Lovers of historical radios and military objects had a great time in Rijsenhout last weekend. The CRASH Air War and Resistance Museum sold part of its collection. They want to make room in the depot, now that the renovation of their building will be complete in a few months.
The museum mainly sold many historical radio parts during the sale – NH Media
The museum has been in the Fort near Aalsmeer, a historic monument, for fifteen years. This is now being extensively renovated, which means that the museum can currently only use half of the usual floor space.
Apart from that renovation, the size of the collection also got somewhat out of hand. That is why the museum decided to offer many items to collectors and enthusiasts last weekend. This way the museum can continue for years to come, because the collection is constantly growing.
“This weekend’s stuff is for the enthusiasts, so everyone will have fun with it”
These things come from everywhere and nowhere, says volunteer Rick Franke: “We of course collect objects with a certain historical importance ourselves. But there are also many people who have this kind of stuff in the attic and donate it after their death. That’s where we are. always very grateful for that.”
But at some point the storage is full. To avoid that, radio parts were mainly given up this weekend, says Gerrit Pas. He is a volunteer and so-called radio amateur at the museum. “We keep the gems ourselves, but all the objects that we are now parting with are intended to give radio enthusiasts the opportunity to restore their own systems at home. This way everyone can have fun.”
Searching for parts
For enthusiasts who came to the sale, they have to search for the right part. Fans, electrodes, power supply, anyone who needed something had to be there on time. According to Pas, the best items were gone early: “They were here in front of the entrance at 10.30 am sharp, because some items are not easy to get.”
Some return home satisfied to tinker with their own radio, but some have to make do with the ‘leftovers’. This also applies to a visitor from Arnhem: “Unfortunately there was nothing exceptional, but I didn’t expect that either. I did find a nice pair of electrodes that I can work with at home. And of course you talk to all your fellow hobbyists, That’s always a lot of fun.”
The renovation of the fort is quite complex, says Franke: “In addition to getting the collection in order, we also have to move all the stuff to the ‘new’ half of the fort, so that they can use the ‘old’ part. We can tackle what we are now crammed into. Of course, we did not move it in one day. We will also figure that out.”
The museum has forty volunteers, all of whom are helping with the move. But more hands are always welcome, says Franke: “Of those forty, we have about sixteen people who can really help out often. Then you have to imagine that that group will soon have to move the entire collection of thousands of objects, including display cases and all the furnishings. We could use some help with that.”