bring to an appraiser, donor organization, or prospective buyer when the time is right.

$29 $78 Launch price — ends September 05

The manual pays for itself the first time it helps keep a service paper, photograph, or named object connected to the group before a cleanout, donation, or sale.

What you get for $29:

Know What Your Postwar Military Keepsakes May Be Worth

Service Paper Trail · A Family Archive Field Guide · No. I · MMXXVI

$29

BonusFamily Trunk Inventory Sheets

Printable room-by-room and box-by-box worksheets for recording item descriptions, names, dates, markings, condition, and where each piece was found.

BonusService Keepsake Photo Checklist

A printable shot list for photographing medals, papers, trunks, inscriptions, backs of photographs, labels, and groupings before anything is moved.

$11

BonusProvenance Story Cards

Fill-in cards for preserving who owned an item, how it came into the family, related names, service details, and linked documents or photographs.

BonusLifetime updates

Every future revision of this book, free. When a checklist tightens or a price moves, the new edition reaches you at no charge.

$21

Everything together: $78 of material — today $29

You pay today ~~$78~~$29

Get the manual · $29

Instant download · PDF · 106 pages

Published by Handover Books · secure checkout

Read the manual and decide whether it helps you approach your family collection with more care and clarity. If it does not meet that standard, request a refund within 14 days of purchase.

V · Questions

Answers before you open the first box

Why does the manual cost $29?

It is a 106-page working manual with 88 numbered methods, plus printable tools for documenting a collection before its pieces are moved or separated. The purpose is to help you make better first decisions with material that cannot be replaced once its context is lost.

Will this apply to my family’s collection?

It is written for postwar American military-family keepsakes, including papers, medals, ribbons, uniforms, patches, photographs, letters, maps, trunks, and personal effects. The process begins with documentation and provenance, which applies even when you do not yet know the branch, unit, or full history.

Is this a price guide or appraisal?

No. It does not provide appraisals or promise what an item will sell for. It shows you how to identify, document, keep together, and prepare a service group before deciding whether an appraisal, insurance discussion, donation, or sale is appropriate.

What format will I receive?

You receive an instant-download PDF with 106 pages. You can read it on a screen or print the pages and worksheets you want at the table while you review a collection.

What if it is not right for me?

You have 14 days to request a refund. Review the material, and if it does not help you make a more informed first pass through the collection, ask for your money back within that period.

Get the manual · $29

Before you sort the trunk, preserve 88 clues

Keep the record with the object

A trunk full of objects becomes loose pieces

One record keeps the family story connected

Thirteen chapters for one intact record

Twenty-four years keeping service groups together

$29 once. No subscription. Yours forever.

Know What Your Postwar Military Keepsakes May Be Worth

Answers before you open the first box

Before the boxes are split, record the service story