Culture & Entertainment Notebook: Trench art buff Jeff Shrader goes from collector to trader

Since childhood, antique dealer Jeff Shrader of Jackson has been intrigued by pieces of "trench art," the brass relics created by soldiers during World War I and World War II.

Nearly 250 of the shiny, occasionally colorful relics are among the mountain of historical memorabilia he has for sale at Pastimes Antiques in downtown Cape Girardeau.

His interest in "soldier art" began early, following in the footsteps of his parents, who owned an antique shop.

"It's not necessarily just brass shell cases, which is what most people think of when they think of trench art," Shrader said Wednesday as he unpacked merchandise at his booth.

Shrader's venture began around 1997, when he found himself without a job. He had to sell his collection at the time to pay the bills, he said, and discovered selling was as much fun as buying.

Art dealer Jeff Shrader of Jackson poses for a portrait with various pieces of trench art Wednesday.Jacob Wiegand

He now buys and sells through his locally based business, Advance Guard Militaria. And over the past 10 years, Shrader has been featured several times on PBS' "Antiques Roadshow."

"Two of my absolute favorite things I've filmed this year were a Confederate jacket that a fellow's great-great-grandfather wore home from the war," he said. "The other was a Civil War presentation sword from a Missouri man that we filmed up in Rochester, Michigan."

Trench art made from artillery shells is seen Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at Pastimes Antiques in Cape Girardeau. Militaria art dealer Jeff Shrader, originally of Quincy, Illinois, and now Jackson, said there are 200 to 250 pieces of trench art at the antique shop.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

The advantage of selling as opposed to collecting, Shrader said, is "you get to handle a lot more of it." A collector is limited by a budget.

"Because if it comes in, generally it stays," he said. "As a fellow who buys and sells, you buy it, you have it, you learn from it, you love it, and you pass it on."

Trench art varies from the mundane to the extraordinary, Shrader said, pointing to a colorful, embossed brass shell amid a green-beaded snake -- handmade in 1917 -- and a hand-painted helmet.

Trench art made from artillery shells is seen Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at Pastimes Antiques in Cape Girardeau. Militaria art dealer Jeff Shrader, originally of Quincy, Illinois, and now Jackson, said there are 200 to 250 pieces of trench art at the antique shop.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

Brass relics will generally include designs incorporating flowers, birds and unit insignia, he said.

The tools required for much of the intricate designs on the trench art's brass would be fashioned by "little punches" made by soldiers, through the use of files and other similar items they had access to, Shrader said.

The shells and pieces of brass had to be heated in order to make the material soft, and then filled with a solid material.

Trench art dates to ancient times, Shrader said, and includes carved items from the Civil War, generally from camps where soldiers were stationed for long periods of time.

But trench art hit its stride during WWI, he said.

Trench art made from artillery shells is seen Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at Pastimes Antiques in Cape Girardeau. Militaria art dealer Jeff Shrader, originally of Quincy, Illinois, and now Jackson, said there are 200 to 250 pieces of trench art at the antique shop.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

"I think part of the reason for that is the huge availability of surplus brass that's just lying everywhere in World War I," Shrader said.

He said he finds brass trench art to be visually appealing, which is why he looks for it.

"It tells part of the World War I story -- not the whole thing, but part of it," he said.

Militaria art dealer Jeff Shrader, originally of Quincy, Illinois, and now Jackson, holds a piece of trench art made from an artillery shell while speaking to the Southeast Missourian on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, at Pastimes Antiques in Cape Girardeau. Shrader said there are 200 to 250 pieces of trench art at the antique shop.Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

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American rock band Jonas Brothers known best from their heyday in the mid-2000s is making a comeback, E! News reported.

Brothers Nick Jonas, 26, Joe Jonas, 29, and Kevin Jonas, 31, have reunited and are releasing their first single in more than five years. The track, titled "Sucker," is expected to drop at midnight.

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Adored by many during the 1990s, a six-episode homecoming of "Beverly Hills 90210" is in the works, Fox announced Wednesday.

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