Set For April 18, 19 at Cool Springs Marriott
Fifty years ago, some friends in Nashville visited a military antiques show in another state. On the way home they discussed historic items they saw and the value of having an organization in Tennessee to honor veterans, preserve military artifacts and provide opportunities to see or collect militaria. Following that conversation, the Tennessee Military Collectors Association was formed as a non-profit organization, hosting semi-annual events where anyone could buy or sell military antiques or relics, obtain information and appraisals, or simply enjoy being in a museum-type atmosphere.
The next TMCA show is set for April 18 & 19 at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin, Tennessee and TMCA president Jimmy Howell says items for display, sale or trade “will include uniforms, medals, badges, photos, swords, daggers, vintage military weapons, flags, helmets, insignia, radios, cameras, binoculars, books, paper artifacts, home front collectibles and more. Weather permitting, there may also be WW II-era military vehicles in the Marriott parking lot. Modern weapons are not permitted to be sold or brought into the show.”
The show will be open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, April 18, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 19. Admission is free for Junior ROTC and Scout members in uniform, children under 15 (when accompanied by a parent) and active-duty military, police and fire department members. For all others, admission is $5.00. The Cool Springs Marriott is approximately 10 minutes from Nashville, located at 700 Cool Springs Blvd., Franklin. Parking is free.
“We have two shows each year, one in the spring and one in the fall, and in the last few years attendance has been the highest ever,” says TMCA president Jimmy Howell. “Commemorative events for World Wars I & II brought renewed interest in military items, as did several movies, TV shows, film documentaries, books and magazine articles. We see children and grandchildren of veterans who have inherited souvenirs and are eager to talk with an expert about an item’s use and history – and we recognize more people are seeing military relics as investment opportunities as values increase.”
“As interest in military collectibles has grown, our shows have expanded to accommodate those wanting to view, display, buy or sell artifacts,” Howell says. “For the TMCA Spring Show we will fill three of the Cool Springs Marriott ballrooms with more than 400 tables brimming with military artifacts from many nations and time periods. We take pride in hosting family friendly events where guests can start or expand a collection of militaria with items in all price ranges – or just spend a few hours seeing and touching military pieces.”
Each year TMCA uses show proceeds and member donations to financially support Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at schools in middle Tennessee and programs/efforts for veterans, including recent gifts to Operation Standdown Tennessee and Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee. You can learn about TMCA by visiting http://tmcaonline.org
More Information:
Ronnie Townes – 615-661-9379 rrtownes@att.net
Woody McMillin – 615-500-8433 woodyair@comcast.net
